Anyone hunt in Rusk County near Henderson. I've been hunting there 20 years on family property and each year it is very different. Last year, hogs only at night. Does would sometimes come to the feeders between 9am-10am and bucks only in the dark. I live in Atlanta Ga but hunt in Henderson opening weekend, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I've killed some nice bucks over my time hunting but normally it's Christmas time on very cold days when they are traveling alone across 2 of my three fields. Tried food plots for two years in a row but didn't change any patterns. Just curious on your experiences if you hunt this part of Texas

Had to pass this one up two years ago due to the 13" inside spread rule.

I used to hunt out that way at a family friends place out between Troup and Henderson when my dad was between leases and while I was in college. I always felt the deer out there were just different. You could never really depend on the feeders, and there was never really one spot better than the other - it was just always kind of a gamble. But they were out there, no doubt.

I agree with you, they are just different. I've hunted in the thick woods, on a pipeline with feeder and another field with box blind/feeder. Every year is different as to what you might see. This year I put up a new blind on the edge of a field that I see deer in, late in the evenings. I've hunted this field many years now when coming out of the deep stuff only to see 6-10 deer in the field but nothing in the thick. They are there but I can go days without seeing anything.

Hunted out towards Minden for several years and killled some very nice bucks. I hunted deep in woods, find the scrape lines on ridges and the producing acorn trees. Later season around Thanksgiving week and first week of December on nice crisp mornings were best. Lots of browse and acorns so corn feeders didn't produce but helped keep does in the area. Ladder stands and climbers so I can easily make location shifts as necessary. Every year there are a couple of real bruisers taken in the area surrounding Henderson. I had a 170s on camera one day and hunted dawn to dusk all week and never had another pic. A week later I saw that buck at a processor and was told he was killed approx 8-10 miles from my hunting location. Lots and lots of woods and pastures in between. N E TX requires time on the hunt, patience and some good ol luck.

I hunt in Rusk County, we always have a couple of nice bucks but they are hard to see in daylight.

The east texas place I hunt is half way between Henderson and Carthage. Mostly just hog control for the owner, but I can shoot deer if I want. Probably been hunting it about 6 years now. Last year hogs were scarce. That was very unusual for the location. I suspected someone in the area must have been trapping them, but they have returned this year. They never really pattern on this place and can show up at my feeder at any time of day, but the closest thing to a pattern would be between midnight and 3am maybe. The entire 6 years I have hunted there have mirrored your observation on deer. Does almost always hit my feeder only in the late morning. Sometimes late night too, but most show during the late mornings. Seldom do I see any deer in the late afternoon/evening. Bucks almost only at night, but I am usually hunting a different lease during the same time there would have been a rut going on. Also my camper is also my stand, so I am often moving around during mid day. I use night vision walking the fields at night and use MURS sensors on the feeders to wake me up when the hogs show up at the camper. We kill a lot of them. If my purpose of that place was for deer hunting, it would be tough. I am sure my pet does would soon disappear if I started shooting them and mature bucks rare as hen's teeth. I have only shot one doe there in the last 6 years and it was during a muzzleloader season.

John - Agee with everything you have stated. Hogs missing last year during daylight hours and only after midnight.
I have a three-acre field with box blind and feeder, past few years it has been the spot to be but last year, I never saw a deer in the daylight come to that field but 800 yards away I have another blind and feeder where the deer were automatic in the mornings around 8:30am. Killed one doe and a pure 10" tall spike. The big boys live in a nocturnal world, and you can only get lucky on them during a really cold snap late in the evening looking for a late doe in heat.

I was there in August putting up a new blind and its as green as I have ever seen it. I'm going to guess the acorn crop this year is off the charts which makes hunting that much harder.

I bought some property in Marion county this spring. Had pictures of a nice 11 pt. and 8pt. in Late January along with some smaller bucks. Didn't see a single buck at the 2 feeders I put out until end of July. Been getting a few pictures of younger bucks in daylight hours but none with any size. Did get a picture of a drop tine buck passing through arojnd midnight first week of August but no pictures since. Does and fawns coming to feeders along with a single boar hog. Having additional mulching for lanes done now for upcoming season.

If you have creeks that have a rise or ridge that run parallel with the creek I suggest a ladder stand on the ridge…..white oaks if you have them is where I would set my stand.

I hunt in Lamar Co. Our best luck is always on travel routes between bedding and feeding areas. Feeders are of little use. Food plots may slow them down on narrow shooting lanes.

Hunted there as my first lease 25 years ago. Hard hunting. Feeders were useless but hand corn was OK. Hunted trails or pipelines.

I live outside Henderson in between Henderson and Carthage on Highway 79... I don't hunt any property around here, but I watch deer constantly off my front and back porch and on the back roads I travel in the evening time to just see what I can find. If you have ever walked the woods in this area you would know why you won't ever see a good buck at a feeder (or rarely). The natural food sources from the earth are in abundance. They have no reason to go to feeders.

I'm about 5 miles out of Henderson on 79 towards Jacksonville. Since I live in Atlanta and don't have enough time to prepare the place, I have areas on my property that are so thick that I can't get to them. I do try to hunt places on my property that are between bedding and feeding areas, but they cross so quickly it's difficult to get a shot when they cross and the 13" inside spread limit doesn't make it easy to judge them.

It is also ridiculous how many vehicles I see driving by my place in the evening around dusk that will slow down or stop just to check out my fields. Lots of poachers in the area.

I had a lease in East TX that I let go. Here are a few tips: I found the feeders worked better for hogs, than deer, because of the acorns. Most deer were seen early in the season, then later, many were seen mostly on camera, at night. It was important to be in a high use area, such as a trail, since the feeders did not pull in the deer. One surprise was seeing some deer movement between about 10 am to 2 pm. Good luck this season.