2022 Texas’ Statewide Hunting Forecast

2022 Texas’ Statewide Hunting Forecast

TOJ’s Annual Forecast of Whitetail, Mule Deer, Pronghorn, Quail and other Game Animals along with the latest from-the-field information.

Story and photography by Bill L. Olson

It’s always about weather and its impact to range conditions.  This plays a key role in opportunities as well as harvest decisions hunters make.

Once again the size of the Lone Star State, diversity of landscape, resiliency of wildlife and fickle, scattered rainfall and weather patterns are playing a major role as to the combined impact of game animals.  Even within this year’s District reports the uncertainties and variable are noted.

However, as many have pointed out this is not the first time Texas’ wildlife has been dealt a less than stellar hand.  There is optimism that dry conditions will abate and better conditions will stimulate recovery.

Here’s the latest updated, detailed reports from all eight Districts across Texas.

REGION 1, DISTRICT 1, Trans-Pecos (West Texas)

Last year, for the 2021 forecast District Leader Mike Janis of Alpine reminded us “the spring of 2020 through the spring of 2021 the Trans-Pecos was brutally dry.  Most annual moisture comes during the summer monsoons, which were virtually nonexistent in 2020.”

Moving to the 2022 – 2023 hunting season forecast he said, Like much of Texas, the Trans-Pecos has been in drought conditions this year.  Late monsoon moisture in August and September of 2021 helped temporarily, but conditions have been mostly drier than average since then, and critical winter moisture was below average.

“Until mid-August, the 2022 monsoons were very spotty, as most rainfall came in very scattered, isolated storms.  The Permian basin was particularly dry.  The first widespread rain began on August 15, which is a bit late too impact pronghorn and deer fawn production, but the relief is welcomed and much will hinge on whether that continues.”

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