I wanna start with an apology for a long post, and the background info. I'm a low budget hunter, married for a year and the wife just graduated so we're basically single income with way too many student loans. I hunt mostly coyotes and cranes because it's easy to get on a place for free, and the handful of deer I've killed have been management deer when a friend of a friend's leasees have filled their tags. Just got a coyote/crane spot, the land owner said that he occasionally sees deer there too.

Now to describe the place. There aren't many deer in the county, but there is a season. I went out to place and checked it. Basically, I'm hunting a field that is surrounded by areas that MAY harbor a FEW deer. Not ideal, but I don't have any other hunting lined up and don't mind spending mornings and evenings out there for the ten day season. If there are deer within a few mikes of the place that occasionally pass through, is there anything I can do to increase the likelyhood of them coming by more often? Corn, salt, other attractants? There are no trees to make mock scrapes under.

Thanks again, and sorry for the long post.

Corn would be a starting place if you can hand corn a few locations. Is there any water? A trail camera on the corn or water will tell you what you have. Any winter wheat in the area?

I agree that corn would be the cheapest and most effective option in your situation. A camera would be great also, but if you can't get one at the moment there should be deer signs to let you know that they are coming to your corn.

Is this in Oklahoma? Just wondering.

I would be putting out corn, a lot of corn.

Just hop the fence

Welcome. Corn would be good.

Let me get this straight, you want to steal your neighbors deer?

I'm joking. Strong smelling deer attractant, and corn should do the trick.

Tinks 69 and lots of corn.

If hunting cranes on the same property be sure all corn is removed at least 10 days before shooting birds. Wouldn't want you to get baiting charges.

Absolutely right. I already had one crane place, and this farmer has another spot that already has cranes hitting a pond next door. I'll hold off on cranes where deer are till Dec 2.

Corn and mineral blocks! a good mineral lick in the corner of fences last all year blocks about $8 -$12 academy last 4/5months

Yeah, I was surprised I didn't get flamed for that. As far as I can tell there are no blinds or feeders on the land I assume they're coming from, plus, there is so little habitat with cover that IF there are deer there, they don't stay there...if their gonna jump the fence, it might as well be on my side. Lol.

There is winter wheat about a mile away. There is a lake bottom on either side but I can't tell if they have any water in them.

Texas panhandle.

Might be some monsters being in the panhandle. Food will always bring them in.

Com'er deer corn coat on the corn works great to keep them traveling back for more. It just helped me get the deer back to my feeders from the acorns.

Put some salt and corn on two corners today and did some driving down county roads in the area. I found a trail with fresh tracks crossing a road .7 miles from one corner, and saw a doe standing under a tree 1.5 miles from the other corner. So, if they aren't coming onto the property I'm hunting, is there any chance those salt licks and corn will draw them?

Had fresh tracks today accros both corners! That was exciting, the odd thing is, both sets walked right by the corn piles, but as far as I could tell, it hadn't been touched, and neither set appeared to go to or come from where I had expected the deer to be bedding. Guess I'll just keep checkin it out.

May be muledeer they are hard to get started on feeders you may have a great hunting place. The whitetales up there have been getting bigger all the time as well. I would really stick with scouting

I have hunted the past few years in the panhandle around Memphis. The area is mostly farm land with tiny patches of timber. There are a lot more deer there than you would believe. A 2-3 acre or less patch of brush among 100 acres of cultivation will hold deer - sometimes big deer.

You may not see them or sign, but setup and hunt and they will appear out of seemingly nowhere in the early morning or dusk.

There are also mule deer.

The deer around Memphis can be HUGE bodied deer. A 200 pound doe wouldn't raise an eyebrow up there.

And these deer are found in areas where there are a lot of people and farmhouses.

That's the good news. Now the bad news.

Areas like this can get shot out pretty quick, and the locals are often quick to shoot. So while there is the possibility of a monster, but if one is seen - chances are a local will get him real quick. Most of the big deer I've seen taken in the past three years up there were taken by a farmer or his family incidentally. Like "I was out back by the barn working on my tractor when I saw this 170" deer at the edge of the wheat and went back the house and got my rifle and shot him."

But you never know .... You could get real lucky.

The secret, in my opinion, is to do lots of scouting and try lots of areas. Cameras can be invaluable. Put a cam out near a tiny patch of brush near wheat or water, and you could spot a nice deer to target.

Don't neglect cotton fields - especially for mulies. I have seen a number of mulies out in a virtually barren cotton field a LONG way from any cover.

On one of the places I hunt there is feeder out in the middle of a 200 acre field hundreds of yards from any cover and the corn is always gone and there is always deer tracks around it. But the deer hit it mostly at night. And all of these area the deer are rarely seen past the first 45 minutes of daylight.

They get to know the people and vehicles and when the local folks get up and are long gone before they rise. I have watched them many times come out in groups and walk right past the farmhouse and feed at feeder fields and as soon as the light goes on in the house, they're gone quick. Also seen them stand off and wait til the farmer leaves in his truck, then race out to the feeder. And race back as soon as they hear a vehicle coming back.

They bed down early in those little brush area and wait until everyone goes in for the night.

I also find the deer can be real hard to pattern. Traveling exceptional distances from day to day. They may be at a feeder or field one day, then not return for a week or more. I think they move from these small wooded patches, one to another, and don't "complete their circuit" for days to weeks.

The flip side of this is that you might get lucky and catch a nice buck that is only passing through. You never can tell.

Good luck to you!

What part of the panhandle are you in?

Don't pile the corn but broadcast over a long stretch of fence. That way you cover way more area. Those places like your describing hold more deer than you think possible,and huge bucks as well.! Also add a watermelon koolaid packet to your bag of corn,they'll smell it a lot further away and they love it.

Cotton seed! Deer love it. Outside of that, corn. I would not start putting out any foreign attractants as some have mentioned. If the deer are not used it and smell it, they may respond by staying on the neighboring property. Also, don't pile the corn, broadcast it. Buy a cheap feeder and put up and then just give it time. If you can get the does to come to your place, the bucks will follow. The week before, the week of and the week after Thanksgiving will be your time in the Panhandle to hunt.

Duh!! stealing neighbors deer??? what he's trying to do isn't stealing. Noone ownes free roaminjg deer!!!

Plant a large plot if possible... one big enough will bring them in from a long ways when it gets cold

They are muledeer. As far as scouting, I'm hunting three square miles of cotton field with CRP bordering two sides, so I need to find the land owners of the CRP, or get them coming to a specific spot because that is way too much wide open space to ensure a shot if they cross the cotton.