how is the deer herd there this year? i hunt there but have not been able to get down there yet. im hoping for a great season. good luck to everyone this year.

Seems to be fine where I'm at. Been seeing lots of bucks, and they all look healthy.

Lots of impressive young bucks running around. Acorns are numerous in some places. It’s dry, need some rain to keep the oats up. The turkey population is increasing rapidly in my part of the county, SE of Priddy.

Army worms are reeking havoc.

thanks i appreciate the input.

Mills County has some great deer.

Lots and lots of pressure. I am in favor of AR, but in our part of the county, I have seen buck numbers and quality decline since it has started. Our part of the county is what I call "broken cover" habitat. Deer sooner or later will be visible moving from cover to cover. With the surrounding pressure we have, I think 95% of all 13+ inch bucks get shot every year, leaving few to mature and those that do mature, many are junk that no one wants to burn their one 13"+ buck tag on or sub 13". It is high grading the herd putting so much pressure on one segment of animal. I saw better animals when you could shoot two bucks with no restrictions. I think it spread the harvest out over all the age classes. From my perimeter fence, I can count 11 stands & feeders. The deer don't have a chance. Just my observation in 8 years of owning the property and intensively managing the place.

i seen on here that the rut is trying to start down there one week to go til gun season.

I would say this is your problem, not ARs. I/ve hunted Mills County for nearly 40 years (granted I'm in the brush SE of Goldthwaite and I have good neighbors) but we have more bucks and more good bucks than ever before.

Same amount of pressure prior to AR, so that is a lot of my basis. But I know what you are saying. Agreed, too much pressure as well. AR just compounds the problem, for us anyway.

That is frustrating for sure. I see how it could be hard for a buck with a great rack to make it to 5.5 or older.

letting a buck make it to 5.5 years takes alot effort on you and your fellow hunters around you. i hunt LF and dont have a problem with letting 3.5 to 4 year olds walk because the other hunters around me do the same. but not everyone does it thats why we have an AR