Just wondering if anyone else deer have seem to have disappeared in the last week or so. Up until then my cameras have been pretty hot with deer movement daily morning and evening and now I have piles of corn under my feeders I hunt in Tyler county just south of Woodville. I’ve been out hunting all week and only seen a couple fawns and a coyote. Is anyone else seeing the same thing.

Same thing in Harrison County on the west side of Hallsville. The 8 to 10 that were coming to the backyard feeder is down to 1 or 2 a night and nothing in the daylight. I have driven the county road to where there are houses with lots of Oak trees and that is where all the deer have been. Talked to one of the homeowners and she said that there are deer in their yard almost every hour of the day and night right now. She says they have corn under their feeder that is piling up.

Same story here.

Lots of smaller bucks on the move, my mature bucks have disappeared. Does and small bucks on cameras all night long.

Does still coming into food plots and hand broadcast corn. Mature bucks possibly in Lock Down mode with mature Does, don't know. Just know they suddenly disappeared.

Happens every season since I began hunting in East Texas more than 30 years ago. After the first week or two of the season, hunters claim the deer have up and disappeared. The deer are still there but have quickly adapted to hunting pressure. If you don't get a buck by mid to late November when the rut has winded down, your chances have dropped dramatically based on what the experts will tell you. According to them, 90% of the harvest during any given season will occur during the first two weeks of the season or before the deer have reacted to hunting pressure. My suggestion is to hunt during the middle of the week if you can and keep it quiet. Mid-December can also be productive when any does not bred during the initial rut come back into estrus again.

The buck below entered a food plot that I had "sweetened" with corn at the end of a Wednesday morning hunt a few days before Christmas. I made it a point to scatter a good bit of corn widely so it would take deer longer to find and consume it and purposely did not return for an evening hunt. I hunted the next morning (Thursday) and the buck came walking into the food plot around 10am with a doe. The walk from my truck to the foot plot was about 1/4 mile.

IMO, when you stop seeing deer it's time to give them a break and come back days or even a week later, being careful to slip in with minimal noise. This includes closing vehicle doors quietly. You might be surprised what noise you create becomes a warning signal to a wary buck.

My comments are not meant to brag or boast but to say if you're willing to be patient and do what others won't, you can kill deer well after they've given up.

It’s usually not like that here, there’s really not much hunting pressure around me. All the land around me is privately owned mostly by kids or grandkids of older folks that has passed away and does nothing with the property at all. Now Out on our lease in Jasper county which is a timber company lease and surrounded by other leases that is something we see every year, the only thing that helps at the lease is that we are MLD so we can rifle hunt at the start of bow season which gives us a early jump before they adapt to the pressure.

That's all the more reason to keep it quiet. It means the deer in your area have a very low threshold for tolerating hunter pressure. Or, another way to look at it, they can detect when you're in the area much easier than if there are other hunters on neighboring properties. Simply put, if you're the only one slamming truck doors or riding an ATV, you're the only one they need worry about.

They look at the calendar and go hide for while. Unfortunately the hiding place is across the road and they get hit.

Very true. We’ll see what the next week brings. I won’t be able to go back until Thanksgiving due to work duties.

Could be due to the fact that the first weekend in November is usually the 8th weekend of hunting season in East Texas.

November marks the beginning of the 'Cool Months' season (Nov-Apr.), then they go back to the 'Warm Months' season (May-Oct).

Just got back today from my place in Houston County and it's pretty much how you guys described it. All my shooter bucks have disappeared and most of the activity is at night if at all. Corn piling up. Going back after Thanksgiving weekend. In three days, I only heard three shots although one was very close at 11:00 AM in the National Forest and sounded like a hit.

I've heard the shots of duck hunters far more often than deer hunters the past week in Houston County.

The problem may be the area you're hunting. For me ...I can't wait until Thanksgiving week. I see more and bigger bucks. I don't necessarily know why but if they are not eating corn I would guess they are too busy in the rut. I would get my area ready for a rut before Thanksgiving week. Don't hold back...go full blast. If you are just feeding corn it is just not enough. Yes, you might see a few young bucks and some does...but that may not be what you're hunting for. I would treat my area every other day if I can. The bigger bucks I see may only nibble on some corn then move on to hunt for does in the rut....some times just walk over the corn trailing does.

That's my two cents for what it is worth.

GOOD LUCK!!

Texas Dan—what area are you hunting? I have a buck that looks almost exactly like the beautiful buck you posted
I’m in Freestone Cnty

Thanks.

Houston County

I tagged out this morning for the year in Freestone Co. 2 weeks, 2 trips from Ft. Worth, 4 days hunting. I haven’t taken deer in about 12 years. I’m pleased to say the least. Pork from here on, until it gets too darn hot.