Got on a place near Possum Kingdom Lake, specificaly the Graford area....Saw a few deer but nothing special....Didn't have feeders or anything set up as we got on two days before the season started....Is anybody out there familiar with this area and is it worth coming back to????
Set out corn and trail cams and saw some deer...But was amazed to see herds of hogs in most of the pictures...I know the immediate PK area is infested with deer...What is the population like around Graford????Love the terrain and want to come back but also want to see more deer....Any help would be appreciated....Do feeders make that much of a difference???????????????????

This is Crazyhorse, and I can't give any specifics, but there have always been deer down in the Graford area. In fact 30 years ago if you wanted to see deer close to Young county, you had to go down around the PK/Graford/Palo Pinto area. Feeders always help, it seems to us on the place we hunt in Montague county, it works best if we keep at least one feeder going year round. The hogs are a recent addition,(or subtraction,depending on whether you are the landowner or the hunter leasing the place).

Thanks for the input...The landowner told us the ranch hadn't been hunted in 2 years so that might explain the over abundance of hogs....
Our baited trail cams did reveal a huge 5 pt...One side was a typical rack with 5 points and the other side was broken off just about the base....I'd like to see the deer that whipped his ass...Hopefully we'll have the place next year when we can get feeders up and shooting lanes cut....
Thanks.....

I would keep the place. There could be some nice bucks if it hasnt been hunted in 2 years. If you didnt kill anything now you can say 3 years.LOL .Set out feeders and feed all year you will have a good year. Good luck!

I have almost hit several deer at the keechi creek bridge, almost every year. My dad has hunted that grafford are for over 20 years and they have always had pretty god luck. This year was typically a bad year for seeing lots of der down there. The creek cuts through the back of their place and it was so high with water the deer weren't crossing it to come on to their place. If things get back to normal with dry summers and all they will see ton's more deer. The hog didn't start crossong into their place till the last week of season. They normally shoot 12 or 15 through out the season. This year my dad shot 2 across the creek and could not get over there due to the water being so high. If your not paying too much for the place keep it one more year and it will pay off. Put up feeders during the later part of august and feed them just enought to where the deer can find them and you'll see plenty of deer. Since your place had'nt been hunted in 2 years you might want to feed a little earlier. And definatly get out there a get the hog pop under control or they will deter some of the deer from visiting as much to the feeders. I can tell yo all you want to know about that are just p.m. me and i can tell you all you want to know about that are. My dad's lease has been hunted by his head guy on the lease for 30 years. So i know plenty about that area. If you need and more hunters i am interested. I really want to kill some hogs.

I CAN FOR SURE TELL YOU THAT IN SOUTH YOUNG COUNTY MING BEND ROAD/GOOSECREEK CEMATERY RD THE ARE VERRRRRRRRY FEW DEER. VERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRY FEW.

One guy who hunts the place has a two way radio and he picks up hunters on neighboring leases talking about seeing lots of deer....I only saw twelve deer all season but did manage to harvest 2 does and a six point with no brow tines (about 16 in. wide)....It was definitely a tough go with no feeders....He also talked of the hunters passing up eights and sixes for being too young....It seems those other hunters on other leases were trying to implement some sort of management program....I'd be all for it but I'd have to see more than twelve deer in two months....If this seems familiar to anybody I'd be glad to hear any more suggestions about this place....It borders 337 about 6 miles NW of Graford....

I think you ought to give another year with year round feeding, I'm sure you will see some improvement. We hunt not to far from you and you are seeing more deer then we are. Plus the deer hunting was abmormal this year due to all the rain and abundance of acorns. 12 deer in a year not to bad for that area, until you can build it up.

This is Crazyhorse and it looks like you are getting a lot of good advice. The only thing that I would do different, is I would get a feeder, at least 1 maybe 2, set up and going year round. Yes I know that is extra work and expense, and some folks have good luck just feeding from August on. We seem to have had better luck by feeding year round, cause they know that it is there, and there will always be a few deer that will hit the feeders everyday if they know that they can find something to eat. They don't work for us, because I think we are too close to the Red, but you might try a salt or mineral block.

Oh yeah feeding year round is a must IMO.

Like ChC said .You set out more feeders than you have hunter for off season. Your place will seem like the candy store to the deer across the fence. If you have any open fields plant 10 acres of winter rye next OCT. By Nov you will have alot of deer.

I do imagine feeders are the key....Probably should thin out a lot of that blasted Cedar as well...What is a fair amount to pay for that area???? The landowner wants to get $6000.00 for 500 acres....I don't know if it's worth it in a one buck county???
Speaking of one buck counties I'd like to see what you guys think about county mandated antler restrictions...I spoke with Jim Dillard about two months ago...He's the wildlife biologist stationed in that area....He said the TPWD is considering going to antler restrictions and adding a spike to the harvest, making the county two buck....I'd be all for it but how do they enforce it???And what does the hunter do when he shoots and eight point just below the spread mimimum???? Plus, I'm not sure spikes are that bad...I've saw a spike in Zephyr with a noticeable scar on his left hind quarter turn into a respectable 7 point the next year....What are you guys thoughts?????

I would put out (1) feeder smack in the middle of your property in a easy location and keep it going year round. Then in August put up feeders where you want to hunt but don't shoot off #1. It has worked well for my group in the past. BTW-give the place a another chance.

This is Crazyhorse, and I hope that whole topic doesn't go sideways like it did the last time it was going. We all set around and complain about the cost of leases, and TP&W is doing everything it can to get into the trophy deer business. That antler quality over areas of the state could be improved, is a fact. One thing everyone that is trying to manage a lease or improve their property should do, is to attend the deer hunting seminar that is held at the Kerr WMA in September each year. The biggest problem I have with the present one buck county system, is that I can take a buck in Montague county, but then if I get invited to say Young or in the extreme case Ector or Midland counties, I can't shoot a buck because all of those are one buck west zone counties. Yet if I was on a lease that straddled say the Parker-Tarrant county line, I could legally shoot two bucks off that property, because the land is in both an east zone and a west zone county. The technology and software is available, and you could have one buck tag that was valid in the county you hunt in most, and a second take that could not be used in that county. And even though we are supposed to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, and all of us are supposed to do everything legally, the only way some of those laws can actually be enforced is to have a mandatory check-in if all harvested deer. From what I used to be able to hunt deer for, to the situation there is today, the number one reason that lease prices have gone so high, and will only go higher, is the quest for trophy antlers. Everyone needs to stop and think how many people they know or know of, that have quit deer hunting or hunting altogether, because of lease prices. Also think of how many people give up hunting because the peanut gallery is always ready with comments about how small that first buck the person ever harvested is. I think you ought to hang with the lease and go with at least 1 feeder going year round. Just keep in mind the down side, and if any one out there thinks I am wrong, go ahead and jump on me now, but everything your group does to improve your success is going to benefit the rancher. See what happens if you all go to shooting some good bucks. Good luck on your leaese and I think with the feeder and doing some brush work it should be productive.

swtmudcat, you are going to pay that amount for a one buck county anywhere west of the metromess. If yall decide that you don't want the lease let me know. I know some that do. That deer population is pretty normal for that area. You can probably bring in more deer if you feed year round. As for the deer restriction I am for it. Enforcing it has alway being another question. You are always going to have good hunters and bad, that we never change.

Campcook, I understand TPWD is proposing to change the one buck county rule so we can hunt in 2, 1 buck counties and eliminate the east west zone rule. That would be great. I can see your point on benefitting the ranchers doing a management program and never really looked at it from that view point. Interesting but I still think we need to all do something to give back to the wildlife. I am lucky in the fact that where I hunt in Nemo I don't pay any hard dollars, I and a small group work once a month every month for the rancher tending his cattle mending fences and such, fun hard work. In trade he lets us hunt camp and fish year round. A little over 1300 acres and the best part is it is only 45 minutes from the house, the rancher and his family have become like family to me and has give me the run of the place. We do manage our herd somewhat and have minimums on the bucks and how many doe we take, we are trying to get some better bucks and improve our herd in general. When I first got on the lease it was your basic meat lease, if it's brown it's down was the attitude. We have seen a difference in our herd both in body weight and in antler growth. I don't have to worry about him raising our price and he is leaving a big portion of the ranch to his grand daughter and I took her on her first hunt this year (13) and she took a big wide 8 pointer. She's hooked. I'll hush, didn't mean to steal this post or move it in a different direction.
As far as the deer population in Graford I would give it another year and set up the feeders and try a couple of small food plots. It will only help. You might get in touch with TPWD and see if they have done a recent deer survey in the area. Good luck.

This is Crazyhorse, and don't anybody get me wrong, we do need to be doing things to help benefit the wildlife. One of the problems as I see it, and this is not from actual experience, cause we have sort of the same deal you do where we hunt, and mind you I am not branding all land owners here, but there are a lot of them out there, that aren't really putting any effort in to making things better for the wildlife and their hunters. Again and nothing anyone can say will change my mind irregardless the validity of your statments, I do not hunt for horn, the only reason that I will shoot a buck is that he was dumb enough to stick his head up. I guess when I really look at it, it would be different if we actually hunted deer in Texas, and didn't for the most part rely on feeders and box blinds/stands, and there weren't close to 4 million deer in the state. For everybody that horn size matters, that is great for you, I just don't want to see legislation, that will be impossible to enforce, get passed that will mean the only buck I see during the entire season is off limits. Wanting to improve the health, body size, and overall vigor of the deer in Texas is a good cause. Doing something that is gonna further restrict the number of animals harvested isn't good. If something is going to be done then make it mandatory that all hunters have to harvest their legal limit of does, before they can shoot a buck each season. I am not trying to turn this into a 40 page topic, I just do not agree with the idea that antler restrictions are the answer for the whole state.

I have a lease in Menard 2 buck county and Dimmit 3 buck county.Its doent mater because I can only kill 1 buck on each place per the ranchers. Good game management!!!

This is CHC and if those are the ranchers rules, and you are okay with it that is fine and I have no problem with that. As far as being a good management practice, that is debatable. Is it good for the overall health of the herd, or is it good for trying to produce trophy bucks, which in turn cost more for people to hunt. As I have said elsewhere, I don't pay to hunt Whitetails in Texas, unless it is a situation where Ron and I get drawn for one of the WMA hunts. If I am gonna spend a few hundred dollars to hunt whitetails, I am gonna go to Nebraska, where I can actually hunt them. For the people that want the big sets of antlers, I am all for them. I just do not want legislation passed that is gonna mean that the one buck I may see during the season up on the place we hunt is going to be off-limits because of its antler spread. The original point of this topic though had to do with whether a lease should be kept and some work put into it for next year. We all have our own wants and desires when it comes to what we want to be able to shoot, and what each one of us thinks a quality deer is. I just really don't see, at least at this point of time in my life that antlers on any whitetail are that important.

Thanks fella's....It seems the area has some potential, like anything though, it will take some work....If I don't stay I'll definitely let you guys know....Landowner is getting kind of silly with things. Wants to lease it daily for dove and hog....She does that and raises the price, I'm gone....Like you guys said there'll be someone to pick it up for the money she wants....Thanks for all the input...

I'll end this post with this....Isn't it ironic that hunters get on a place and get their deer....Then in an attempt to make the place better WE feed corn, plant food plots, and cut timber to help forb growth...then we see an increase in body weight, antler growth, and general numbers and what's the first thing the landowner wants to talk about?????? Raising the price after they did nothing....We're victims of our own monster....I'm sure not all landowners are like that though....

I have hunted next to a place that was leased for deer season to turkey season....but they could dove hunt too..the guy sold daily dove hunts during the week and hog hunts as well. His lease members did not know about it, until I ran into them and told them...I knew because the landowner told me to come hunt dove with him one day. I did not as I knew he had it leased.

I looked at a lease in Golthwaite area and the guy had a huge price for year round everything...then deer only, then deer and turkey, then duck, then dove, and then fishing.....all total he had 40 something folks on a 2000 acre place...you could be in your deer blind and somebody could be duck hunting also.....I passed and when asked why I told him that he was crazy and I was not paying $1500 a gun not to do it all an if he felt good about ripping folks off leasing it like that then fine by me. The kicker was if you stayed on the lease 3 years and got off after that, he wanted you to leave your stand and feeder to the ranch. I laughed when he told me that and as I got in my truck and drove back to Fort Worth.......my brother in law wanted to get on the lease to have a place to go.....to me, I am not that desperate.

There is a palo pinto deer coop our there somewhere...I think it is really Caddo deer coop now that I think about it.

Yeah Bradbury it is Caddo coop.
I agree with CHC also about legislation on antler size. The state needs to stay out of trying to manage private lands. If they want antler restrictions do it on WMA's.
Back to the original post. I have hunted Palo Pinto county four 14 years now. Only on two different places. I work with several guys that hunt here also.( we all live in Palo Pinto county) The number of deer you are seeing is about average for around here. If you are close to the lakes or the river you see more deer. But for the most part there are not alot of deer like you see in the hill country.
$6000 for 500 acres is way to much. If you have 5 hunters that is only 100 acres apiece at 1200 a gun.You are lucky if there are actually 5 deer living on the place. Like stated earlier if you put a good management program together and deer body size, antler size and numbers increase so will the cost. Probly to $1600 a gun. On only 500 acres there is not alot you can do unless all the hunters on the places bordering you are particpating in the same managment practices.
I agree with everyone else. Put in corn feeders and feed year around. Get a protien feeder and get some 16% uncle eds at Postons in Stephenville which costs maybe $1.00 more than corn and feed it thru the end of the summer. Maybe you will get lucky and kill the deer you fatten up before your neighbor does. Talk to your land owner and see if any property improvements can be deducted from the cost of the lease. If not dont spend to much time or energy till you know you are going to keep the place.

Out there seems to hit-n-miss. I've got a buddy that always see's deer and lots of turkey every time he goes out
(makes you sick)I had a lease out there a couple of years ago and we saw a few deer the first year we were on it but it seemed to get less and less every year.The last year we were on it we I only saw 3 deer all year (hince the reason why it was the last year)Good Luck

Just beause I see a lot of deer on PK I thought Palo Pinto was a good place.??? Ive never hunter there but its good to here from you hunters that have.

Whakm and Blue
I definitely know what you mean....Father in law has a house on PK....Feeds deer from his back porch and there are some huge bucks running around....No hunting either...I thought the same thing....I guess my days in Llano and Zephyr spoiled me....I'd see twelve deer in one day sometimes more....The area makes you a better hunter I'll tell you that....The deer I got I worked for....