Saturday will mark the beginning of the 2009-10 Texas whitetail deer hunting season.

This is a special time to many East Texans. Hunters of all ages and experience levels — first-timers to lifelong hunters — look forward to this weekend. Some hunters may only hunt one weekend per year and this will be it. Others have already been archery hunting for several weeks and the gun season is just another venue.

Regardless of the experience level, deer hunters of all sorts will be amped for the opener. All of the work, scouting, feeder filling, stand preparation and chores associated with the season should be completed leaving only the rewards of the hunt.

This time is special to all Texans, and especially East Texas hunters. We have an awesome hunting heritage and we also have a right to be proud of our area and our rich hunting traditions.

This season is shaping up to be a good one.

According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department web site things could be better in some areas but overall conditions should be good. The rains we have received over the past few months have really had a positive effect on the habitat and forage conditions. This year's acorn crop is nothing short of bumper. The rain also sent a vital shot into the summer plants and flowers giving them a late season green boost. The forbs and cool weather plant growth is also booming for the same reason.

Timely rain (although in overabundant quantities) helped all plant life in our area. Another bonus the rains have added is the deer should be in good shape going into the breeding season and the following winter. This should insure a healthy fawn crop for the upcoming year.

All this good news does come with drawbacks.

With so much quality feed available the hunters relying on corn feeders may not see the traffic they expect. Deer do love corn, but may not travel the extra distance to visit a feeder if acorns and browse is readily available. Finding a large white oak tree heavy with acorns may be the best bet as opposed to the corn feeder at traditional areas. In fact this scenario may be better during any conditions as white oak acorns are high on the list of preferred deer browse.

Make sure all the licenses necessary are taken care of before heading to the woods. Another tip is to make sure of the regulations for the county you plan to hunt. Restrictions are typically county specific so be sure to know the regulations in the county you are hunting.

Good luck to everyone and hopefully this year will be the year for your trophy.

(E-mail Chris Smith at cksoutdoors@aol.com).