I’ve owned my little 133 acre place South of Bowie for 38 years. Deer have always been more than plentiful and in good shape.

Not so this year. I and 2 Grandsons have hunted quite a bit and seen very little. Very few shots heard and a long way away. No acorns this year. And yet, I stopped by a new deer processing/taxidermy place just down 287. He has taken in so many that he can’t take any more.

I did see a couple of huge bodied bucks with tall antlers that weren’t wide enough to be legal.

This ain’t good.

have you had cameras out before and during the season to see what activity is like when you are not there?

Dave, about the same here except a few oaks have smaller than normal acorns. 1st of season was a tad warm, finally got some rain and plants responded pretty quick as well.

Haven't heard much shooting, but consistent with the last few years around here, more homes and less ground possibly.

TLK, no. We start cams about 2 weeks prior to bow season. Seeing deer and pigs prior to season and some at all times. But, none of 4 hunters has seen anything worth shooting. But, certainly healthy bodies.

I just posted on the open section, I am just north of you in Jefferson County, Oklahoma

Man it sucks up there this year

I passed a 19'-20" 8 point twice...and he is about all ive got...

Scrubs and doe, thats it...where'd they go?

This is family land, my 16th year to hunt it and is by far the worst year ever

Due to drought, I have no acorns. I expected them to be hitting corn hard.

I'm in Caldwell county near Luling, allways see lots of game in general, deer at the feeder before it goes off. this year corn is piling up under my feeder. I have Spy Point cameras and Im only seeing movement in the middle of the night, though last few days of cooler weather is changing that, I hope.

Dave it’s hard to tell why you’re not seeing what you’re use to. Between Azle to Jacksboro I have never seen so many deer along Highway 199.

Dave

Any newly planted winter wheat fields around you? If so with the rain they may have popped and have them nocturnal. That or your neighbors still have protein out and that will do the same thing. Other than that I hope it’s not poachers at night that have them locked down. Nothing like scumbag pressure to mess a place up

Good luck

If your neighbors have wheat growing or food plots that is where your deer are. The deer were cleaning up everything at my corn feeders until my food plots started growing. Now they spend very time at the feeders but are always in my food plots. They are also hitting my neighbors wheat fields now that they started growing.

No wheat patches in the area. I’ll do a couple next year. But, I figure the hogs will do a number on them.