As white-tail season opens for youth this weekend and general season the weekend after, Spur’s Star Feed & Seed owners Zoe and Benny Robertson have already prepared for their 22nd annual Big Buck Contest.
Registration for the highly anticipated contest began in August for Dickens and eight other nearby counties including Stonewall, Kent, King, Cottle, Motley, Floyd, Crosby and Garza. With a $25 entry fee, hunters try their luck at a $1,000 prize for white-tail or straight eight. They can also win a monogrammed jacket for several other categories, such as mule deer, wild pig, bow and youth.
The store has a scoring system used to decide the winners, and the contest has been managed by Will Shafer for the past ten years or more.
“When we started the contest, hunting was kind of new in the area and we wanted to promote a new economic factor,” said Zoe Robertson, who said there have been some really big deer and that the contest is always interesting and fun. Winners will be declared on Monday, January 3, 2022, at noon.
Motley County Game Warden Matthew C. Cruse started hunting with his father when he was only six years old. Throughout his life, he has enjoyed hunting this deer, season is no different. Cruse said there was a good fawn crop this year and conditions are right for a great season, but there are some rules that must be followed to ensure the sport is safe.
Hunter education is required for every hunter who is 17 years old or older except those born on or before Sept. 2, 1971. A youth hunting license, which costs $7, is required for resident and non-resident hunters who are 16 and younger. Youth must also be accompanied by someone who has completed hunter education or is exempt. All hunters must adhere to bag limits, and both deer and turkey require a tag.
Though Cruse said quail season wasn’t looking as good, he did say that there was a good hatch of turkeys that will probably be an improvement over the last few years.
In the North zone, youth deer weekend for white-tail only will be open Oct. 30 and 31. General rifle season for white-tails starts Nov. 6 and runs through January 2 in Motley and Dickens Counties. Another youth only season will be Jan. 3 through Jan. 16, 2022. Archery season comes to a close Nov. 5, and mule deer season runs from Nov. 20 to Dec. 5.
Antler restrictions apply for Cottle, Motley, Floyd, Hall, Briscoe and Childress. The outside spread must be no smaller than 20 inches measured from the main beam. This restriction is not imposed in Dickens or Kent Counties.
Although game wardens do come across violations like tagging infractions when a hunter failed to fill out a harvest tag or used the wrong tag, Cruse says, hunters should know how to tag properly and that trespassing and shooting a deer on somebody else’s property is a felony.
Dickens County Game Warden Jeremy Lindsey explained that hunters can now access information through the Texas Outdoor Annual app.
“We’ve been going to technology more and more to help the public get information. They can find out a lot about game laws. Hunters need to pay attention to tagging procedures and make sure they have hunter education that is required,” said Lindsey.
Seasons may be similar in some counties, but hunters can look up any county using the app so they can plan to follow restrictions.
“Most of the counties in our area are one-buck counties. Hunters need to be really aware of the laws and immediately tag deer for the county,” Lindsey said, adding that they should be sure to fill out the harvest log on the back. He said that while most hunters are law-abiding, people can make mistakes, so they should check the requirements.
“Get out there and know the laws and have a blast,” said Lindsey, who also welcomes hunters to call with questions. “We’re here to make sure the resources are being managed properly.
Lindsey added, “I love interacting with hunters out in the field. It’s my favorite time of the year.”
For those lucky enough to bag a catch this season, deer meat processing options may be few in Hall and Cottle Counties, but Motley and Dickens Counties each have at least one place to take deer. Wild West Processing in Matador and Duck Creek Wild Game Processing in Spur are both ready to offer their services.
“When we started the contest, hunting was kind of new in the area and we wanted to promote a new economic factor.” —Zoe Robertson, Star Feed & Seed
“I love interacting with hunters out in the field. It’s my favorite time of the year.” — Dickens County Game Warden Jeremy Lindsey
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