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anyone hunt Henderson County? #6092085 12/19/15 04:35 PM
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I'm sitting in my blind debating whether to come back next year.
Positives. Its close to home, pretty scenery, cabin. Hogs are a plus.

Negatives: Not seeing many deer, they wont come to feeders, to much natural food.
Property is pretty wooded, not much open.

See some does, a few bucks on camera.

I'm 7 miles north of Athens, anyone else have these issues?

Re: anyone hunt Henderson County? [Re: Roll-Tide] #6092405 12/19/15 10:11 PM
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rickym Offline
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That's east Texas for ya.

Figure out where the deer feed and bed. Dump a half bag of corn out in that area



Re: anyone hunt Henderson County? [Re: Roll-Tide] #6092446 12/19/15 10:34 PM
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Erny Offline
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I would not decide on a lease in east Texas based on this year. This year has been wet and very mild. The deer have plenty to eat. I have seen less deer on my place than I have seen in any 18 years I have been on the place. They are not even touching corn. The corn is literally sprouting and growing under some of my feeders.

Re: anyone hunt Henderson County? [Re: Roll-Tide] #6093325 12/20/15 05:51 PM
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Funny thing, Yesterday I drove from Athens to Kaufman for the first time as an adult. I was picking up my girls for Christmas break. I thought to myself this looks like good deer country, looked deery in a lot of parts. Also noticed a lot of oak trees. I did see a dead doe around cedar creek so they are there. How many acres are u hunting?

Re: anyone hunt Henderson County? [Re: Roll-Tide] #6093415 12/20/15 07:30 PM
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I ran a sales rout in East TX for 5 years. The only place I consistently saw deer was around Rusk. I quit deer hunting until I moved back west of the metro mess.

Re: anyone hunt Henderson County? [Re: Roll-Tide] #6093474 12/20/15 08:32 PM
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Got approx 120 acres, all wood, very few open areas. It has creek that runs through it, good water source.

The place is so thick, have only looked at about half of it. I have my feeder sitting on a game trail. Still nothing.

After being out there yesterday, didn't see anything, made me want to stay another year. I just love the property, it's definitely not the place where you get in the blind and wait for the feeder to go off and see five or six deer at the feeder. Takes more patience.

It's almost like the feeder is just decoration. I think I'm going to feed year round, see if that helps.

Plus, it's only about 80 miles from home.

Re: anyone hunt Henderson County? [Re: Roll-Tide] #6094090 12/21/15 03:37 AM
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Sounds like a nice setup you have. I think you are correct in adjusting expectations. I will say one year isn't usually a fair representation of a place, especially with record rainfall.

I bought a small place in Navarro last June (2014)...it's taken a year and half to get my doe to regularly come to corn. What kind of hunting pressure u have around you? That can be a factor as well.

Hang tough and hunt hard...deer season only needs about 3 seconds to go from bad to great when that buck steps out. I wish u luck!


Originally Posted By: Roll-Tide
Got approx 120 acres, all wood, very few open areas. It has creek that runs through it, good water source.

The place is so thick, have only looked at about half of it. I have my feeder sitting on a game trail. Still nothing.

After being out there yesterday, didn't see anything, made me want to stay another year. I just love the property, it's definitely not the place where you get in the blind and wait for the feeder to go off and see five or six deer at the feeder. Takes more patience.

It's almost like the feeder is just decoration. I think I'm going to feed year round, see if that helps.

Plus, it's only about 80 miles from home.

Re: anyone hunt Henderson County? [Re: Roll-Tide] #6094179 12/21/15 04:49 AM
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East Texas is not west Texas hunting. Period. Corn is good when. No other food source. Maybe do a little clearing. And hunt the oak trees. No problem having a feeder just don't let it be you main focus. Set up cameras all over. Hunt that whole 120 acres don't limit yourself to one small spot.

Trust me that's coming from a born and raised east Texan. Then hunting west Texas for many years. Still do. The last two years I've hunted east Texas more then west. Love both. Just don't hunt feeders here in east as I do in west. Lots of spot and stalk. Get out in the woods. You'll find him.

Like I said. Do a little clearing if it's by hand even. Get ya some shooting lanes plus you can see more country. Good luck and hang in there.


It's not how you fall, It's how you get up.
Re: anyone hunt Henderson County? [Re: Roll-Tide] #6094342 12/21/15 01:23 PM
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Get away from the feeder, get a good brush gun like Marlin lever in 35 Remington and low power scope. Get into quiet clothing and slip into woods still hunting where the fresh sign is. You will kill deer and see more than you ever thought could be there...

Re: anyone hunt Henderson County? [Re: Roll-Tide] #6094392 12/21/15 02:02 PM
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If you do get off of it or need someone to split it with you, PM me. Thats only about 30 miles from my house. Would love to have a place to go shoot a hog or two close to the house.


Originally Posted by bill oxner
Haven't had it in years but never spit any out.


Originally Posted by bill oxner
I am a sucker for happy endings and strapped cowboys.
Re: anyone hunt Henderson County? [Re: Roll-Tide] #6094716 12/21/15 04:31 PM
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I'm probably half an hour or so away from you in Smith County. I've been allowing hogs to eat my corn for years and finally made the decision to fence in my feeder and stop attracting hogs. I've seen the number of deer increase around my food plot from just a few deer every now and then to close to a dozen all spring and summer. I had 2 barely legal 8 pointers there every night, along with 4 smaller bucks. I have pics of one really nice 9 point that showed up during the middle of the morning a couple days before deer season that has been back a couple times early in the morning. Most of my game camera pictures show them coming in around ten at night to about 3 in the morning. It's very rare to get a picture of them during daylight.

My neighbor has pictures of a very nice ten point sitting in his yard that he took with his phone. He is probably half a mile away, maybe a little more, with nothing but woods in between us. I don't know the answer, but I think I'm heading in the right direction by not bringing in the hogs. We still shoot a few of them when out for a walk in the evening, but there is a lot less sign of them then ever before.

Have you "Liked" 903 Outdoors on Facebook? It's a sight that shows off a lot of the bucks taken in our area and I've noticed that Rusk County has most of the really big bucks, and probably more bucks then any other county. There have been some monsters taken in Wood County this year, but overall, Rusk County seems to be the place to be.

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