Former Soil Conservation Service employee and longtime writer Mat Taylor offers his outdoors column for Dispatch Record readers. He can be contacted at (254) 518-2262 or via e-mail at mntaylor@agristar.net. It doesn't seem possible, but it is 2009 already. I vividly remember when the new millennium came, and all computers and everything were supposed to go to heck in a hand basket. I knew some people who hoarded ammunition, food and even toilet paper.

Of course nothing happened, but I can't believe that was almost 10 years ago. As I get older, the time flies by.

At least for me, 2009 got off to a good start. I am almost back to 100 percent after having heart surgery last June. My wife and I take a long walk every day, and I try to eat the right things, but that is hard to do.

Another good start was finally having rain last week. We received 0.8 inches at the ranch. There also was ice on the trees and fences. The moisture hopefully will result in some growth of winter weeds and grasses. My cows and the deer sure need some fresh grazing.

I don't have to tell you that last year was drier than a bone. My rain gauge measured a little over 20 inches for 2008. That is about 12 inches below normal. The dry weather has had an impact on wildlife, and more deer are coming to my corn feeders, as there is not much forage in the pasture.

The 2008-09 general deer season is over, and these two young white-tailed bucks made it through unscathed, probably due to the antler restrictions in Lampasas County that specify bucks with only one unbranched antler or those with an inside spread of 13 inches are legal. Our farm pond, like most others, has been declining slowly for months, and some shallow ponds already have gone dry. Normally this time of the year there would be winter grasses and weeds. This winter they are not there, and wildlife food plots planted in oats and other plants have withered and died due to the lack of rainfall. I hope more rains are on the way and we will have a normal spring.

I recently talked with Derrick Wolters, TPWD wildlife biologist for Bell, Coryell and Lampasas counties. He said unless there is a dramatic increase in rainfall, the fawn crop will be smaller this spring, and buck antler development also will be affected.

Wolters added that the recent deer season was about average, after a slow start. With more deer coming to feeders, there should have been more does harvested, he added.

Sulphur Creek Taxidermy and Deer Processing owner Jed Dunning said the number of deer processed at his facility this season was slightly above that of the previous season.

Wolters and Dunning both mentioned the special youth-only deer season this Saturday and Sunday. It would be a good time to take a young hunter, 16 years of age or younger, to your deer blind. It also would be a good time to reduce the doe population more than usual to prepare for potential drier weather ahead.

On our family ranch, only one buck and two does were harvested. My brother and I are encouraging his grandsons to hunt and kill a couple more does during the youth-only season this weekend.

In a previous column, I reported on some proposed changes to hunting and fishing regulations. Another change the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department is considering is a switch in deer management from political boundaries (counties) to Resource Management Units.

TPWD has identified 33 unique RMUs across the state with similar soils, vegetation types and land use practices. The department believes the RMUs will more accurately address deer population management issues. Its intent is to develop deer season bag limits based on these units, although implementation still would track county boundaries to avoid confusion for hunters.

A map of Texas with RMU boundaries shows most of Lampasas is included with all of Coryell, Hamilton and eastern Bell counties. A narrow strip of land along the Colorado River is included with San Saba, Llano and other counties in the Hill Country.

Will the new RMUs assist TPWD in helping landowners and managers to do a better job of managing the deer herd? Only time will tell.