THE DUST JACKET COVER of the Brothers/Richards revised book shows a deer most hunters only dream about. Following Richards’ year-by-year growth progression photos will assist hunters in determining a deer’s age to assure that only mature bucks are harvested, and younger bucks allowed to age to maturity. The work is a manual for aging deer bound in a handsome coffee table book, available at www.richardsoutdoorphotography.com. (Photo by Dave Richards)

by John Jefferson

Deer season opened with a bang (pun intended) on Saturday, November 7. And every weekend has provided pleasant weather, even if a little windy. Reports indicate that many handsome antlers are headed for hunters’ walls, and lots of venison to freezers.

Hunters’ Creek Processing on Hwy. 183 north of Austin is in its tenth year, now, and is one of the cleanest, smoothest operations I’ve seen. Our family has had two deer processed there, and the service and packaged cuts of venison were excellent.

I stopped in and visited with Cole Stevens, the owner, the second Saturday of the season, and was impressed with the speed and perfection of his crew of young men who operated the hanging line of freshly arrived deer, hogs and exotics. I had called ahead and asked if I could take pictures of deer hanging in his coolers. Stevens explained that they try to avoid having ANY hair in the cooler. I personally saw their efforts at that. I asked how the deer brought in this year compared with this time last season.

“We’re 30% ahead of last season,” he said, pointing to antler racks hung on a bar suspended from the ceiling. “Last year, we had a healthy acorn crop. This year, it was dry most of the summer; deer were more prone to come to food. It made a huge difference.”
I also talked to Mark Lampson, owner of Bernhard’s Deer Processing in Ingram, in the epicenter of Texas’ deer population.

Last year, Bernhard’s processed 4,000 deer.

“This year, we are several hundred deer ahead of 2019,” he replied. Deer willing to move and hunters anxious to escape COVID confinement contributed to a bumper harvest. He also commented on many fine antlers this season due to timely spring rains.

Bernhard’s is in a fairly new building just east of Ingram on the Junction Hwy.

Hunters’ Creek is in its tenth year of operation and is on 183, five minutes north of Hwy. 29.

The peak of the rut has passed in the Hill Country and much of Texas, but the South Texas rut usually peaks around mid-December.

However, fine antlers are brought in EVERY weekend of the season. And the sooner hunters take a doe or two, the better for the habitat. There’s plenty of hunting time left.

Dave Richards and Al Brothers compiled a landmark book in 2003 entitled “Observing and Evaluating Whitetails.” It was an instant success due to Brothers’ reputation as a whitetail authority and Richards’ unbelievable deer photography. Dave followed some deer for five years documenting their growth characteristics.

They’ve now revised/updated the book. Richards will show images and discuss it at noon on Dec. 2 for the Austin Woods and Waters Club: https://austinwoodsandwaters.org . Links to access the program are free on the homepage. YouTube does not require ID/PW.  Facebook does.

This is the only photo record of that many bucks for five years running and is splendidly done. Dave’s also offering a January workshop where he photographed them.

JJ