Last year I think my son and I set together probably 5 times at our 80 acre lease and saw deer each time, usually the 2-3 does or spike that hit the feeder on a regular basis. A buck he wanted to shoot came out once during rifle season, but only stayed for a few seconds before slowing walking directly away from us, not giving us an ethical shot.

Our previous 160 acre lease we saw a deer once every 3rd or 4th sit, hence why we left that place.


Do you guys see deer each sit and how many on average?

I want to say this exact thread with this exact question was asked by someone about a year ago. That said, where I hunt in TX, I see deer almost every sit. Occasionally I don't see any. Where I hunt in OK, it is more common to not see any deer in a particular sit, but that is more a case of poor patterning. When I get their pattern correct, I rarely see just one or two. It is much more common to see a dozen in one sit.

If I didn't, I'd move to a different lease/spot/etc...I don't have to kill every time I go but if I'm not seeing deer, it feels like a giant waste of time where I could be doing 10,000 other things that I should be doing. Not sure why I'm like that but I just am...

I grew up hunting family land in a high pressure county, it was good year if you saw more than about 3-4 deer throughout the season. Left in the 90's and hunted lease for about 15yrs. Now back on the family land and see deer like crazy. Last opening evening of bow season I had 17 bucks in front of me at one time. Amazing how the herd recovers when hunting pressure wanes. It doesn't hurt that I brought back a lot of what I learned on those leases, and started investing the cost of the lease fees into the land each year, which also helped tremendously.

Now, if I don't see at least 3-4 deer per hunt it's because something is off.

80% of the time I see deer.

Most everyone is “like that” I would say.
In the last 40 years I can’t remember hunting without seeing any deer. I would guess usually 10 to 20. Our blinds are setup to see a little extra country if at all possible. We also have feeders, corn roads, food plots and a 80 ac wheat field.

On the home place I’ll usually see 5-15 deer.

I don’t know if I had a hunt where I never saw a deer. Maybe one time in bow season.

When I hunted east Texas in the late 90’s ( Walker County ) seeing a deer was an event.

yes

Last year, I hunted for right at two weeks straight and never had a sit where I didn't see deer.

My last lease I was on for ten years you saw deer most hunts. I just got a place to hunt this year last minute. I set a feeder with a pen in the corner of a nice looking field. Put a cell camera out two weeks ago and I only have pics of racoons. Got to love East Texas.

We generally always see deer. Like others I like to see deer, doesn’t have to be a heard even just one is fine I seem to be more at ease when I e gone some to watch.

Yes, every day in fact. Just came in from the back porch, was watching about a dozen at the house feeder.

I have my own 133 heavily treed acre place in Montague County. We used to have deer running in herds. Then the 4 year drought hit us hard. I have a mobile home with a feeder about 100 yards away where I plant wheat(when it rains). That stopped 5 years ago. We used to sit in the kitchen and watch deer come to corn feeder. Now seldom.

No idea how long it will take for the deer to really repopulate.

I hunt public land in Arkansas and Oklahoma. I do not see deer on every hunt. Honestly, probably 40% of my hunts I don’t see deer. I am OK with that, as that’s how it’s been pretty much my entire hunting career here. I still manage to put two or three in the freezer every year and have a few nice ones on the wall. Just makes it that much more challenging.

Always see deer on home place very lightly hunted and neighbors don't lease or hunt,no feeder just wheat fields close by, Sit behind post oak and wait ,better if acorns are falling,

Yes.

Public Land: NO

Lease : There are a few times each year WE see no deer during a hunt. Mostly early season when the Acorns are still dropping. Thy loose interest in the corn until the acorns are gone.

Edwards Plateau / western hill country ... damn near impossible not to see a deer on a sit if you're feeding.

with Judd on this one,

Yepper. Every time.

I’m in East Tx, where there are no deer. I see deer 80-90% of the time. Sometimes 8-10, sometimes 2-3. I’ve had leases or hunted in almost every ecoregion of the state. The hunting out here is definitely not for everyone but it’s home and my favorite area to hunt. Only other area that I’ve enjoyed as much would be the panhandle. It may be a result of watching those deer lounge VHS tapes as a kid, love seeing and hearing deer come through big woods. And as far as everyone else is concerned, there are no big bucks killed out here, ever. Don’t waste your time.

If I wanted to see deer every time I hunted I could. If I want to shoot the bucks I want to shoot there’s a higher chance I’m not seeing any deer til that buck makes his move

Rarely get blanked

Yes, but that is because I choose to hunt where I know there are deer.
You can mess up a place by not giving the animals room to do animal things, and you by doing a lot of human things.
Also deer sometimes just hunker down and not move around especially if they have plenty of food available like acorns.
Deer will totally ignore a corn feeder when the acorns start dropping. They prefer steak over candy.

No feeders but I would say I see deer every three out of four hunts. Two weeks ago when we had that cool snap, I watched 12 during a late afternoon/evening hog hunt. I should add that whenever we intend to hunt hogs or deer, we always park just inside the gate and walk several hundred yards to our stands. East Texas. Once deer season opens or when hunting hogs, the ATV stays parked until there is meat on the ground.