Granite Shoals’ deer management program removes record number of deer
Deer grazing in Granite Shoals. Staff photo by Maci Cottingham.
Granite Shoals’ deer management program more than doubled its previous record this season, removing 267 deer and providing thousands of pounds of venison to residents despite early challenges.
The Granite Shoals Wildlife Advisory Committee’s (WAC) program, designed to control the overpopulated deer herd through an archery-only approach with qualified harvesters, used 267 of 270 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department tags, about 99 percent, across 10 approved sites.
Running from Sept. 27, 2025 to Feb. 5, 2026 the program finished three weeks ahead of schedule and donated 190 deer, yielding roughly 3,500 pounds of processed venison for local residents.
“The 2025-2026 program was highly successful, more than doubling deer removals compared to prior efforts,” WAC Chair Mark Henshaw told DailyTrib.
Fifty active participants contributed roughly 3,900 volunteer hours. Most deer removed were does (222), along with 45 bucks, more than double the previous high of 130 total deer harvested. The program also reported a low 7.4 percent loss rate, with 21 deer unrecovered.
The deer harvesting initiative, which began in 2017, was paused in 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It resumed this year with early adjustments to address resident safety concerns. WAC says feedback from residents, along with the final report, will help guide improvements in future seasons.
“We did learn a few things and have made recommendations to lower community impacts, improve harvester efficiency, and return even more free venison to our citizens,” Henshaw said.