Prior to the season opening, I had doe at all the feeders, couldn’t find a buck, and the hogs had moved in. Here we are about a month into the season, and I have plenty of bucks, and they are at the feeders, which isn’t the norm here. The doe have completely disappeared, as have the hogs. I’m thinking the doe and hogs are eating acorns, and the bucks are in the rut and looking for doe at the feeders. Or, maybe they found the doe and are eating to build their strength. Every season seems different, but I remember that the doe all disappeared about this time last season, which ruined my plans for a doe for the freezer.

What are you guys seeing, or not seeing?

This month I’ve only seen 1 doe at the feeders, numerous bucks of various size and quality. Going back Saturday for the wife to get her buck.

Does are not showing up at feeders due to being harassed by the bucks.

This is the time of year in East Texas when hunters often make the claim the deer have disappeared. It doesn't take them long to catch on that folks are after them as evidenced by the fact that 90% of the harvest for any given season happens during the first two weeks. Those running feeders report their cameras are showing them moving more at night, and the more mature bucks that had been chasing does during daylight are going back to their nocturnal ways. As normal browse becomes less available with each killing frost and food plot activity picks up in the coming weeks, my experience has always been that "sweetening" your plots by scattering corn and giving them a rest the afternoon before a morning hunt can be very effective. Hunting on Wednesdays and Thursdays helps even more.

Full rut here. Doe's ran off the fawns and they don't last long at the feed pen before being chased off by the bucks. I counted 14 bucks yesterday morning.

That bottom one is a big boy!! That's a fat neck!!

JR

Have been out nine times the past two weekends. Hunting down south has been slower than usual. The heat and the moon have not helped. Have seen two mature bucks on the hoof. Those nine hunts have "produced" all of nine does and but one fawn. Of those nine doe sightings, three were in the same group and seen twice but, on different days and defintely the same group of three, That means 6 does. Used to see six does or more in a single sitting.. Cannot wait for the 1st Dcember cold front.

We're up by the Red River, northwest of Moss Lake. Our deer have completely disappeared the past few weeks...no pics on trails, feeders, nothing. A few pics at night but my buddy sat all day yesterday and saw nothing.

I'm hoping this colder weather will get something moving again, in daylight.

There are enough acorns, a deer can lay in bed, and get a full meal.

Different all over the state. Home place is in a pretty bad drought been bad dry zero acorns on my oaks this year. Last Saturday morning I had two 9’s two 8’s and a six and 4 pt along with 8 does in back yard. The does were only interested in corn and the two bigger bucks spent quite a while posturing and strutting across the fence from each other like two bulls.

Texas Dan suggests that the reason the doe are hiding is due to hunting pressure, but there’s no pressure on my place. They disappeared before I found that one doe at a distant new feeder location, and fired that one shot.

But, no sooner do I say that the doe are gone (and for 2 weeks, they have been) that they show up. Had doe at all feeders last night. No daylight pics though. Maybe they are back to stay.

Now I need a mid sized hog, but they disappeared too.

If deer are pounding your feeders, and they suddenly go away, it's due to an alternate feed source becoming available. I'm willing to bet there are some nearby grain fields that have started popping with the recent rains. 603.

x2 at home in east texas and Hamilton co. also.

This is what's happening where I hunt. Happens every year. The does are hiding and the bucks are searching for love and hitting the feeders for carbs.

We havent had much change yet...

We did have a lot of hogs over the summer months.. but they thinned out pretty well by October and we only occasionally see a single pig now.. havent seen a sounder in probably 2 full months..

We've had lots of doe and only a handful of bucks all year... and only 1 true "trophy" grade buck.. all the rest are pretty paltry.. the bucks are still almost exclusively nocturnal feeder visitors.. I did have 1 scraggly spike step out in the late morning 2 weeks ago (took him).. but he's the only buck we've seen during daylight..

The doe come to feed at all times of day and night.. I took one this past saturday mid morning, my wife took one saturday late afternoon.. both feeders were "quiet" that night.. but by Sunday morning the doe were coming and going all day and night again..

All of that said, the rut has started where we hunt (Cass County).. we've caught one little forky buck mounting a doe on camera at our place, and are now starting to see bucks come to the feeders at the same time the doe are (at night only though).. until about 10 days ago you'd never see them together at the same place at the same time..

Where I hunt in Southern OK it is "starting" to get back to normal, somewhat. Doe are not as consistent but they are statrting to return to feeders or food plots. We still see less pics but I think it is because the plots are up and producing and they are eating more of that. Corn is piled up pretty good on a couple of feeders.

Bucks still chasing the doe though, selectively. They seem to know which one is hot or not and will go after those only.

I did shoot a fat doe at last light last evening. She was a bully, running other doe and fawns off the feeder and since I had no bucks come in, I took her at end of legal time.

I watched deer for 2:15 hrs sunday evening, and only got 7 pics on the camera. All the action was away from the camera and feeders. Had an incredible buck come in and almost presented me a shot (bow) and made me really wish I had spent the extra 500 for a rifle license. No pics allowed, hunting lodge rules. You will all just have to imagine

Every season is different, for sure.

I've hunted for the last week and a half on my ranchito in the panhandle and like last year, I haven't been skunked yet... I've seen deer every sit. My son and I have both taken nice bucks, and I took a 2-year old doe last night. My first observation is that the herd is healthy. All three deer I've processed have had impeccable stores of fat. I also think my deer numbers are up a bit, and that doesn't suck.

603, I think it’s the hunting Gods just screwing with us. I saw 12 doe opening day and didnt shoot bc it was too hot and here in East texas they extended doe days to a full month so I’d have plenty of time, right? Nope, The doe disappeared and here I am with 3 days left and no meat in the freezer. Between the rut, dogs, acorns, me letting my feeders go empty, and work schedule looks like I may be eating fish the rest of the year. Usually shoot my doe during muzzleloader in January anyway but I’m scheduled to work those 2 weeks. Been one of those seasons.

Rut is winding down in my area ( south of Junction ) bucks are still sniffing here and there but I think it peaked about a week or so ago. Lots of does at the feeder and mature bucks are happy to be eating.

I’ve been seeing more bucks than I have the last two years but the ratio is a tad skewed. Gonna let my oldest son take a buck but unless I just have a slam dunk opportunity at my target buck ( my younger boy saw him last night at a feeder) I’m not gonna shoot one, just gonna work on doe numbers. Got another one yesterday morning and will probably take another one or two.

Been weird here also no deer at the feeders because of all the acorns. I've had feeders off for almost 2 weeks. Corn was piling up inches deep.
Haven't seen much rutting action, little bucks sniffing that's all.
Cold front coming tonight might change things.
A little over a week left for Oklahoma rifle season.

Only been able to hunt twice and have seen nothing. A couple of bow hunting kids each got dang good wall hanger bucks off my place prior to rifle season.

Yep. Just a few days has made a difference.

Just does at the feeders about 8PM 2 nites in a row. Yotes howled pretty good the first nite but stayed in the bushes.