East Texas

How's ya'lls movement been? I couldnt pay deer to move in trinity county thanksgiving break like they had been previously. What have ya'll seen?

Hunt in Brownsboro...Henderson County.......hunted Friday morning through Sunday morning..............saw 17 deer total.....small bucks were still chasing

Im thinkin we havnt seen full rut here in leon co....seemed like they wanted to start but im thinkin the best is still to come

It slowed down a lot in last week

A whole lot. I figure they'll get moving again this week, though. If I can get all my bucks in a row, I'm gonna take off and find out.

I saw 14 does and one buck Sunday morning. They only move when it's below 35 in Nac county

Hopkins co. has been real slow all thanksgiving week. Wich is about parr considering i wanted to take a doe.

I have nocturnol deer at my place. Game cam tells thier running an never consistant. Shelby county in center. I have gone almost every weekend. Not a single kill.

Gregg County -

Moon getting fuller....it's not helping.

Two weeks ago there was more movement without the moon.

Overall Thanksgiving was a success for me. Didn't get a shot on the big buck, saw deer every hunt except 3 (one of those hunts was spoiled by trespassers).

Does are visiting scraps and bucks are coming to check them after dark.

I went Friday thru today (Wood Co.). Hunted each morning and each evening. Only saw one deer the entire time. A big doe Sunday morning that I couldn't get a clean shot at. The game warden stopped by as we were all loading up to go home and he said the deer hunting in the whole area had been ridiculously slow all season. He said he figured it was from all the warm weather and tons of acorns. I almost jokingly told him I figured it was antler restrictions and the extra unbranched antler tag.

Funny thing the area I am hunting is LOADED with acorns....I put out some corn and they eat it all within a day.

It really suprised us.

Houston Co. This past weekend was the first weekend I saw any. I had eight does walk past corn to graze on grass.

The buck are in full rut in north rusk county. Had a guy who hunts with me kill a mature 11pt 2 weeks ago and he stunk. Have seen bucks chasing does all day long over the last 2 weeks. Wife called in a nice 2.5 yo 8pt last monday and he was looking for a fight.

Im in cherokee county i was covered up first 2 weeks, i hunted from thanksgiving day until last night without seeing one deer! Seen quite a few on the drive home everyday around 11 thought that was kinda odd.

I was out all weekend in Leon county. Really slow compared to weekends one and two of rifle season. Saw tons of deer on weekend two, weekend three off, and Thanksgiving the deer were only moving the first and last 20 minutes of light. Still got my two slick heads ground checked on Friday morning though. Waiting to see the big guys, still haven't seen them since bow season.

I hunted all day Saturday in Harrison county without seeing a deer. In addition, I didn't even hear a shot. Same from a friend that was hunting in Smith County. Over Thanksgiving 4 days didn't see over 3 deer. Second week of November they were moving real well.

Hunting Delta county and while I seen deer every time I went out last week the movement was certainly slower. The warm weather an probably the big moon didn't help things. I hunted mostly from sun up to about 1 p.m. when it got pretty warm. The cooler mornings early last week and on Saturday were the best. But at least where I am hunting I seen more chasing going on back in mid to late October than I am seeing now. I seen 5 does and one buck Sunday morning and nothing was chasing the does. It isn't for a lack of bucks as I have seen plenty younger 4 points this year. I think we need some colder weather to get the deer moving during the daylight hours.

I should'nt do this, but I just can't help myself, all most every biologist and game warren I've talked to tell me the first breeding in east texas started around oct.26th. the 1st. breeding will always be done by the most mature bucks and while they are beded down with the doe is when you will see three and half and younger bucks chasing does then about 14 days latter the mature bucks or back looking but my then it's mostly at night. Over the years and hunting in over half the counties in east texas I have found this is pretty much the same every year. If you choose to disgree just go back look at what was killed this youth weekend and the years past, look at what get kills every year on the last week of oct.on M.L.D. land. Go to the meat lockers,and taxidermist shops and see what's been brought in on the last weekend of oct..Untill their horns fall off they will be looking.When other hunters call and ask me when do I think the best day to hunting I always tell them, everyday.

noticed on cam the older bucks are on the move after this last front blew through. Most of it is happening from midnight - 4am according to the cams. Younger ones are cruising, but they seem to really be concentrated from about 6p-10. I didn't see the first buck from the deer stands this weekend, but saw a ton of does. The does are already starting to group up, so bucks should be finishing up the ones that got left out of didn't take over the next week.

Had 4 of us hunting 5 miles North of Marshall (Harrison County) We hunted 3 days and only saw one spike. A doe and a yearling. End of October we had 6-8 active scrapes that we found. Hunted 2 weeks ago and not one scrape was active. Also checked all the scrapes this weekend and not one had been hit recently. Only heard a couple very distant shots. Hope it picks up. I shot a very nice 9 Pt last year on Dec 22nd!

I talked with a guy in Nacogdoches county, claims he has seen 27 different bucks this year already. Not all studs but bucks.

Hardin County is hit and miss some days you see deer the whole hunt next day you cant even see a squirrel

Friday & Saturday after Thanksgiving in Trinity county had a couple of nicer bucks that seemed like they were pretty well done with the rut, or at least the tail end of it. Tearing up the feeders & not paying much attention to a half dozen does except to run them off.

Before that, for a couple of weeks they were hardly around the feeders, so must have been locked down with does, chasing, etc.

The truth is, the season in east texas needs to open earlier,when the rut 1st. starts. When I asked the powers to be why not, their answer was, that to many mature bucks would get killed. I don't know about yall but I think that's poor answer.

After thinking about what you said I do notice the Youth Season produces some big bucks. They are always in the newspaper. The area I have been hunting had 4 scrapes in one trail at the first of season. 3 dried up. 1 was still being used. They picked up the second scrape again. So now they are hitting two.

But as of this week all I have gotten is does on cam. A couple bucks came through early last week at night. (Spike, small 13" and one biggun)

My last buck sighting was - 2:27am (11/24/12) doe passes by hitting scraps, 2:28 buck walks in view following her (not stopping at scrape she just hit). 2:29 she comes running back by in the opposite direction (assuming buck chased her back).

I really enjoy checking my game cam. I haven't ever used one, so all this new info has my head turning circles! LOL!

I wish more east texas hunters would except the fact that deer season in east texas needs to open earlier, and then get loud about it.It seems to me that everybody would want to start hunting earlier. The game cams. prove it year in and year out, the more mature bucks are more active in daylight in late oct.

Deer season is open usually Oct. 1st? I don't see the problem?

I started deer hunting with a bow. For years I only shot a hog.

I put the bow down for years, due to my tournament fishing season going into October. I plan on buying a new bow and getting back into it.

I have a couple new spots I want to try my hand with the bow on.

My main deal is the deer around Jefferson being so small and over crowded. I shot a 6.5 year old doe this year that I thought was a very young deer. Smaller than a button buck I shot (in another county). Every year the biologist says our deer are hurting and need thinning out. Well our doe season is only 3 weekends. It's hard to get your two does tagged out. I think as of second weekend our lease only had 2 does taken. No one was seeing anything. Believe me...they need the meat! (Blue collar hunting club). I told the biologist the season for does needs to be longer. It's defeating the purpose only having 3 weekends. (Most of us can't just take off a week to hunt)

The season starts the last weekend in September....that is early enough

It would be easier to kill them if it ran late. They seem to get dumber when they're rutted down, cold & starving.

I'm hunting in Angelina County just 8 miles or so south of Lufkin. I haven't seen a deer in person or on the camera since the opener of bow season. The folks who live on the place say they've seen a few but not at the feeder. It's like suddenly the grass is blue and the sky is green...what I thought I knew to be fact and true isn't turning out to be. ???

Upshur county was slow over thanksgiving

I'm all for rifle season opening up earlier. Bow hunters won't be affected anymore than they are the rest of the year. It seems to be working just fine for the MLD leases around us. Every year some kid shoots a monster on youth weekend. Then, in the past few years, general rifle opening weekend mature bucks are beeded down. South Texas was granted an additional 2 weeks to accomodate their later rut. Why can East Texas not be given a week to accomodate our earlier rut?

I remember when gas was 20 cents a gallon, and deer season was 2 weeks long,and illegal to shoot spikes, and you had to put your name and address on your arrow, all things change. I get tried of people complaning about A.R's. when it's the best thing that's happened for the deer heard in east texas,now the best thing for the east texas hunters is moving opening week-end to oct.

I think East Texas deer season needs to go later.....when it finally gets cold and stays cold. haha.

...and the acorns are gone or rotted out.

now we're getting somewhere!

pure genius

Acorns don't rot and it never gets cold and stays cold in east texas any more

Yea whatever. Thanks for raining on our parade.

There's one in every crowd.

I don't know where all the deer in Nacogdoches county came from that are being seen, but I have two leases in southern Nacogdoches county and saw my first deer last Saturday since the beginning of bow season.

Do any of you ever do any research about what your talking about are do you just agreeing with yourself. If acorns rotted where would all the young oaks come from? How ever the longer they stay on the ground they lose protein value,look it up. When was it below freezing for more than 5 days in east texas,look it up. And as for as one in ever crowd, you're right I'll be in the crowd that's sitting in the deer stand with my riffle in oct.Because it's comming,look it up.

wow.....apparently we were taken seriously.

Has been a weird year..I'm seeing deer, just not the normal handful of bucks every morning like usual.

Deer in Robertson county are huntin corn. Thursday night a six point was caught in a hog trap before 7:00pm. Turned him loose and closed the trap. Next morning he was saw him again 50 yards from the trap. Saturday morning Had an 8 point stuck in a different trap a mile away and turned him loose he must have got caught that night. They had to belly crawl to get in there. They are eating up the corn by the feeders. They start to move 10:30 am to 2:00 pm. Haven't seen any before 9:00 am. Then again at dark.

If acorns didn't rot, the hardwood market would be in good shape. They'll rot bc of freeze or water saturation... They need to get under debris or in the ground to be insulated away from water & temps to grow into trees.

lol

our feeders are gettin cleaned up pretty good as well

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Do_acorns_rot

Thank you, curly. Also every body can look up when was the last time it was below freezing in east texas for more than 5 days.

I thought it only took 3 days of freezing temps to sour acorns

can you not look up the freeze info? besides I never said anything about freezing temps I said put deer season later when the weather gets cold and stays cold. maybe I should have been more specific and said where the weather is more likely to get cooler and stay cooler. is that better?

He doent have to look it up. A know it all like DooDoo Whisperer should know without having to look it up.

Oh...and if you want to hunt in October...BUY A BOW.

ZAAAAAP!

I hunt in Anderson County and we actually had a pretty good Thanksgiving hunt. Between 7 hunters, we took 9 doe and 2 cull bucks. I saw 3 shooters, but could not get a shot. Some are chasing and others are not.

So this how it works,if you don't what your talking about you resort to name calling,what grade you in boy.

lol boom

I research more than you spell check.

I love threads like this one

folks on this forum can take things way too serious.

last time I checked....a deer is only an animal.

freezer filler in my hood.

Polk county is STILL going strong. Saw 1 mature buck Sunday morning trailing a doe, nose to the ground. The hunter 400yds South of my stand saw 2 10pts and an 8pt chasing a doe 10 minutes before. We are BOTH tagged out for bucks on our lease. I killed a 9pt 16 1/4" inside spread 175lbs. on 11/08/12. He killed an 11pt 16" inside spread 155lbs on 11/09/12.

Aren't you the one that said acorns don't rot??? I am so confused

BAnG

O.K. I'm back,had to go and get my dictionary, I did not want to get called out my school mom (jacob) for incorrect spelling.The original post was about deer movement in east texas this season.What I've seen and other hunters that I know and talk to, are saying the same thing,go out and 1 day see deer all day ,then the next day don't see anything.On my lease in San Augustine county(2000 acres) the guy's on one side come in talking about all the deer they've seen and guy's on the other side just look at them like they're lying, three days latter it's just the opposite. But one thing is for certain, the bigger,older bucks are trolling for does big time the last ten days of oct. That is why you see so many big bucks on youth week-end,and yes I take deer and deer hunting very serious, it's away of life for me. Alrighty then, how was my spelling.

So if youth weekend was two weeks earlier, you don't think they would kill any big deer?

IF the MLD seasons opened when bow season did there'd be some big deer killed.

I think we need to condense this thread. If someone was really looking for good info, they'd be hard pressed.

Any ideas other than:
Deer move when they feel like it
Weather makes a difference
Acorns rot, but not all of them all of the time.
East Texas is a big place with varying climates.
Curly is the one to listen to, but not all the time.
Nav is quit-witted.
txshntr is still the UIBA

Did I miss anything?

Guy's I just don't understand why yall or against opening the season sooner, to be quite honest about it, between my oldest son and I, we have 15 wild free range bucks mounted scoring between 130 and 156 and two thirds of them were taken after thanksgiving plus I put a ten pointer in the taxidermy shop nov.12th. this year. But still we get pictures of the biggest bucks late oct. with does and by hunting season the only time we get pictures of them is at night time. So why would any deer hunter not want to hunt earlier. It's like going to lake fork but you can only bream fish ( O'LORD I hope did'nt pi$$ off any bream fishermen). HOW WAS MY SPELLING?

We also need to to change the statewide general season to start in October because somebody saw more deer in Oct than November.

DW can't spell and doesn't whisper

I saw a lot last February...can we extend it too?

I kind of feel left out.



If I had to pick one time of year to be able to hunt, it dang sure wouldn't be in October. It would be in late Jan & Feb. Better chance of cooler temps, an increase in calorie intake and our fawns that happen to cycle are getting run ragged.

It's East TX....we can hunt year-round.

Fowl player for the win!!!!

It's not over yet. Nav hasn't "kapowed" us.

His wit was zapped...

Nav has said nothing about the "quit-witted" part. Guess he didn't get it...and thus the "quit" portion.

Sorry Nav...love ya brother. Hold out for the short version.

He needs the cliff-notes version

Yes, sorry...I should not have been so refractory.

Oh dear, now you have really messed the poor lad up

They should just make the roads wider so you can pull over more safely and steady yourself for a better shot.

ain't no East Texas profiling allowed on here....well there shouldn't be anyway.

Curly for President

It isn't profiling when it is 99.9% true

I am sure you also have pink flamingo's in front of your trailer and hunt the roads at night with a spot light and a .22

ok now your crossin lines wit this lad buisness

we only got spoonbill flamingos here

and a bangshaboompow for yall im lockin up and out

They can still stand if they're duct taped to a tamater stick

At least we gots purty womens in East Texas!

She has an air freshener holder.

My east tx deer are moving very good. In fact I just had a nice Upshur county buck move from the flour to the skillet!

We They don't pull over, we they just slow down and unload on them

bump?

Ha i didnt buy a full replacement guard for nothing

This is a GREAT thread!!

dang skippy!

deer are cleanin up the corn in s.w. leon county..the rut is comin to an end

WTH happened

i hunt over in the eastern part of leon county and i couldnt seemed to figure it out this year when did like the peak of the rut occur?

It happening right now...seemed like they started up then weather held them back...good is still to come