Where would you hunt....

If this buck was the latest to show up in the daylight?
Where was I at 2:30pm this day??? (time and date is off by one hour I think I have not changed this one) I was filling feeders with corn and protein around starting around 1 pm right before this buck was at this feeder. I had to have driven by him or close to him somewhere that afternoon. I was in my tractor and had the bucket full of bag feeding driving from feeder to feeder. I had my rifle with me just in case.





These two pics were on a morning I was hunting my best blind. I was shooting coyotes about 5 minutes before this buck was at the different feeder. I went that direction about 45 minutes after I shot the coyote(shot a 7:12). I got out and walked about 250-300 yards towards that blind at around 8:00 and rattled. I did rattle up a young buck but I am surprised this buck did not show up since he was not to far from where I was rattling. I left that area after about 20 minutes of ratttling. I would not have thought twice about shooting him if I had rattle him up. He was at this blind a pretty good while in the feed pen.


Now the dilema. I hunted the blind he was at on the the 19th yesterday evening and today both hunts. He was a no show on any feeder on my TC's last night. The blind he was at on the 21st is the closest to the house but does not get the amount of deer this year it has in the past. There have been 3 mature nice bucks at it once or twice per month since August.This blind does not have many does at this year and the rut should be starting any day. The blind he was at on 19th gets more action and has this buck and another good buck at it about once to twice per month since August. I have been seeing 4-5 does at this blind the past 2 days now.


This buck showed up morning before General Season opened. Lens fogged up and he was only in for one pic and it is not the best.

My best blind for seeing lots of deer has not had any TC pics of any of these better bucks, but lots of young to middle age bucks and does. I will see 5-10 does on any hunt there. One mature buck(Cull-ver) has been there but not a shooter right now.
So where would you hunt in the morning? Supposed to be 34 degrees with no wind. I have always tended to hunt where the most does are, but these better bucks I have seen this year and several in years past on my TC's, do not go to that blind with the most deer at it. All the bucks that have been killed on my place were killed at the better blind, but all could have been killed at one of the other blinds also. Which blind would you choose? All my blinds have a feed pen with corn/protein feeders and an oats/winter pea food plot. All are within 250 yards or less of water. I also know that not all the bucks that travel in will jump into a feed pen and get a pic on my TC's. I have the same issue as rifleman has with to many choices of where to hunt. Seems I have been making the wrong choices so far.

Flip a coin. That way you can blame faith if your wrong

Clearly you need a third choice........but I guess if I had to settle between those two I figure I would just have to sit in that first stand from before daylight until after sunset til that buck showed up......

I actually headed out this evening and stopped about 600 yards from the blind and thought about not going to the same blind I had been in for 2 hunts. Backed up and turned with intention to head to the other blind, around only to stop and turn around to head to the same blind I had been in. I had deer moving before 4 this afternoon and in front of the till dark. I am thinking I need to go to one blind with 4 feeders

I do have a third choice....that is the problem

Sounds like you need fewer feeders/stands to focus your choices.....

I would go where the does are. Great pictures.

Yep, sit in the same blind for morning & evening for a week. Too much waffling going on.

Spent the last day and a half planning on just that. Going to condense two blind location to one new blind in between them. I will have it with two feeders at it that will cover most of the area I did with two blinds. That will still leave me two choices instead of three but might cut a new sendero for over 1/2 miles so I can see that blinds feeder. I usually hunt that one blind about 95% of the time each year. It is better for taking pictures and deer numbers is why I like it.

I was there at the best blind for doe numbers the two times he was on the place. He had other ideas it seemed. I think this buck was here last year and at the same blind he was the other evening. I hunt that same blind 95% of the time due to the doe numbers and deer activity.

#3....whichever blind I'm not hunting.


I tend to see more of my random appearance bucks on a stand with more cover around it and closest to the gate. Fewer deer sightings usually, but tend to be the right deer seen.

That seems to be the norm here also. That is why I am condensing from 3 blinds(rifle) to 2. All three bucks killed here since I bought the place 3 yrs ago were from the blind with the most does. All 3 were seen on TC there for at least one year or more while hunting. These bucks this year have not been there yet this year or in the past to that blind with the most activity. That blind is the most isolated with least amount of traffic/noise.

Hunt the wind and take the first one that shows. You can't go wrong with that. Great job of managing your herd, looks like they are in great shape.

Two blinds are good with any wind but West/SW, which is a rare wind here. One is good with any wind but a strong NE wind but still huntable if I corn the roads and not by the feeder(which is 120 yards from the blind). I do not hunt this blind with NE wind. All blinds are pretty air-tight if I leave all the windows shut since I have had a buck walk with-in 12 yards this evening downwind.

Then hunt the one with fewer does and less competition for them to deal with. Easy to talk yourself out of hunting those stands when you enjoy shooting with the camera too and others provide more opportunity for that. I should know, I've yet to hunt my most productive stand for seeing the older bucks this season.

Really easy talk myself out of hunting those blinds when the TC's have gone dead with deer movement in the pens the past 3 weeks now. I am corning roads at all 3 randomly but the one every day. The pic of the buck on the 21st that morning, there was not one night time pic of a deer in that feed pen last night. One young buck in the daylight was all. The pen he was at the other afternoon had no pics of any deer that same night. I am seeing deer when I corn the roads and they are finally starting to hit the oats. All the corn on the roads is gone the next morning. With the good rainfall a couple of weeks ago there are so many weeds growing right now they do not have to eat any protein or corn at all. Hoping freeze will knock some of the green back and put them on the oats. So far this season I have not seen many bucks following in does at all. They will check them after they eat some corn on the roads and run them off then go back to eating corn for a bit. Then finally walk off. Even that roaming has slowed down this past couple of days with much colder temps which is odd. If bucks are not roaming in the morning with calm winds and near freezing it is just a bit to early yet for the rut here. This is just a different year for hunting so far. Deer movement is not the same as years past. Seems to be the same for a few guys I am talking to in other areas also. Some are having great success while others are not seeing many deer at all.

Have you gotten the cameras away from the pens?

First, This is an awesome dilemma to have. Second, I would hunt the stand you have him on cam until you see the rut starting then I would hunt your better blind where the does are.

Btw, that is one heck of a buck

No sir, sounds like he needs to put me in one stand, then he only has to chose from 2

He is at two different blinds right now.

I do most years and have had them on water troughs till it rained a bunch. Now I have water in holes in a drainage and a small pond along with troughs. So they have lots of water. To many trails to try to guess on the right one. I don't put out corn piles on trails since I do not want to invite hogs to stay. Only corn I put out now is eaten up by the deer before hogs have a chance to find it. I would like to keep it that way. I also have oats so deer move in from all directions on it.

Game time. Decisions, decisions.

Ok I figured out a solution. Ill come hunt one stand and you hunt the other. That way we have em covered

I'd hunt the stand where the BIG one shows up the mist often...he's just too good not to try to get a shot at him....then if he later shows up at your favorite stand switch and hunt there.

Did he show?

With the current weather, hogs should be in your area regardless mowing down the oats since it's the best quality food they have to help regulate their body temps. Surely you have some ground scrapes close by?

I am willing to sacrifice my work and offer to help you watch out for him free of charge!

Wherever you hunt, better hurry....you have 4 days to get him

What happens in 4 days???

Wouldn't you like to know

Rookies!

I would assume mule deer happens in 4 days?

6 if you choose to show up late after the deer have already been piled up.....

YES... that's why I asked!!! If, like, the Goliad deer are going to go 'poof' in 4 days, well, I'm calling in sick and leaving RIGHT NOW. Be about my luck, I'll be there in 3 days, so guess the upside is, I'll at least get 1 day in before they just disappear.

Nothing is hitting the oats. No hog sign now for over a month since I have declared war on them over the past 3.5 yrs. Pick a scrape as there are every few yards on trails, roads, around feeders and edges.

Looked down the powerline and saw a doe, she took off and was 100% sure this is the buck that stepped out about 250 yards and looked at me.

So I thought, I need a pic of him. So I looked over and grabbed the camera and took 2 pics. 1 hr 15 min later I decided look at my pics and see this! Not the buck that looked at me, but the 9 with the fork and kicker. He never came back nor did the doe to corn.

If you hunted those stands more, you'd know which trails to concentrate around.


Eventful morning?

Nevermind..I see that it was a perfect morning. And now you know to check out down where you quit mowing.

Just to many trails and to many scrapes. I would have to have 20-25 cameras at least. Yes it was eventful. This buck was not on any TC and he came from a feeder/food plot to the SE. After this buck ran west with that doe, I also spotted another framey big browtined buck pushing does 15 minutes later about 600 yards away on a ridge top to my east. Only caught a glimpse of him for a split second as he walked to me in Huisache and Twisted Acacia. I opened the window to get a better look and never saw him or does again. My guess is he went out the back of the brush and over the ridge. Heavy frost made deer easy to spot in thicker cover this morning.

Good news is the frost killed a lot of vegetation this morning. I could smell the wilted/frosted green driving back in at 10.

My brother and dad reported a decent freeze at the place this AM... that's an early freeze for us

Heard the same thing for us this morning on the frost. Makes me cringe knowing what the feed will be this Winter.

Do you corn that highline down past where the buck is?

Yes when I do not hunt that blind, but when I hunt I corn about 50 yards past the oats to the blind. I have been corning it every night for the past 2 weeks when I hunted the blind to the east of it. I am trying to draw deer from as far away as I can for numbers at this location. The more does, the better the odds of seeing one of the three bucks or a new buck. I actually saw 3 different bucks pushing does this morning from that blind. Luckly that doe has been on corn every hunt for 2 days now at that powerline/feeder. If she settles down and hangs tight to that area the road feeder will drag her out this afternoon. It has every hunt there for 2 days now.

He should be pretty hungry too by this evening acting like that.

I'd hunt the second spot in the morning, then move to the first feeder/blind after an early lunch. If the deer still come in after you are running around with the tractor, you won't disturb them by changing stands.

Sounds like you need a huntin' Buddy

It's well past dark:30.....

Reckon the old fart got lost in the dark?

No show this evening. Only saw 2 bucks for sure, one close and one at 500 or so moving in and out of openings. Mainly does on corn and some chasing really late. I sat till all the deer were gone and had a buck at 400 yards chasing a doe back and forth across the powerline. I did see one lone nubbin buck fawn that is the same color as the fawn and doe this morning. So if that doe was around she did not come into corn. Will see what the morning brings.

The old wise one, needs no light or compass... He uses moon power

Good luck!!!

All day hunting weather tomorrow. Hunt hard and kill that buck.

Problem is that is not the 9 point with the fork that I saw this morning. After looking closer at the pic this evening when I got in, this another buck. He G2 and G3s bow forward and the 9 points G2 and G3 are more straight up. This buck this morning has much longer tines on the rights side that I can see in the pic. The offside is to blurry. I know for a fact the buck I saw with the right G1 being longer than the left G1 is this buck in the pic. The 9 point would had to have broken a browtine to look like that this, possible but not likely. I have to start to pack for West Texas tomorrow sometime. So it is warming up and south wind is supposed to move clouds and moisture in. I will sit at this blind again in the morning since I can see any chasing going in that powerline area and to the east on a ridge. Not sure what bucks this is right now unless it is the buck in the foggy picture. I also saw another buck to the east this morning for a brief second that looked good. Wider than his ears and had big browtines. Maybe in the morning they will be cruising around looking for does if they are not with does already.

Good problems. Good luck and we all expect detailed reports from west texas. Cant wait to chase desert mulies next year.

Those are some good looking deer. Good luck.

NoShowPartII

I tend to go with the tried and true blind where most good bucks have been taken - then I just wait it out. We have hunted deer that we knew were in the area from our trail pics but it took us weeks at the blind before he showed - but he did show. I have had many of our lease members try to talk themselves into moving away from a stand they have been in that we know the deer is in the area. My advice to them is always the same - hang in there and eventually the deer will show - good luck to you

Thanks. I really like hunting Mule Deer in the Trans Pecos region. Lot of glassing and moving around. We have had a great year for rainfall. That is good and bad. Good for the ranch and wildlife, bad for us. Vegetation is thick and taller. Food is everywhere. We need a freeze to knock the leaves off so we can see and to push the deer out of the thicker bottom areas onto the ridges. Finding them is the fun part, most of the time they win. Sometimes we win.

Uh....how was Kansas this year again there "Whiff"?

I do the same here, hunting the same blind 95% of the time that has produced the most bucks. Problem is these bucks have been here when I was hunting that blind this year and I have not seen them. The bucks have been fighting already as I have seen two bucks with limps in last 2 days. I would think rattling would work if the bucks are not locked on does, but so far it hasn't. I think the problem at that good blind is that old dominant buck the is at that feeder keeping everything else run off. One tag county for buck 13" or over makes it tough in that situation. I know what I need to do but like everyone else can't. I can't get anybody on him till tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. Thanks Found you a buck yet that has your interest?

I wish I had your problems STX.

Heck, this time of year there's just no telling where a biggun might show up. My BIL wasn't seeing as many as me, got a little discouraged, and went home at lunch Sunday (even though he lives only about 40 miles from my place). You guessed it - a biggun came walking right up the road that comes from his stand to mine Sunday evening. That buck would have been meat if he had been there. I let him go - I am much "pickier" than he is on my own place. Told him what I saw but didn't have the heart to tell him where it came from.

Birds of a feather. I just wanted to join the club

You better hurry, December might be tough

You would be better off asking your Does where they will lead him to.

That ain't no lie. I am just about as excited to see a doe right now as a buck. Especially one looking back/acting funny. When a doe lopes out of the woods I grab my rifle.....

Ruts a little ways off for Mr STX I would assume

He ate corn for at least 52 minutes and was in 12 pictures...that is the only pictures taken at that feeder last night and all were of him. The date and time are off. I dropped the camera and a battery must have came loose when I was pulling the SD card yesterday morning at 9:15 am. He was in around 7 pm last night. I corned the roads when I left that blind at 6:20pm.
Sat this morning at this blind again. I noticed not all the corn was gone from the roads. I only saw 1 doe, 1 yearling and 2 bucks. The bucks were not moving till almost 8. Then I went around 9 and rattled and nothing came in at all. Then pulled the cards and find this.

smart kritter... Should be a nice afternoon!

You must smell funny or something.

This morning I wish you did tooooooooo I would have rubbed in a bit...

It was overcast and 55 when I went out this morning. Was supposed to be south winds but it was NE/E winds and very light. Still cool and overcast. I will head out this afternoon a bit earlier I guess. I probably could kill him from the house, but how fun would that be?

Maybe it was the chili and beans I had for supper last night.

I didn't even notice the little kicker. Quit playing around and kill that deer.

Dave set that up on a "T"

He is a mainframe 9 with fork and 1"ish kicker on same G2.
If he follow his pattern to date...last week Thursday pm to Saturday morning to Monday pm then he should be here in the morning again. Can't guess, just have to go hunt where I think he will be at.

Attaboy, you can pack when the sun's down and the stars are shining.

Packed last night and this morning after I got in at 10 am. Was a slow evening with only 3 does that moved in after 5 and ate corn for 30 minutes. The went back west, which is the direction the came in from. Then the 8 point lopsided brow buck came out around 5:45 and ate corn for 15 minutes till it was really dark and left. I recorned the road on the way in. Tomorrow morning will be the morning, if it is not to foggy.

Keep after him.....

This is what hunting is all about and keeps us all coming back. If it was easy then anybody could and would do it. The challenge of trying to outsmart them is the best part of it all for me.

I have seen most all the bucks we have taken on the hoof - I truly enjoy watching someone kill the buck of a lifetime - I will get my turn when the time is right.

Keep the thread up so we can go along on the trip - good stuff! I love the strategy that goes into this

Well....you'll shoot him in the morning. I still think it's kind of funny you came back with a picture of a deer you probably should've shot after the camera talk earlier in this thread.

A deer pops out in the ROW and is moving off the ROW within 2-3 seconds was not enough time to judge the deer and make the shot. I am not shooting at a deer that I do not know anything about, unless he standing long enough for me to make that call. Shooting a running deer at 240 yards that I was not sure which deer it was or of his width is not smart either. I am not shooting a deer with busted points either unless it happens in hurry on a known deer that broke a point after the last time I have seen him. I just don't get in a rush to kill a deer, bad shots are made when that happens. If I get him or one of those bucks to stand and give me the time to look them over, I will take that shot. If I recognize the buck from TC pics or previous sightings an I know the deer, then I can make the shot in a few seconds if I am ready. I am still not 100% sure this 9 point with the 2 extras is a 5 yr old. He looks it in the pics. The deer I thought it was, was the 8 point by his browtines when he looked my direction after he trotted out and stopped. I saw that buck this evening, I was not going to shoot that buck, then or this evening.

Well that takes the ground checking fun out of the equation.

Thank AR's for that.

Havent read the rest of the thread. What I've done in this situation is shut off other feeders and throw tons of bait in one large area for several days. Probably the area you see most deer at. Take a good book and wait him out.

Pretty much what I told him. He doesn't listen

Lotta terrible advice

He's already got that animal hanging and messin with ya

You know stx.... He likes to draw things and create drama

So we're gettin strummed like a banjo??

Do I plow the oats up also? How about the winter weeds on my place and the neighbors, do I spray to kill them also? They are hitting the winter weeds and are only hitting the corn on the roads right now. Do I ask the neighbors to turn their feeders off? This buck is making a random trek every few days. I am hunting him at the location I stand the best chance of seeing him at or in the distance.

Almost sounds like hunting ETX with all of those problems. Do you have a spot light, good sir? ...and a good bumper....?

Deer did not move this morning. I saw 2 does about 3/4 mile apart and one buck. All moved late around 8 and just after. One doe was heading to water. The other doe was moving west. Buck ate a little corn and left. TC are dead on the corn/protein feeders. The two feeders this buck was at had one pic in the daylight each of the same little buck I saw this morning and no does. One feeder had one pic and the other one had 3 pics. Other feeder had some does last night and only one pic yesterday afternoon and nothing this morning. All the corn is still on the ground under the feeders. The area I am hunting they ate 90% of the corn last night that was left over from yesterday afternoons hunt.

Good thread... Sometimes its all about being in right place at right time... Lowfer here... Don't have the set up like yours, few acres, mostly minneral licks, blocks, corn when can aford it, small food plot... Had ta move one of my cams just ta get a pic of a 13"+ buck... Usualy see the grand daddy, opening week end, usualy just a glimps, one year it was last seconds of day light, passed bout 45 yrds in front of stand, thick neck & body... Next year it stepped out at 110+yrds at edge of tall grass by food plot, grabbed camera, zoomed in, realized it was him, twas gone before could grab .270... Next year was just a pic at far end by edge of trees... Hang in their, keep us posted...

Sounds pretty nice to me lol

Sounds like one of those times you would tell someone else to turn down the feeders so it didn't leave as much corn on the ground over night

Yes.

Geezus do you need me to come down there and manage that place for you?? It's gonna be expensive.

I can tell you have not read the whole thread.

Steve, will you adopt a busted arse 50 yr old man??? your killing me smalls your killing me

It does seem like I've heard that before.

I see. So you already solicited my help earlier in the thread I guess.

Since I can't make it down there right now (thanksgiving and all), I'll help you on line.

Hunt like it's the full on rut. I know you probably haven't noticed yet, but the ruts in Texas are running about 3 weeks ahead this year.

I won't even charge you for that.

Would be nice if you two kept up also. Notice I said already that no pics at that feeder overnight or in the daylight.

I see you still are grasping at straws. The rut here is earlier every year. You payment will be what the info was worth If you had read the thread you would know how I am hunting.

Had to run some errands and check on family midday but made it back to get in stand about 4:30 or so. Every swingin' richard buck that I have seen in that area must have showed up, but 2. Wanna guess what 2? Only saw one doe and one coyote I really wanted to let the air out of but held back. Had two bucks get in a fight and had some bucks come in to check that out. The last two mornings nothing responded to horns at all.

The other two where at the other 2 stands We could try a drive for ya, all us fella could run them up against that HF

I have kept up and have inside information

So, I think I remember someone, sometime, somewhere posting that trail cameras aren't full proof and don't catch everything.

Also, if nothing showed up in daylight or overnight...wouldn't hurt to turn them off

Sounds like a good hunt anyway, should have some good pictures. How did the bucks act around each other? Back at the power line stand? Pull the cards at the other stands?

STX, I haven't read but maybe half the thread, but have you narrowed down at least to places they frequent? Maybe you can find a travel core and hunt off the ground, or in a tree, ledge , whatever?

But how much of the corn got picked up out of the pen?

I think you need to reread this thread and my posts to you also. I will help you. TC do not catch everything. But (if you remember) I said I have hunted every hunt since opening day except one afternoon. I have at each blind since opening morning with over 3/4 of the hunts at the blind with the most activity. None of the bucks in those pics have been at that blind while I was hunting nor in the feed pens on TC. Turning those feeders off? Reread my posts again, there is a protein feeder, corn feeder and oats/winter peas plot at each stand. Should I plow the oats up that just came up about 4 weeks ago now that I am leaving to hunt West Texas? Should I ask my neighbors to turn their feeders off since all the deer around those feeders I turn off will certainly go back to where they are coming in from? When you have day with nothing to do, come on down and I will drive you around so you can see it first hand.

The blind I have been hunting, he has been at twice now. The first time he was here in mid afternoon and then the last time right after dark. If I knew which direction he was coming in from it would be very easy to set up on him. Where I am sitting he has to cross 3/4 mile of pipeline to travel between the two feeders I have TC pics of him. If I can see him moving in the distance from that blind then I can move in a tripod or build brush blind and corn that area which I have done many times in the past on deer. Very simple if I could see him.

That depends on the location. The stand I am hunting him at and where he was eating corn at the feeder twice now, he is about the only deer in that pen eating corn. I have gotten one other buck in the past 4 days in that pen. Doves, quail and rabbits are eating most of it there when the deer aren't hitting it. As much corn as I am putting on the roads in the morning and evenings they should have their fill on corn off the roads. The other pen he was on this past Saturday morning had only had one other deer in the pen since he was there on Sat. He has not been back to it. Same thing with dove, quail and rabbits eating most of the corn when the deer aren't in the pens. All three blinds have a protein feeder, corn feeder and oats. Since the weekend they have started to hit the oats a bit more, but with all the winter weeds they are not needing to hit any feed or oats. Until I get him on a TC consistently at one feeder, I am not turning off any feeders. I need to keep the bucks spread out to keep them from pushing some of the bucks off the place. To many good young bucks that will get shot if I do that right now.

Simple answer is yes..practical answer is no.

I would be more than happy to take you up on the invite. I can show up Thursday afternoon and will help pattern him while you are gone. Just leave the key under the door mat

That is why I have all the feeders running with TC's on them. If the bucks make it thru the Holidays I will find them when I get back. If not then there will be a new ones later this year or next season. My feeders(corn and protein) will always run 24/7/365 and I will have food plots to hold as many deer as I can. I am in my 4th season of running feeders year round. The amount of young bucks is very pleasing so far. It will be interesting to see how they look and if they make it for 2-3 more years.

No doubt. Seems there is improvement each year and I have never doubted your management methods (except when I want to argue). You have some great bucks

Now, don't forget to leave that key under the mat

Send me his address and we'll do some remodeling at his place after we shoot his buck for him. STX, thanks in advance for the grub we're going to eat from your fridge.

Got ya. So few sightings, man he could be coming from some distance to meet your lady deer. One thing predictable about a rutting buck is, they aren't very predictable. I suppose a home core buck would be much easier to pattern though. These bucks could be coming from 5+ miles away!

I leave key hidden up high...so short people can't get to it Good luck at PR

Man will you be in for a shock...literally

Wherever he is coming from he has made it two years a row on about the same day each year. He has a travel route that gets him to my place down pretty good since he has not been shot. He could live 1/2 mile from me or who knows how far. If he does live 5 miles it won't be west or north of me though. I think he lives within a mile to mile and half of me. I keep my traffic pattern on my place light and run the same routine all the time. I never to try to walk my place to hunt since it is too small, unless it is to walk in and rattle a spot or two. It is to tall with weeds & grass and thick enough that deer have the advantage. I do not want to push any deer off of me that have moved in for the rut. So I hunt edges of bedding cover and travel the routes that take me around it. The bigger 8 point last year I think was here for two days before he finally messed up and came back to the spot I first saw him get in a fight that evening. By his actions I think that was his first trip in last year. I also had him at one other feeder two different times in pictures. But he was killed where I had seen him during a hunt.

Been fun, but I am hitting the road in a few minutes to head to West Texas. Gonna chase Mule Deer in the rain as it is raining out the right now with high % of a chance of rain till Sat night. But, I can't hunt Mule Deer from home. Going to be a fun season out west this year. Looking forward to getting started. Everyone have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

I can't wait for the day when I can hunt every hunt from opening until Thanksgiving.

Have you tried a Spot Light

I'm in shorts this Mng

Be safe and good luck!! Should be a great year out West

No joke, 69* here when I walked out at 5:30am, wearing a "T" shirt

No lie man, it's warm and muggy here in Rhome. I put my jeans on this morning after hearing the wind howling and now considering changing to shorts. Just gonna get warmer and wetter this afternoon.

+1

Guess who is still around......still hitting two different feeders from the day I left till yesterday.

Sorry Mr. Ranchman, Trex and I tried to get him but he kept eluding us too.

But that other one wasn't too bad

Raining here this morning pretty hard right now. It rained the first 3 days in West Texas on my Mule Deer hunt, so it was not expected. Gonna try to catch a break in the shower bands and head out in a bit.

I have Rain Gear

So do I. Just waiting a bit since daylight won't happen till much later in this thick low cloud cover.

Raining here. The Labs are not even wanting to get out in it. Maybe the Squirrels will venture out this morning and Labs with get active.

Nothing broken off YET...

9:12 am this morning




9:15 am this morning

great buck

Nicely done.

great sequence of photos..congrats

Lol...that's kind of like playing with your food. Great pics, great buck. Congrats!

Well.... Got any close ups?

Great buck!!! Glad you got him

Great buck, bet those hocks smelled wonderful

That's a little better. Got anymore? are you toying with us or something?

---------->

Heck of a buck. Congrats STX.

nice

He's a stud! Congratulations!

Thanks everyone.

Outstanding Sir!!

That rain gear paid off this morning...it rained about an inch this morning from before daylight till 9. When it quit for a while the deer started to move. I had rattled once at 9:05 then again a few minutes later. He stepped out at 9:10 or so but stopped on the corn. Glad there was a big Live Oak hiding his view down the powerline behind me, there was a doe and twins down that way about 150 yards. If he had seen them he would have had to have crossed the downwind side to get to them.

I am glad you finally picked the right stand

That is a great buck and the pursuit was even better. You always have a good story to go with it and amazing pictures. At the beginning of this year, I was a little worried there wouldn't be one that got you motivated. Nicely done sir

Congrats on a real nice one.

Right stand...I was always in the right stand if he showed up.
Picking one particular buck to hunt is what I like. Makes the hunts all interesting. I like bucks with Mule Deer forks and will target one that is mature if given the chance.

Thanks again everyone.

I know you do, that's why I was worried early season because if I recall, you didn't have one particular buck that you were after. At least, until he showed up.

Congrats!!!! that's a dam nice deer! Been a solid two years at your place... hopefully it keeps rainin!

Congrats!!

Glad you finally got him. How old do you think he was and have you scored him yet?

I will say it again...Pick one place and stay committed...

Way to go! Great deer. I came on here not knowing that you'd shot to let you know your buck had jumped the county line. I saw this guy for the first time this morning. Mule deer fork on the left, 4 inch crab claw on the right. Maybe its little brother.

Very nice deer and photos

I was hoping that was the reason this post came around again.

Congrats on a beautiful buck!

Great-looking buck! How old was he, STX?

Great buck. Congrats!

Maybe that youngster will get double forks

I aged him at 5.