Get ready for deer season now! Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is now accepting applications for Landowner Assisted Management Permitting System (LAMPS) antlerless deer permits for the 2008-2009 hunting season. The LAMPS program was initiated in 1993 to offer East Texas landowners and hunters additional opportunities for harvesting antlerless deer.
Many counties in East Texas allow the harvest of antlerless deer “by permit only,” or during a few select “doe days.” However, LAMPS permits allow antlerless deer to be hunted the entire general gun season with minimal reporting requirements.
Persons interested in enrolling a property in the LAMPS program should recognize there are minimum qualification requirements for LAMPS permits. Permission from the landowner must be obtained before applying for permits if the person applying is not the landowner. The property must occur in one of the more than 50 East Texas counties in the program. And, the property must meet the minimum acreage requirement for the county. The minimum acreage requirement varies form county to county, but ranges from 50 to 200 acres.
To guarantee receipt of permits by the opening day of the general firearms season, applications must be received by September 1. For information on the minimum acreage requirements and applications call the LAMPS office at (409) 489-0823 or log on to the Texas Parks and Wildlife web site.