Big Boys-----Anderson Co. 19 pointer taken on 5-acres tops list of East Texas trophy bucks taken thus far

Internet hunting forums have been abuzz for more than a month now with photos and intel linked to whopper bucks taken by lucky Texas hunters this fall.

Not surprisingly, several of the outstanding deer have surfaced east of I-35, where mandatory antler restrictions continue to work their magic across much of the Pineywoods and Post Oak Savannah regions of the state.

The restriction currently applies to 117 counties statewide. It was introduced several years ago to help improve the age structure of deer herds and to ultimately encourage hunters to lay off young bucks and allow deer to reach at least 3 1/2-years old before harvest. The regulation has worked really well and is widely accepted in plenty of areas.