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Re: Lack of deer sightings [Re: Erathkid] #7365171 12/03/18 05:25 AM
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Couple weeks ago the afternoon before I got my buck, doe ate 180 yards opposite of feeder. Literally sat in one place for 2 hours and ate. They didn't move and could care less about the corn. Seeing that shows they have what they need elsewhere. Luckily my buck screwed up. Do have wheat fields around 1/4 mile away though but never have not seen deer.

Re: Lack of deer sightings [Re: Erathkid] #7365179 12/03/18 06:06 AM
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I started scattering corn in my food plot a couple weeks ago. I’ve found it’s a good late season tactic that can get a more mature buck to show himself when he would never do the same at a feeder.

In past seasons the corn was gone within 24 hours or less. Most of the corn I scattered two weeks ago was still there after a couple days.


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Re: Lack of deer sightings [Re: Erathkid] #7365182 12/03/18 06:35 AM
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Seeing nice bucks on the cameras, but only at night. I can sit out in one of my stands for hours on end and see nothing. Acorns are still everywhere and you can even hear them crunching under your feet as you walk in to the stands. The deer certainly don't have to go out of their way to find a meal. Hogs are nearly gone from the feeding areas as well with only an occasional lone boar showing up in the wee morning hours.

Re: Lack of deer sightings [Re: Erathkid] #7365418 12/03/18 03:04 PM
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So far this morning, nothing. Gonna' sit until 10:00. Seems like a very 'deery' morning. Cold, overcast. Just need to see a deer.


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Re: Lack of deer sightings [Re: Erathkid] #7365423 12/03/18 03:07 PM
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I did get my porch stained yesterday. Gonna' make a pot of chili when I get back to the crib.


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Re: Lack of deer sightings [Re: Erathkid] #7365463 12/03/18 03:25 PM
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Our sightings are way down from all the rain we have had. Native food is in great shape and supply. We have taken a buck and a does and they were both the fattest animals I ever remember seeing. I skinned my doe and she was white nearly from head to hoof well over an inch think on her rump and nearly an inch on areas of her flank. Not seeing much of what we saw pre season when it was dry as a popcorn fart, but they are still wondering through from time to time. Its like they come to corn/protein just to make sure its still there eat a bite and are gone in less than a few minutes.


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Re: Lack of deer sightings [Re: Erathkid] #7365481 12/03/18 03:42 PM
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At our place in Concho County, movement is mostly nocturnal, however some mature bucks have been killed just by being in the right place at the right time. Sightings overall are way down from last year. With the late rains there is numerous food options for the deer. I hunted November 20-26 and would sit until 830-9am and then start walking until 2pm or so before sitting again for the evening. Even then jumped very few deer. It is tough country to try spot & stalk, but it beats the pants off just sitting and waiting. I set up a camera on a heavily used trail I found after heavy rains in August, and when I pulled the card on November 21 there were multiple 4.5 - 5.5 year old bucks passing through and had an active scrape on cam, so I know they are coming on the property. I built a brush blind on the trail and sat for two days without seeing a deer at all. Moved the 3rd day and had a mature 10 come through at 10 yards at 721am and 724am. I am hopeful that once we get a couple days in the mid-20's they will be forced to eat some corn. The little freezes we've had have not been enough to kill all the late growth, especially some of the plants we aren't used to seeing which have popped up everywhere.

Re: Lack of deer sightings [Re: Erathkid] #7365487 12/03/18 03:46 PM
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I'm seeing plenty of deer but I have yet to see a nice buck. Mostly does, yearling spikes and a few young bucks well under 13". I don't know where our bigger bucks are but they're dang sure not coming to the feeder. It was too wet for me to get my food plot in this year so I can only assume the big boys have gone nocturnal and are hitting the acorns at night. Never seen so many acorns and lots of trees still haven't dropped their acorns. I checked my feeder pen camera yesterday and had 901 pics over a 6 week period and got one pretty good buck on camera. [Linked Image]


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Re: Lack of deer sightings [Re: Erathkid] #7365801 12/03/18 09:08 PM
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Erathkid Offline OP
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I've checked other cams. Same thing. Nocturnal. Once the rut is over around here, your chances of success dwindle substantially. Gonna' hunt stand #6 in a bit.

Last edited by Erathkid; 12/03/18 09:10 PM.

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Re: Lack of deer sightings [Re: Walkabout] #7366120 12/04/18 02:42 AM
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Originally Posted by Walkabout
Yeah last place I hunted was a small place in South Texas had similar problem starting in December usually. Guys would straggle in starting Friday morning and "drive" the ranch checking everybody's feeders and stands, trail cams and hog traps. We had some well educated deer. They had us patterned from start to finish.


Awesome post! This happens a lot and we often totally miss what's happening. Change up your hunting schedule and sit in some different spots. The deer/bucks aren't smart they just react quickly and will change areas to survive the season.

Last edited by BTL; 12/04/18 02:43 AM.
Re: Lack of deer sightings [Re: Erathkid] #7366144 12/04/18 02:58 AM
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Hard freeze in the second week of November knocked back the green growth substantially. Seeing deer, but mature bucks are spotty. I managed to kill a decent 8 trailing a doe that came to feed just before dark thanksgiving weekend.

Re: Lack of deer sightings [Re: Erathkid] #7366164 12/04/18 03:20 AM
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I have been on the same lease for 6 yrs running. Without question the worse year to date. WT & Mule deer sightings are virtually non existent. Years past, a typical sit would result in 5-10 does and 3-4 bucks on average. Hiking the mesas and glassing would yield similar Mule deer does numbers and 2-3 mule deer bucks. This year, 8 sits at the blinds and we have seen 2 does total and 1 dinky young buck. Mule deer are ghosts currently. Finally saw some mulie does on Saturday. WT rut is non existent as is Mule deer. Game cams aren’t showing anything nocturnal either. Typical photos in a week total around 500. I had 84 pics over a 3 week period on one camera. Only 18 of those were does, the rest birds or raccoons.

I think it’s too warm for one. Haven’t had enough cold hard freezes to kill off all the browse. Still have green grass in the low bottoms. Mesquite is just now turning brown. The warm weather, in my opinion has also delayed the rut I feel. I have no scientific proof of this but it sure does seem so. Definitely hard to keep that desire to go hunt going right about now.

Re: Lack of deer sightings [Re: Erathkid] #7366425 12/04/18 02:15 PM
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Ringworm, that's just about what's happened here, minus the Mulies. I'm going on day 7 with Zero deer sightings.


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Re: Lack of deer sightings [Re: Erathkid] #7366443 12/04/18 02:30 PM
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We aren't seeing deer regularly enough to know if they have started rutting or not. Weird year for sure.


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Re: Lack of deer sightings [Re: Erathkid] #7366547 12/04/18 03:46 PM
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In SW Concho and our sightings are WAY down. Mature bucks haven't been seen on cameras since all that rain in mid-October. Even the rut didn't bring out some shooters we had on camera. I'd say our historical average for sits is 12-15 deer. This year it's more around 5 and we even had one guy not see a deer one day (can't remember that ever happening). I have 3 plots with wheat/rye mix and I my try hand corning like Texas Dan says.

I'm heading back Friday - Monday, but they are calling for over 2" of rain for Friday...UGH.

Re: Lack of deer sightings [Re: Erathkid] #7366789 12/04/18 06:48 PM
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Seeing plenty of deer still fortunately. I've been hunting every weekend since opening weekend.

I did notice the weekend - the deer around my property (in NE Coleman County) are coming out later than usual. They also seem to be going straight to the corn under the feeder rather than spending time in the food plots.

Almost thought we were "skunked" on Saturday evening - then they showed up with a little less than 15 minutes before shooting time ends. Same with Sunday morning. Had a bunch show up after 8am on both Saturday and Sunday mornings. Usually they are loitering around the feeder or food plot well before then.

Re: Lack of deer sightings [Re: Erathkid] #7367255 12/05/18 02:30 AM
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Glad I’m not the only one. I went from seeing 20-40 deer per hunt to 5-10 in short bursts. The deer used to run to the feeder when they went off. Now they won’t go to them until after dark. Had my feeders turned down to 2 seconds before the corn stopped piling up and ruining. Worst year since our first on the place 11 years ago.

NE Mills County.


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Re: Lack of deer sightings [Re: Erathkid] #7367720 12/05/18 04:47 PM
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Our deer per sit is way down compared to previous years. Now I can still up into the 20's if I corn the road in my area which spans about 500 yards of visibility. But just using the feeders it is not that way. Most of the issues is from the amount of hogs that have moved into the area and pushed a lot of the deer out and then there is the timely rains we have had with the lack of a really hard freeze as well.

Re: Lack of deer sightings [Re: Erathkid] #7368056 12/05/18 11:31 PM
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Not seeing a lot of deer, but the young bucks and does are pretty much locals that seem to hang out because they know where the feed is.
Did see a mature buck last weekend, but it was way too early to even see points. It was a big deer, had horns but too early to shoot.....He didn't hang around long at all.



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Re: Lack of deer sightings [Re: Erathkid] #7368492 12/06/18 02:09 PM
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My dry spell has been broken. Had 4 doe come out and eat for a few, then left.


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Re: Lack of deer sightings [Re: Erathkid] #7368505 12/06/18 02:24 PM
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Good. I played hooky on Tuesday. And went to top off feeders. Maybe they will start coming around more.

Re: Lack of deer sightings [Re: Erathkid] #7368634 12/06/18 04:10 PM
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Re: Lack of deer sightings [Re: Erathkid] #7369006 12/06/18 09:51 PM
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The lease we are on just South of Graham near PK, has been pretty rough this yr. Nothing much other than a couple forks on the cams even at night.
I recently got a wireless trail cam and every time pictures come in, I get excited like it is like Christmas morning.... BUT still mostly hogs, racoons and those darn forks.
A couple guys on the other side of the property are seeing some decent bucks but it sounds like mostly at night.

Toughest yr for most of us for some reason. I am hoping to spend several days out there next week and maybe a bruiser that has been hiding from our cams will walk out smile
However we are seeing huge amounts of hogs

Re: Lack of deer sightings [Re: Erathkid] #7369778 12/07/18 05:56 PM
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Unfortunately, the flooding rains expected this weekend will likely set a lot of hunters back when they are just beginning to recover from that last flooding event.

I expect my ground blind to soon have a fourth high water mark inside it.


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Re: Lack of deer sightings [Re: Erathkid] #7370621 12/08/18 03:21 PM
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Good luck, Dan. This ongoing rain has got everything jacked up.


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