Over the past 3 weeks - especially over the past 2 weeks - the daytime (morning & evening) activity at my feeders/cameras has gone to nearly zero...especially for mature bucks. I hunt in San Saba County and we typically have a Mid-Novemeber rut. Would you say this lack of activity is "normal" as mature bucks start feeling the urge?

I ask because this is the first year I have had cameras and have been surprised at the sudden change in activity at the feeders. Last year was real tough due to the acorn crop and wondering if this is a sign of another acornapolooza.

Other food source, pigs moved in or the rutting urge is picking up. If the does are gone as well I’d say option 1 or 2 is likely the cause.

When we bought our place it was shot out. We went 3 years with zero deer harvest on the third year we shot 2 does.

The deer were nearly domestic at that point. You could shoot a hog on one side of the feeder and the deer on the other side would look at the flopping hog and keep eating. You could shoot a deer and the other deer would look at the flopping deer for a minute and keep eating. Mature bucks were regulars at the feeder all day long all year long.

Fast forward several years with regular harvest and hunting pressure and the deer act nothing like what they did before.

My deer chose up sides and left for a couple of weeks, but in East Texas we do not get the feeder traffic like other parts of the state. Day or so back, does and few bucks started showing back up at night. A few does in the mornings too.

Not sure it its acorns, moon phase, hogs or what.

With deer ya never know.

I call it the October lull happens every year. Completely normal on our place.

Does and small young bucks still regular, mature bucks have gone into their Oct prep pattern where I am.
See one or two making a weekly stop for a bite late at night but no more twice daily meals.
Next real appearances will be driven cooler weather and/or that smell around here.

If your not seeing bucks at feeders then stop hunting the feeders. Throw some hand corn in strategic locations and start hunting trails or whatever food source they are using

The bachelor groups break up and the bucks start traveling from doe group to doe group. Some mature bucks get aggressive and don’t tolerate other mature bucks in their presence as they sort out who is dominate. Clearly subordinate bucks are paid little attention to. Some bucks will travel surprisingly long distances this time of year. It is common to have a new buck show up this time of year. The hunters who refer to the bucks that regularly ate their protein all summer as “their deer” often get pretty anxious this time of year...
Hunt the does.

The bachelor groups here broke up a couple of weeks ago now...they still traveling the routes just not together even though they show up that same feeders. They tolerate each other a little still but are starting to posture a bit more. Seen a couple of TC pics of bucks with busted tines already here. I always see a lot of traveling and new bucks the last week of October here....temps are better, sometimes it rains and generally closer to the rut makes them move more. Most of them do return in about 2-3 weeks for the rut...depending on the mature deer numbers at that time here each year.

Guys, thanks for the feedback!

In Hamilton county, we normally see our first rutt begin late October. Bucks get scarce disappear from November through mid December.

I got one small property where I had not seen a buck besides yearlings in almost a month. Last week I had five other bucks show up. On another large property I hunt we have plenty of bucks coming in but all the good ones are nocturnal, hopefully this cold front starts to change that.