Anybody hunt Eastland county? How is your 16-17 season going? It's November 30th and I've still seen little to no rut activity.
Having any better luck?

I am in Rising Star and haven't seen anything legal to shoot. Been seeing my normal Doe and small bucks. The bucks I have seen have been following the doe but not chasing them. I'm hoping that it starts getting better with the cool weather. I got good pictures of some buck just need them to come out now.

Worst year in a long time for me. My brother got a nice 10, and my dad a nice 8. I'm on the other side of the property from them and I'm not seeing anything worth shooting, even on camera. I have seen two different bobcats and a couple foxes came through one morning, but that's about it.

Been seeing small bucks and very few does

What rut activity there is going on now is with does that were not bred in October or Very early November. Or at least that is the case where I hunt SE of Cisco.

Figured we would have two or three not so good years as far as bigger buck numbers go since the drought cut back on fawn production and survival rate a few years ago and just do not have the numbers if 3, 4 and 5 year old deer. With the good conditions the last couple years the numbers of deer are improving but they are young.

That is the way I see it at the place I have hunted the last 15 years.

Most of the deer are nocturnal, you might or might not even see any rut activity.

I have a few good bucks that are coming out in the day just not when I'm at the property.

Had a very good opening weekend just south of Eastland getting a nice 8 point, but then the acorns started falling by the millions. I've turned my feeder off as I had a pile of 50lbs of corn under it. A few small bucks and about 4 does are still visiting my food plot in the evenings, but not even they where going to the feeder. Hopefully with the cold and wet weather that we are going to have this weekend, the deer will start moving again and the acorns will start to rot.

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Beautiful buck Mr. T!!!

Thank you, it's my best 8 point ever.

I have seen the best bucks we have ever had on our place - on camera. We usually see multiple deer every sit - I have seen 5 total with 3 full weekends of hunting this year. I can count on one hand the number of times I haven't seen anything in 10 years. 4 of those times have been this year. With the warm weather and acorn drop there is no reason for them to travel outside the dense cover we have on our place during the day. I believe the rut is over as I have pics of bucks chasing at night. Hopefully there is a secondary rut and cooler temps coming will increase daylight movement. FWIW - LF 250 acres and no feeders. Its been in the family for a long time and we had travel patterns down pretty good or at least we thought we did until this year.

x2. The bucks were rutting hard opening weekend of rifle season. The overall number of older bucks is down due to poor fawn crops 6 years ago. The acorns aren't helping much either. We killed 3 of the top 5 bucks ever killed on our place in 21 years. We have 670 acres HFed. Food plots have helped seeing the deer as well. 154"-172" 6.5-7.5 yo bucks

Like Tye said the bucks were rutting hard opening weekend and into the first week of the season.
Weave had some activity around the feeders but the mature bucks have been on the move skirting the brush around feeders sent checking for does.
I've only had a chance to hunt the opening weekend and week thus far and have seen 6 mature bucks.
I moved off the feeders and started hunting major game trails and Wednesday evening of the opening week of the season I connected with this buck.

Very nice buck, congratulations.

Thank you sir.
I hunt not far from Carbon.
We need to meet up sometime for lunch.

Outstanding 8

That's a big Eastland 8!

Great looking bucks Tye!

I've got a place between Cisco and rising star. Bucks were chasing hard opening weekend
I've got another place east of rising star and everything just disappeared the past 2 weeks

Hunted near Gunsight in the mid-70's.
There was a thumper well and coyotes running the flat, nothing else to hear at night.
Purely loved having a place to go by myself and disappear for a week.

I also hunt south east of Cisco and saw major rutting activity opening weekend. I also saw 7 different bucks the Saturday before Thanksgiving and 3 more this last Tuesday evening that were chasing or looking for does. I have seen several different bucks mostly in the 3.5 yr class and only 1 that was fully mature but I was on a ladder stand and he disappeared under the pecan canopy pretty quick and by the time I climbed down he was no where to be seen.
I have two mature deer that visit my feeder on a regular basis, the deer I saw was niether of them he was much larger horn wise.

nice bucks

Wish I could take the credit I leased this 170 acres for the first time this year. Mostly still trying to get a feel for it, see who is living there, and trying to learn as much as I can about the place. With the number of quality 2 and 3 year olds I am seeing I am pretty excited about this place. I met the guy with the cattle he seems like a pretty stand up guy that is going to be very easy to get along with. So far only killed pigs and coyotes, may get lucky and see the big boy again.
Will be back at it again Saturday camera in tow.

Where at in Gunsight? We have a place there my grandfather bought in the early 80s. Just past the cemetery.

A couple more pics...


Hope he makes it, I would love to watch him grow for a couple more years.