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when deer don't come to feeder.......
#6032554
11/16/15 05:50 PM
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 25
Mitch
OP
Light Foot
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OP
Light Foot
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 25 |
I hunted hard last week for 4 straight days. 4 straight days of sitting in a tree for 12 hours. Not one deer came in to the feeder. I saw deer, not many, but I know they are around. Does this happen because of all the acorns on the ground? I've never seen so many acorns at our place before. It's the only thing I can figure out.
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Re: when deer don't come to feeder.......
[Re: Mitch]
#6032559
11/16/15 05:53 PM
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 28,032
Navasot
Hollywood
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Hollywood
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 28,032 |
Yup.. and lots of fresh growth and water.. and rut if your around central/east Tx
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Re: when deer don't come to feeder.......
[Re: Mitch]
#6032563
11/16/15 05:55 PM
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296
stxranchman
Obie Juan Kenobi
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Obie Juan Kenobi
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296 |
I have not had any acorns at all this year. Deer were pounding my feeders till 3 weeks ago when it started to rain. I have had 6"+ of rain in a 2 week period causing it to green up like springtime. My oats and winter peas finally came up and is now 8" tall and nothing is touching the plots. I sat on a powerline blind I have and could watch almost a mile of that powerline and some open country in the distance in a couple of different directions. I only saw 3 deer that afternoon. I normally see 9-10 deer per sit on average. I was seeing 6-10 bucks per sit in Oct during bow season. I can go 3-4 hunts before seeing that many now. Nothing on TC at corn/protein feeders, with some nights not one single picture taken when I used to get from 40-150 pics per night per feeder.
Are idiots multiplying faster than normal people?
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Re: when deer don't come to feeder.......
[Re: Mitch]
#6032565
11/16/15 05:56 PM
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Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 2,265
maximus_flavius
Veteran Tracker
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Veteran Tracker
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 2,265 |
Yes, they won't eat corn if there are acorns anywhere around. I've seen them walkover corn to get to acorns & eat.
Where is your lease?
When they ain't comin in to corn, you gotta stalk them in the brush. Difficult to do, but will yield better results than sitting there staring at a feeder that they ain't comin to.
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Re: when deer don't come to feeder.......
[Re: Mitch]
#6032589
11/16/15 06:08 PM
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Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 862
rattler03
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 862 |
Try to get an idea of some of their travel routes or specific stands of oaks that are hitting hard. Sneak in midday and throw together a very simple ground blind using only a pair of loppers - if a branch is over 2" don't cut it you want to be as subtle as possible. You don't need to be able to see that far, 40-50 yards in at least two different directions would be nice but less will work too. I did this very thing last Wednesday, I made a setup about 80 yards behind the feeder at my tower stand. I can see the feeder but I can also see down into the creek channel behind the feeder and about 40 yards in two other directions along the creek bank. I hand corned a little (we don't have acorns, its just really green) and didn't hunt it until Sunday morning. I had my best hunt of the season so far, and passed on a nice buck that I probably should have shot. I've been at the lease 7 of the first 9 days of the season and this was my best hunt. If they aren't at the feeder you shouldn't be either, go find the deer and alter your approach.
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Re: when deer don't come to feeder.......
[Re: Mitch]
#6032616
11/16/15 06:22 PM
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 25
Mitch
OP
Light Foot
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OP
Light Foot
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 25 |
I own land in the Arbuckle Mountains near Turner Falls in Oklahoma.
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Re: when deer don't come to feeder.......
[Re: rattler03]
#6032630
11/16/15 06:27 PM
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 18,907
ChadTRG42
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 18,907 |
Try to get an idea of some of their travel routes or specific stands of oaks that are hitting hard. If they aren't at the feeder you shouldn't be either, go find the deer and alter your approach. ^^ This.
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Re: when deer don't come to feeder.......
[Re: Navasot]
#6032657
11/16/15 06:42 PM
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Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 22,210
Texas Dan
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 22,210 |
Yup.. and lots of fresh growth and water.. and rut if your around central/east Tx Yes, the same is true with food plots. I've seen just one deer in my food plot so far this season. Things always change soon after the first killing frost.
"Some people will never like you because your spirit irritates their demons."
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Re: when deer don't come to feeder.......
[Re: ChadTRG42]
#6032663
11/16/15 06:45 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,057
ChrisB
Veteran Tracker
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Veteran Tracker
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,057 |
Just got through bow hunting 8 days in central Texas. Only saw one buck come to a feeder the whole time and he was checking a doe. The rut has begun and the bucks could care less about feeders. Ended up seeing 7 shooters by hunting travel routes and pinch points. And most were mid day. Sometimes you have to hunt the deer and not wait for them to hunt you.
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Re: when deer don't come to feeder.......
[Re: Mitch]
#6032742
11/16/15 07:21 PM
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 10,965
Texas buckeye
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 10,965 |
This seems to be a theme across much of the state right now, between rutting deer and acorn drop/fresh green growth, not many deer hitting the feeders or even food plots. It has been unusually warmer than normal in north Texas too, no freezing temps yet and has only hit into the high 30's once or twice.
Last year opening weekend I hunted Saturday morning with frost on the ground. Took two deer out of my food plot. This year took one doe from the food plot, but we hunted all weekend with no deer sightings at all. They just don't need to move far to eat these days. A couple hard freezes and it will be different.
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Re: when deer don't come to feeder.......
[Re: Mitch]
#6032788
11/16/15 07:42 PM
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Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 316
MontagueMonsters
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 316 |
I turned my feeders off this past weekend to, save my golden nuggets for late season. No point in having a pile of corn wasting under the feeders
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Re: when deer don't come to feeder.......
[Re: Mitch]
#6032794
11/16/15 07:43 PM
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Joined: May 2010
Posts: 855
jsplinter
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 855 |
I sat for 13 hours yesterday and didn't see one bit of movement. I feel your pain on the feeders, Mine are coming at night. I think I am going to try what everyone is suggesting and move into a travel route
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Re: when deer don't come to feeder.......
[Re: Mitch]
#6032795
11/16/15 07:43 PM
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Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 15,612
QuitShootinYoungBucks
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 15,612 |
We got the same rains in Mills County, but nearly every time we drive by our food plot somebody's in it no matter the time of day. It's just straight oats, nothing exotic.
https://web.archive.org/web/20170223065011/http:/www.rrdvegas.com/silencer-cleaning.html
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Re: when deer don't come to feeder.......
[Re: Mitch]
#6032907
11/16/15 08:42 PM
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 25
Mitch
OP
Light Foot
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OP
Light Foot
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 25 |
Well i'm glad to know it isn't just me! lol I don't expect bucks to come to the feeders right now but I'd imagine the does would still come in which in turn brings the boys in too. Hopefully with all of this rain, it sours the acorns. My first attempt at food plots this year went great....only drawback is the deer aren't using them. lol
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Re: when deer don't come to feeder.......
[Re: Mitch]
#6033059
11/16/15 09:53 PM
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 577
millerliteliker
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 577 |
I have never shot my biggest bucks at feeders. If they do come to feeders they come at night.
I bow hunt, and the best place to catch mature bucks is transition areas - the travel corridors or funnels between bedding areas and feeding areas. They are not hard to find - just look for rubs in early fall and scrapes as we get closer to November.
One more thing - if you get consistent pictures of big bucks at your feeders at NIGHT (either evening after daylight or early morning before daylight) set up a tree stand back behind the feeder about 20-30 yards along the game trail they use to get there. That can be a great spot for an afternoon hunt - set up a couple of hours before dusk and catch them as they stage behind the feeder waiting for darkness. This is NOT a good early morning set up. You risk busting them AT the feeder as you walk to get up in your tree behind the feeder.
Good luck - some of the best hunting is away from feeders. It took me many years to have the courage to wean myself off of hunting on top of them.
Mathews Z7 Bow for Whitetail and Hogs Remington R-15 .223 REM for predators I also like to "hunt" sporting clays with my Benelli SuperSport!
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