I shot this one opening weekend.



My son shot his first buck as well.

The buck in my sig is from Stephens from 2006

Hey firefighter, really a slow year for us. We had a bunch of bucks on cameras through mid October including a real nice 12, crab claw 10, and a really tall basket rack 8 we call the HOSS. Then they just disappeared including all the does. We did jump a huge buck in mid November while filling feeders. He was bedded with a doe right next to a fresh scrape. He was maybe a 14 but probably 12. came over a ridge and there he was not 20 yards from us! by far the biggest deer i have seen in Stephens County. This past weekend we were scouting a new blind location and came upon a rub line that was nearly 3/4 mile long. The buck that did this hit at least 15 trees! And this was no small guy - he was tearing up trees 4 inches in diameter and over 3 feet above the ground. But we saw only 2 deer all year hit feeders. I even still hunted what were traditionally our sanctuary areas, and found no sign. I know the deer are around, but definitely changed their patterns this year. We have a bunch of heavy oak stands and good winter grasses, as well as water close to these areas so I think they just hung low this year. This next year we are changing alot of our blind strategy in case we have been patterned. I'm glad you and your son were successful!

I have hunted there for 15 years and this is worst I seen in a long time, seen 1 good one and that is the only buck all year.
Seen 3 doe all year and did not kill any, hopefully the last weekend of the extended doe season we can put some meat in the freezer

Does anyone hunt south of Breckenridge in Stephens County?

I Hunt just northwest of Strawn off of FM-207. Had deer on camera in the early season late nite/early morning. 2nd week into season nothing on camera til 12-31-10.. had 1 buck a 7 pointer on one feeder and 2 doe on my other feeder. Nothing shot on my lease as of yet. So far this year really bites! Got one weekend left to get some meat in the freezer.

knightdiscshooter I also hunt that same area, as you stated the season really bites. Hope is in the last weekend and it looks like rain in the forecast.
Only thing shot was a big hog, seen one good buck and a couple of doe.
Others on the porperty seen some deer, and shot 2 does nothing like 2 years ago.

I am between Ivan and the lake. We have seen a few shooters on camera and a ton of young bucks and does hitting the feeders all year. This is our first year here. If this is a bad year, then we are excited for next year.

Knightdiscshooter and papawskids: I'm hunting real close to you both and have had similar experience. 4 hunters have taken one buck on opening day and two does later. Lots of hogs on cameras only at night. Send me a PM; where exactly are you hunting?

Our place is at Gunsight south of Breckenridge. My dad shot a doe and a hog and I shot a doe and that was it. Pretty tough. Had one hunt all season that I saw deer.

Knightdiscshooter, papawskids, papa45, I too hunt off 207 NW of strawn..same thing!

FarmerDad, FFrread, what part of the county are you in?

South of town near Harpersville

I am not on it anymore. It was about 12 miles north of Ranger off of 717 I believe. We were on the very southern border of Stephens county. I got off because we found out the landowner had been letting someone else hunt it.

Who moved in next door to my place? I just notcied this weekend some hunters blinds, feeders, trailers, and a jeep in the old barn out back of my little 100 acres. This is the first time since I purchased the place I have seen any hunters there. Just north of Skeeteroneal, and 7 tenths of a mile south of the Gunsight Baptist Church.

Tuff for us also. 1 cull buck and one doe taken. Several young legal bucks passed up. Lots on cameras before the season and then gone. We are off of 717. Part of CJ Mountain is on our place. We back up to part of the MT 7 Ranch.

I'm right on the Eastland/Stephens line north of Ranger.

I didn't fire a shot.

I have native doe that stick around from year to year. They were there, but their patterns were way off from normal. What very little rutting activity I saw only produced two young bucks. Last year I had one very nice shooter buck (on camera) and several promising bucks show up during the rut. None of them made an appearance this year. Even the one buck that stayed on my place all throughout the summer disappeared towards the end of October and hasn't returned.

I think it's a conspiracy.

Can I ask what people are paying per acre in that county?

Talk to the TPW bioligist this morning. He said that he scored a 150 something at the meat market in Breckenridge that only had a 14" spread. That would be consistent on what we are seeing on camera.

Yeah we are near the old Sheriff Bradford ranch between 717 and 1852. Same story as everybody else.

I am not sure about how much per acre people are paying but I hardly ever here of a decent lease that is under 1500 per gun. I am guessing $16-20 per acre for small leases.

We are paying a little over $10/acre for 900 acres - year round access.

Stephens County buck 11/7/10

There are some good bucks in Stephens County, they just stayed in the woods this year for the majority of the time.
I went a little pic crazy..

We are north of breckenridge in crystal falls dad killed an 18 3/4 8 point and another boy killed a small 9 saw lots of does but big bucks dissapperead in mid to late oct