Good deal 4Weight, good luck to a fellow SW Young County/Murray hunter. Get the bigUn!

Hunted all day Sunday not young county but right on the young archer line. Saw absolutely nothing. Everything on camera is in the middle of the night. Hunted young county ( Loving) a few years back and just don't remember this part of texas being this hard, and seeing so little deer activity. I've really enjoyed this thread so just figured I'd throw the question out there. Is the area just going through a turnover from the drought and hunting pressure? Or has that part of texas(archer and young) just been over hunted to the point of what few deer are left are nocturnal. By the way I'm not knocking these counties in any way. I shot a nice 8 opening day, which I never had on camera, and have had some pics of good deer. I'm just worried about the over all population. Have not seen a doe since the last week of bow season( maybe two on camera). Any advice is greatly appreciated. Really like the lease I'm on and love the drive hope I don't have to start looking for another one and this is just a crazy year due to a lot of rain and warm weather!

Been a tougher than normal year; lots of things at play IMO, effects of drought the past couple of years, acorns, warmer than normal weather, wetter than past few years, likely some hunting pressure due to closer proximity to metropolitan area. I wouldn't give up on your lease just yet. See how the rest of the season plays out then decide.

Yea that's what I'm hoping dq. Think I will hold on to the lease, it's a change from the hill country as far as deer but I really enjoy it. Maybe if we get some cold weather it will heat up the end of the season. Keep this thread going ill report back after my hunt this weekend!

Saw the 3 doe on Sun PM and sat probably the longest I have ever sat in a blind yesterday. Almost 10 hours. Dawn till 9.30, break for breakfast and then back in a blind from 11.10 on. I never saw a deer. I was entertained by a good book, hundreds of Sandhills, a V of Canadians, 3 Kestrals and a flight of Mallards.

It is a weird one for sure and may be a while before I hunt the full moon again

4W

Thanks for the updates & hope it gets better soon . Gonna give it a rest this coming weekend & head back on the following week.

No moon next weekend, should be some good hunting.

Hope your Right DQ Kid ,

gonna hunt hard Dec 18th - Jan 4th at Southbend & Olney till the end of the season

Had this dude show up a few days ago! Hopefully I get to see him in the morn!!

Heading out tonight in hoping to see something with a pulse.

Very Nice & Good Luck

Very slow weekend. Didn't see squat. Starting to rethink this whole lease thing. Wondering why I paid money when I coulda stay hunting public ducks.

Always my luck. Hope this ain't the way deer hunting is always. Cuz it ain't a good time to start deer Hunting.

It was slow at our lease in Jack county. I did rattle up an 8 pointer but he was not outside his ears. Saw a four pointer and that was it for the whole weekend. I think the moon phase was messing things up as they were moving more at night.

Had a lone doe about 8am and then about 8:30 had a clapped out what used to be 8pt now a 6pt with a broken g2 and g3. Maybe 3-3.5 y/o that looked like he'd gotten beat up by everything on the property. Then took a wasp to the eyeball about 9:30, was sitting in the right eyepiece of my binos and didn't see him when i went to use them. Didn't get stung bit a piece of him was under my eyelid, hurt like no other for a while. Nothing in the evening and headed back home after that hunt. Hitting it hard until 1/4.

Sam,

Don't get discouraged man, that is why they call it hunting and not shooting. There are reports from all the way down by Goldwaithe in Mills county that it is a slow year. I also have a friend that has a family place over in Louisiana that backs up to a National Forest. Weather, moon and huge acorns over there have limited movement, so it's not only Young County. It has just been one of those years amigo.

Looking long term, mild winter, lots of water and rain should get the fawn crop back in a better situation. Keep the faith.

4W

Sound advice Amigo, 4W..

Good advice & I'm off Dec 18th-Jan 4th let's see what happens then

Dan
Will be out Thurs and Fri this week then back out Sun for a couple of days. Good luck, I will check in and DQ will be out Sunday and Monday.

4W

I am well aware and very familiar with slow days. I am typically a duck hunter. And typically hunt public. But even on slow duck days I we ducks. May not be where I am but Atleast I see a few. I started duck hunting durring a bad yr from what I have heard, my first season I harvested 38 birds. All my buddies told me it slow everywhere. But did t to bad considering I did it all on my own.

I decided to get a lease because my duck holes have dried up. I got my lease kinda late. More opportunity to hunt with my kids is another reason. But even they are discouraged and don't wanna go cuz we never see anything either.

I keep telling myself it is slow EVERYWHERE. I have talked to a few people who live and hunt around me and they say the same thing. Slow yr.

So this weekend I might just go with my buddy and do some duck hunting. Supposed to be cooler this weekend so maybe I will just go hunt deer Sunday. We will see how I do Saturday with some ducks.

I'll be heading out Friday at noon with provisions to stay til Sunday. If it's more of nothing, I'll be back before Sunday.

Good idea Sam cause there is no doubt you need to shoot something.

I've never hunted ducks or geese but have hunted dove and quail for 35+ years and I can tell you that my expectations related to deer hunting are completely and totally different than bird hunting. No way possible to see as many deer as I would quail and dove. Two completely different hunting types for me. I certainly understand some frustration with not seeing many or any deer but you just never know when that "one" deer will slip up and show up....

What he said!!! A lot of deer hunting is waiting to wait. If your looking for constant action deer hunting is not your sport. I have duck hunted many of time, and always have tons of action. But for me I don't enjoy the killing so much as the challenge of getting a big buck.

Ya not sure I have the patience for deer hunting. I need instant gratification. That's why I work construction. I like to work with my hands and have to be able to turn around and see what I have accomplished.


DQ- not really what I was saying about duck hunting. NEVER have I had the idea that I will see as many deer as I see ducks. But it is very demoralizing for me to sit hour after hour day after day and not see a thing. Atleast on public land I usually know or have some one to blame it in for no ducks. Some one set up to close to me, Some one can't use a duck call, That guy over there……

Guess I like to know what I am doing is not a waste of time. Atleast duck hunting I can move some decoys around figure out why they are not decoying. Not the same with deer hunting. Maybe it is something I am doing. Maybe next week I will do this instead of that. So if I try something new I don't know if it works cuz there still are no deer.

Wisco- I am all about figuring out the whys and how's of hunting. Killing is 2nd to me also. I enjoy the challenge of figure why duck are it decoying why they are flaring. Figuring out deer patterns. Kinda hard when there are no ducks.

Ouch better luck next time , anyone else seein any deer ?