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Re: How was Your Deer Season??????
[Re: Plainview]
#7720794
01/17/20 05:29 PM
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 474
JDP Ranch
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 474 |
If it makes anyone feel any better, I had felt this season was pretty crappy for deer sightings. My father still took a nice buck and our guests got 4 does, but we didn't seem to have the volume of deer hitting the feeders/food plots as we had experienced the previous year. We had some game cam pics last season with 15+ deer crowded around a feeder. This season I don't think we had more than 7 on any single cam pic. My father and I were wondering if the population had dropped or moved onto another area... or if our neighbors had over-harvested.
I went out last weekend and spent 5 hours in the blind Friday evening with my thermal to see what activity looked like after dark. I was shocked.
Turns out the deer simply weren't hitting the feeders. I counted 18 deer in one of our food plots. Couldn't believe my eyes. Looking at the game cam pics of the nearby feeder - it appeared only three deer had shown up when really there were 15 more in the field outside of the field of view of the game cam.
Seems like corn was not their food of choice this season. Simply comparing game cam pics and field sightings from the 2018 season vs 2019 season - it appeared to be a slow season. Reality is the deer just didn't go after the corn like they did last season.
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Re: How was Your Deer Season??????
[Re: Plainview]
#7721144
01/17/20 11:43 PM
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 25,138
Creekrunner
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 25,138 |
Fun 1st season learning a new ranch; 'happier'n a pig in slop. Just finished our "doe smack", taking 11 mouths (and future mouths) off the place with the help of two good friends on here, plus one buddy that's, for all practical purposes, another brother of mine. One of them made a helluva a spot..."my" 10 point came "home" the hard way: Who knows what happened to him. 'Coulda been any number of things. But the Scottish blood in me will...from this day forward...always and forever...blame the Cajuns nextdoor. (He was maybe 300 yards from the common fence with them.)
...and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Gen. 1:28
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Re: How was Your Deer Season??????
[Re: Plainview]
#7721202
01/18/20 12:31 AM
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 12,220
Grizz
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 12,220 |
We had a good year in NW Jack County. We saw deer all season and killed a few. We killed a few hogs, but we didn't see a fraction of what we did last year.
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Re: How was Your Deer Season??????
[Re: Creekrunner]
#7721353
01/18/20 03:09 AM
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296
stxranchman
Obie Juan Kenobi
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Obie Juan Kenobi
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296 |
Fun 1st season learning a new ranch; 'happier'n a pig in slop. Just finished our "doe smack", taking 11 mouths (and future mouths) off the place with the help of two good friends on here, plus one buddy that's, for all practical purposes, another brother of mine. One of them made a helluva a spot..."my" 10 point came "home" the hard way: Who knows what happened to him. 'Coulda been any number of things. But the Scottish blood in me will...from this day forward...always and forever...blame the Cajuns nextdoor. (He was maybe 300 yards from the common fence with them.) Hey I think I might recognize that guys boots in the photo.....
Are idiots multiplying faster than normal people?
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Re: How was Your Deer Season??????
[Re: Plainview]
#7721357
01/18/20 03:12 AM
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296
stxranchman
Obie Juan Kenobi
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Obie Juan Kenobi
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296 |
I just finished a great season in my books...took my best mule deer ever, a good whitetail off my place and top it all off I got to hunt a lot with good friends. The whole year from first of Jan 2019 till end of Dec 2019 was probably one of my best hunting season ever.
Are idiots multiplying faster than normal people?
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Re: How was Your Deer Season??????
[Re: Plainview]
#7721381
01/18/20 03:58 AM
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Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 15,605
603Country
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 15,605 |
It was a good season here early (Limestone County). I filled the freezer with doe, and the grandson got a nice buck. Like a lot of you guys, the deer just quit showing up late in the season. It sure wasn’t because we shot em all. I saw a bunch of nice bucks before the season and early in the season, and could have killed a couple, but I let them pass. Later I wondered if somebody else had shot them, but my neighbor told me yesterday that he had just seen 3 big well-antlered bucks heading into the back of my place. So I guess they just hid and ate acorns, and now I still have my herd breeding bucks, and that makes me happy. I hope one of them was the really nice 8 point I passed on several times. He’s a beautiful buck.
Not my monkeys, not my circus...
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Re: How was Your Deer Season??????
[Re: Plainview]
#7721395
01/18/20 04:25 AM
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 364
Buccaneer
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 364 |
Best season ever! My son and my brother and I all got nice bucks on our lease - the first year for us all to get one. Can't beat that! Oh and I also got my PB and did it with a crossbow, so there's that too And with the sightings and pics we got this year of bucks that lived through season, next year should be even much mo' bettah!!
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Re: How was Your Deer Season??????
[Re: Plainview]
#7721436
01/18/20 07:20 AM
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 17,712
Txduckman
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 17,712 |
Worst for bucks. No one on ours or 3 leases next to us killed one. I saw two shooters but no shots. Action was very early. I setup a video cam on scrapes and the bucks I saw never went to a feeder so would had to change setups. We got some doe though and will be out there tomorrow for youth weekend.
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Re: How was Your Deer Season??????
[Re: Creekrunner]
#7721803
01/18/20 08:58 PM
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Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 6,043
Wilhunt
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 6,043 |
Fun 1st season learning a new ranch; 'happier'n a pig in slop. Just finished our "doe smack", taking 11 mouths (and future mouths) off the place with the help of two good friends on here, plus one buddy that's, for all practical purposes, another brother of mine. One of them made a helluva a spot..."my" 10 point came "home" the hard way: Who knows what happened to him. 'Coulda been any number of things. But the Scottish blood in me will...from this day forward...always and forever...blame the Cajuns nextdoor. (He was maybe 300 yards from the common fence with them.) And that is a good looking ten.
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Re: How was Your Deer Season??????
[Re: Plainview]
#7721859
01/18/20 10:30 PM
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Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 3,261
Sniper.270
Veteran Tracker
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Veteran Tracker
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 3,261 |
Tough in Wood County. I have not seen a buck except on camera. I have 3 doe I have seen numerous times, but just hate to take one. See so few as it is. Started to try to take one yesterday with the muzzle, but just didn’t. Got two decent spikes on camera I hope to see this evening or tomorrow.
Proverbs 2
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Re: How was Your Deer Season??????
[Re: Plainview]
#7721880
01/18/20 11:16 PM
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Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 3,146
breadman
Veteran Tracker
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Veteran Tracker
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 3,146 |
real good
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Re: How was Your Deer Season??????
[Re: Plainview]
#7723211
01/20/20 03:11 PM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 238
brushbuck
Woodsman
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Woodsman
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 238 |
Hard hunting season in San Saba county. Abundant acorns and warm weather lowered the deer and hog sightings, so that meant you had to put allot of hours in the stand to get your animals. All of our hunters eventually got want they wanted, but you just had to work harder at it this year.
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Re: How was Your Deer Season??????
[Re: Plainview]
#7723626
01/20/20 08:57 PM
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Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 3,412
ZK-315
Veteran Tracker
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Veteran Tracker
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 3,412 |
I guess I'll say my season was slow. I hunt with PMK (dad) in freestone county. Had a good doe/fawn showing, all the way up until the rut. We left the does alone since we still had A LOT of fawns still nursing in early season. Only had a couple of mature bucks on cam, but never got to put a scope on one. Shot a couple of pigs and a coyote. I took my 3 Y.O. boy with me once, to which we had a younger 10 point get hung up in the fence. I took my boy with me down to the fence, and looked the deer over, thinking even though his hind leg was cut pretty good, he should probably make it....until i turned him loose and realized his leg was broke. I sure hate shooting younger bucks, but he would have been coyote meat, so i popped him right there in front of my boy. It was a really positive outcome though, because I taught my 3 year old a pretty good lesson about everything that had just happened. He soaked it all in and it was a good learning experience for him. He loved every bit of it. Will be getting back out more before the end of February, so we still have a little over a month left.
Last edited by ZK-315; 01/20/20 09:01 PM.
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Re: How was Your Deer Season??????
[Re: ZK-315]
#7723637
01/20/20 09:05 PM
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Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 10,404
DQ Kid
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 10,404 |
I guess I'll say my season was slow. I hunt with PMK (dad) in freestone county. Had a good doe/fawn showing, all the way up until the rut. We left the does alone since we still had A LOT of fawns still nursing in early season. Only had a couple of mature bucks on cam, but never got to put a scope on one. Shot a couple of pigs and a coyote. I took my 3 Y.O. boy with me once, to which we had a younger 10 point get hung up in the fence. I took my boy with me down to the fence, and looked the deer over, thinking even though his hind leg was cut pretty good, he should probably make it....until i turned him loose and realized his leg was broke. I sure hate shooting younger bucks, but he would have been coyote meat, so i popped him right there in front of my boy. It was a really positive outcome though, because I taught my 3 year old a pretty good lesson about everything that had just happened. He soaked it all in and it was a good learning experience for him. He loved every bit of it. Will be getting back out more before the end of February, so we still have a little over a month left. Out of curiosity, how old do you estimate this buck, is it the young 10 that got hung up, to be?
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Re: How was Your Deer Season??????
[Re: Plainview]
#7723675
01/20/20 09:40 PM
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Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 3,412
ZK-315
Veteran Tracker
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Veteran Tracker
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 3,412 |
Yup. This was the one that got hung up. We aged him at 3.5.
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Re: How was Your Deer Season??????
[Re: Plainview]
#7723714
01/20/20 10:24 PM
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Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 14,021
Hudbone
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 14,021 |
Still going on, but pretty good so far. No one has been hurt, a lot of humbling experiences, some friendships made stronger and some beautiful moments of heaven on earth. Only two more does to go and then it's time to make sausage. The circle will become complete soon.
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Re: How was Your Deer Season??????
[Re: JDP Ranch]
#7723720
01/20/20 10:27 PM
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,477
hawk
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,477 |
Good in regards to filling the freezer! No giant bucks. Did shoot a respectable 9 pt. Tom Green/Sterling Counties.
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Re: How was Your Deer Season??????
[Re: Plainview]
#7723801
01/21/20 12:11 AM
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Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 5,872
GLC
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 5,872 |
We saw a ton of deer early. Mid November till the end of season they went nocturnal. We waited too late and only took a couple of does. Hope next year is different.
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Re: How was Your Deer Season??????
[Re: Plainview]
#7723807
01/21/20 12:17 AM
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 6,284
scalebuster
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 6,284 |
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Re: How was Your Deer Season??????
[Re: Plainview]
#7723827
01/21/20 12:48 AM
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Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 1,225
QMC SW/EXW
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 1,225 |
Can't complain. I teach HS and dont have much tiime to hunt, I took a cull mulie that provided the burger I need for the year. It was a free deer so that is always good.
Retired Navy Chief NJROTC Instructor for Tascosa High School
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Re: How was Your Deer Season??????
[Re: QMC SW/EXW]
#7723831
01/21/20 12:52 AM
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 6,284
scalebuster
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 6,284 |
Can't complain. I teach HS and dont have much tiime to hunt, I took a cull mulie that provided the burger I need for the year. It was a free deer so that is always good. I thought high school teachers would have plenty of time to hunt. Teachers aren’t on call much are they.
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Re: How was Your Deer Season??????
[Re: Plainview]
#7724016
01/21/20 05:04 AM
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 735
Caviel
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 735 |
Hunted in November during the big cold front and shot my biggest deer ever!
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Re: How was Your Deer Season??????
[Re: Plainview]
#7724579
01/21/20 10:38 PM
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Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 147
Klinker
Woodsman
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Woodsman
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 147 |
San Saba County outside of Richland Springs - very odd/off year for me. Number of deer sighted during hunts down probably 75%...got downright excited just to see a doe every 3rd hunt. Almost zero interest in feeders all season - had to turn down all feeders after the first week due to uneaten corn on the ground.
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Re: How was Your Deer Season??????
[Re: scalebuster]
#7725541
01/22/20 07:57 PM
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Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 1,225
QMC SW/EXW
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 1,225 |
Can't complain. I teach HS and dont have much tiime to hunt, I took a cull mulie that provided the burger I need for the year. It was a free deer so that is always good. I thought high school teachers would have plenty of time to hunt. Teachers aren’t on call much are they. I teach JROTC and work more than half the saturdays. That cuts into the hunting time.
Retired Navy Chief NJROTC Instructor for Tascosa High School
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