Which is better? Are there different tactics that need to be used while hunting piney woods?

Hunting over a feeder is typically less productive than hunting food plots. I'm sure other will chime in with some other info.

I've hunted both, and I love the cover in East Texas, but I like the bigger deer in West Texas.

East Texas....

As HwyMan says......

There aren't any deer in West Texas.......

not a whole lot of difference... just depends on if you like trees or shrubs

deer hunting in east texas was something else.....deer seemed to stick to trails alot more, rather than just rambling about....corn feeders were less effective. Numbers wern't as high.

hill country/south texas, corn feeders work like magic, deer pop up from anywhere, food plots work good if you can get water to them.

oh yea kwr, forgot.
Aint no deer in west texas...

I would have to say that neither is better than the other. They are completey different hunts. I like them both, but in my opinion east TX is a much harder hunt. There is so much cover in east TX, the deer have to get so much closer to you before you have a decent shot.

Yep!!!
E Tx deer huntin requires at least a 2 million candle light power!!!

lol.....a strategically placed floodlight works as well.

I have two leases in West Texas - Sterling County and Baylor County. I live and own land in East Texas.

West Texas - corn feeders draw deer out of brush like clock work every morning and evening. Not much hunting - just sit in the stand and pick one out to shoot. Bow hunting is not even much of a challenge - no tree stands, but ground blinds work fine.

You WILL see deer - it just depends on how selective you are.

East Texas - good deer quality, but you have to HUNT them. Corn feeders don't do much - too many acorns and other food sources to get them to concentrate on a feeder. I like to plant food plots of lablab and cow peas around Easter and then plant a fall plot of clover in September for a "killing" field. Even then, prepare to spend ALOT of time in your set up in order to get a "good" buck. But when you get one, it is very satisfying.

I think West Texas is preferred for people who don't have much time to hunt - they need to go out for a three day weekend and see harvestable deer QUICKLY.

This past season in East Texas, my son and I harvested TWO deer all season - both 4 1/2 year old bucks. But to do that we spent weeks in our set ups every evening after work and most weekends. It was not easy (and my 11 year old son has a hard time sitting still), but it was sure awesome when he dropped a nice 11 pt. on New Years Day after spending most of the month of December sitting in a stand seeing nothing.

He shot a really nice 10 pt. in Sterling County on his first evening in a blind on Youth Weekend.

That really sums up the diffence - hunt or shoot!

It really just depends on the properties being hunted. I'm pretty sure not all places in East Tx or West Tx are on the same playing field as other places within the same region.

South

Let me tell you about northeast texas. if you see a legal buck shoot it, because it may be the only deer you ever see. There are some huge bucks taken, but they are scarce. They can walk 50 yards and have all the food and water they ever need. The only shots at big bucks we've had hunting camp county have been during rut.

Personally, its really boring. I've spent so many hours hunting in the piney woods and never see any deer, much less bucks, that I doubt I'd deer hunt if it were like that everywhere.

What makes me mad about hunting in NE texas is that there is plenty of forage, water, cover, etc. But just not many deer.

In the Cedar Thicket that is Georgetown TX there are more deer than hippies in Austin. Little to no forage, dry as hell, and yet overrun with deer. Go figure.

I like having the option to spot and stalk in West Texas. We intentionally leave a 3000 acre pasture "feeder free" just for that. Also in most of West Texas, you need to allow at least 500 acres per hunter.

I have hunted both, but now strictly hunt East Texas as I own 203 acres southeast of Palestine. On opening day of bow season, we will see several bucks, but not the big boys and you can sit in a tree stand for weeks without seeing a buck at all. But if you stay consistent eventually you will have one of those days when out of nowhere, the big boys just show up. Patience is of paramount importance

How far south of Palestine. I live about 20 miles south of Palestine.

I would guess this subject has been pounded in the ground but there still a need for discussion of it. IMHO if most of the bucks in East Texas were huge then there wouldn't be a 13" rule. That is exactly what has been occuring in East Texas along with the high rate of pouching, a lot of hunters are shooting the first thing they see! Consequently what does this yield.....no mature bucks. South Texas is overrun with deer because of internal breeding and hunters not harvesting the doe as they should to promote herd ratio. West Texas hasn't reached the plateau that South Texas has because there are or is a mixture of different breeds some of which that were introduced to some areas where there were no deer populations.

Here in the Coleman areauntil the eradication of the screw worm, there was scarcely no deer at all and deer were reintroduced from up in the Northern U.S. In retrospect, all areas in Texas has the same potential for deer growth and size if they are managed and harvested right. In order for that to occur the hunter has to be educated in aging deer and knowing when to let one walk and when to shoot!! My2cents

I feel as if ive actually hunted the deer in east tx vs picking which one I want to shoot when the feeder goes off in west tx

Apples V. Oranges

I HATED my 1 season hunting in East Texas. I grew up hunting the hill country and was spoiled. I also like the to be able to see.

I now have a place in Concho county, and I much prefer it to east Texas.

Cool_Hand - I somewhat disagree with the statement "...all areas in Texas have the same potential for deer growth and size".

That's not true at all, in my opinion, unless you're talking about through artificial manipulation. Depending on the mineral and protein content in the ground and browse, various areas definitely have superior or inferior potential for antlers, body size, etc.

It's all about available food source.

I hate East Texas hunting, partially because I live here and see the same trees all the time, same country ect...

Its thick, hot, and drives my allergies Crazy.

I do however love hunting our family land in Madisonville, but its Oak, no Pine, and not near as thick. Great Deer too! Lots of Hogs, and I've been hunting there for my entire life.

As far west as I go is Menard county, thats where the lease is, Hills, Rocks, and a ton of deer and turkey, not to many days of sitting in a blind and getting Zero, and I just love it there, if I had my pref, I'd be there from November to January!

Size isnt great but I like the action!

perhaps I have a different outlook on things. I don't like sitting in brush and hunting. I can handle growing clearcuts/plantations b/c lets face it, thats just a revenue generating process that I will gladly overlook. Walk outside now and theres a lot of new scenary lighting up the night sky. I'm kind of fond of East Tx, it just takes knowing whats going on and how to go about letting deer get age on them that will allow you to sit in a deer stand and see the numbers you would in the hill country.

I just like seeing deer. I'm frustrated because it seems counterintuitive that such a lush, beautiful land like NE Texas doesn't have the sheer numbers that the seemingly inhospitable hill country, west, and southtexas have.

Pennsylvania is covered up in deer and it is thick forest too.