One sure sign of improving conditions here is the number of desert mule deer trophies entered last year in the Texas Big Game Awards Program. This organization has done an excellent job of identifying, recording and honoring the top big game animals harvested in the state for the past 13 years. Director David Brimager says last season produced more desert mule deer entries from the Trans Pecos region than ever before. A hunter from Toyah, Texas, for example, took the largest mule deer ever taken in Texas while hunting in Reeves County in the Trans Pecos this past November. The huge non-typical grossed 288 B & C and netted a whopping 283 B & C!
One outfitter who hunts the Trans Pecos is Paul Johnson of Vinegarroon Wildlife in Comstock. Johnson's expectations for good hunting and trophy potential this fall pretty much mirror those of biologist Mike Hobson; and, yes, he still has a few openings for this fall.
He hunts two properties in the Trans Pecos. The first is the Fort Davis Ranch, which consists of just over 20,000 acres of prime mule deer habitat nestled in the beautiful Davis Mountains about eight miles northwest of Fort Davis. Last season, a total of 10 bucks were taken off the ranch, all mature 5½-year-olds or older. All bucks harvested were over 150 B & C typical, with the largest taping out at 179 B & C and sporting a 27-inch spread.
Fort Davis Ranch is truly a trophy desert mule deer operation. The ranch has water........(continued)
