At our ranch in south Texas we mainly saw young bucks this year. We rarely had mature deer. Lots of 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5 year old deer. Young 8 pts, a few 9 & 10 pointers. Nothing too special. We shot a lot of spikes also and still had more. We let the three pointers go. I got two spikes. Shot no does since our doe population is very low. Didn't see many fawns also.

I went hunting the last evening of opening day and got set up and dropped my gun. Saw a bobcat and missed. Gun got nocked off sight. Went back and sighted it in and then hunted the last 30 min.

It seemed like the season went similar to that last day. Feeders would stop working. Rained often so it was muddy. ATV broke half way through the season. 4runner broke before the season.

Neighbors didn't get anything nice also.

We have been trying to do right in managing the place for the past few years feeding protein, made waterers, planted food plots, feeding year round. We've owned the place for years and years. Just now got into making it great although in the 90s there was a ton of deer. The population is probably 10% of what it was. Seemed 2015-2016 season we saw older deer than this year and us and neighbors shot amazing bucks. I had though it was getting better. We were even at the place less than previous years so there also was less traffic.

Maybe it was the weather, maybe it was just what it was. Idk. Maybe the deer are ok and I'm just wanting old huge mature bucks.

Anyone else notice this? Not many mature deer.

Dong get me wrong, this season was tons of fun and it's always great to get out to hunt but it wasn't what I predicted it to be.

Our place is like that most of the time, but it's deceiving. The big, mature bucks are there. They just don't hit the feeders much. We have to get away from the feeders to see the much. There's also plenty of does. The young bucks keep them away from the feeders. I don't know if that's what is going on at your place or not, but it happens to us every year.

Had same experience with many young bucks spikes, 4 points small 6's. etc. looking forward to next year. We almost never shoot nice bucks at feeders always passing through our place during rut.

In much of Texas, the drought from 2011-2013 had a huge impact on fawn retention rates, so there are fewer deer in general in those age classes. There are still mature bucks out there, but they are certainly fewer in number than in years past. Almost everybody I have talked to (regardless of region) has been experiencing the same thing the last couple of years.

Yep

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As pappy once said: When sitting in box stand waiting on deer & nothing shows, one must think outside the box ... Deer know were the stands are & can pattern hunters...

More spikes and very young deer this year than in the last 15 yrs.

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Some years you see them some you don't.

Was a good year for us we shot some nice deer, but the big ones we were looking for didn't show. For us its not that they aren't there because of the dought, we have been watching them grow on the cameras for a while and know they are there they just didn't decide to show themselves this year.

We shot a hand full of spikes, a 2-3 YO no brow six, a mature 10 that had less than steller tine length and beams, and an old buck that finally became dependent enough on the feeders that we got him. More left for next year.

Hunting smaller LF properties, that's just the way it goes, they aren't tied to a tree, sometimes you win and sometimes they do.

They don't get old around here so all I ever see is young Bucks.

at my travel corridors, I saw some younger bucks chasing does. When I hunted my feeder I saw my mature buck. I figure it would be the other way around.

When those mature deer feel comfortable around a feeder they will make it home and run off any intruders.

When we bought our property we didn't shoot any deer for 3 years. The bucks would hit feeders like crazy. After 5-6 years of moderate hunting pressure we still see the mature deer around feeders, but nothing like before we started shooting them. Now we see them much more on cameras in out of the way locations.

I notice every time we set up a new spot on our place there's more deer. Then over time less deer come. Would it be wise to rotate using blinds. Say for a few years use one and then let that place sit for a few years and then hunt it again years later. When it's sitting do absolutely nothing to it. Don't feed. Don't clear. Nothing.

I do sit and hunt at random spots also and stalk hunt. We have a road that runs straight down our property. I sat in the brush and hunted more than I hunted my blind this year since almost nothing was coming to my blind.

I saw the younger bucks (and a lot of doe) at the feeders, but the biggest buck never came anywhere near em. Caught the buck I named Skyscraper on the other side of the river and deep in the thickest growth. I've had more success stalk hunting this year than ever before. I just assumed the bigger mature bucks have learned to avoid feeders. Hunting just outside of Kerrville. Axis came in to the feeders but almost exclusively during dark.

In central texas near Goldthwaite all I saw was younger Bucks. Had as many as 13 under the feeder at one time.