Bow Hunting Texas Whitetail. What Have You Learned?

[Speedgoat]

I have learned that people will scrutinize every decision you make about which deer you put a tag on.

[44mAG]

Never take a shot over 20 yds. Further than that, it's a guessing game where your aim point will end up once the arrow gets there, depending on what the deer does.

[jerp]

"Not announcing your presence" as mentioned in the first post is especially important for those of us who hunt smaller places and primarily on the weekends. During deer season I make every effort to make as little commotion as possible around camp but they still know I'm there. I think they must have cell cameras of their own hidden by the front gate.

[BowhunterB]

[QUOTE=KactusKiller;15908368] In west & south Texas without feeders it would be near impossible to kill a deer much less a mature animal because there is no way to find pinch points, feeding areas and bedding areas. All of that is mixed together.

This right here. Bowhunting South Texas without a feeder, or at least hand corning or corning roads would be very, very tough. There are not really any distinct food sources to hunt.

Much different than other parts of the state and other states.

When you have a lot of big open fields filled with food and strips of timber with trails leading to the food, it is much different.

[jt400]

"Not announcing your presence" as mentioned in the first post is especially important for those of us who hunt smaller places and primarily on the weekends. During deer season I make every effort to make as little commotion as possible around camp but they still know I'm there. I think they must have cell cameras of their own hidden by the front gate.

We run a lot of cell cameras and I notice the deer activity depleting every day someone is there. Hunting that spot or not. Pressure is huge.

[jerp]

We run a lot of cell cameras and I notice the deer activity depleting every day someone is there. Hunting that spot or not. Pressure is huge.

Yeah, and often the cameras show normal activity resuming within just a few hours after I leave. Instead of getting to camp Friday night I'm gonna try driving up in the early morning and not go through the gate at all - just park on the road and slip in to the stand on foot.

[txtrophy85]

This right here. Bowhunting South Texas without a feeder, or at least hand corning or corning roads would be very, very tough. There are not really any distinct food sources to hunt.

Much different than other parts of the state and other states.

When you have a lot of big open fields filled with food and strips of timber with trails leading to the food, it is much different.

I've been thinking alot about this lately. If you took the feeders away, how would you hunt?


Pretty basic, I think you would have to hunt travel corridors on creek bottoms and shallow draws and natural openings and wait for something to walk by. Thats about the only game plan a person would have. Maybe if a big river bottom was near find an group of producing oaks and hunt the acorns but after those are gone, your options are real limited

[Low Fence]

I could write a book. Lol

Every place is different and every hunter wants something different from their experience.. so with that said, these apply to my style of small property East Texas deer

1. Hunting…. “Cause it’s hunting season”

Going when they can, cause they can reguardless of conditions. Stand is burnt out by mid October


2. Entry and exit

Very tough on small land. Most are limited without thinking outside the box. People are way easier to pattern that deer

3. HUNTING MORNINGS… and EARLY
if your on small land you better have done lots of homework where they bed and stage if your hunting mornings. You can blow the whole season on the opener. Also the “ I get there 2 hours before sunrise”…. Why? Are you playing a trumpet? I personally go in at grey light if I do hunt mornings and can shoot going to stand (I’m rarely hunting a timed feeder)

Everything in the woods makes noise… only one thing has a flashlight



I ain’t trying to throw shade, or lump all situations into one box. Just things I see and hear the same old results year after year… but never changes

[txbowman12]

If the deer is on your camera regular but he's NEVER there when you are he has you pegged. It amazes me how little some people are willing to put that together. You have to change your entrance sometimes. The deer don't just drop in from the sky when the feeder goes off. They're close.

I've got one on our property right now that has us nailed right now. I swear he beds by the entry gate. We have two gates onto the place, and the spot he frequents is half a mile from the southern gate. We pull in lights off and quiet, walk in early, only use dim red lights to see our feet, only hunt favorable wind, etc, and he never shows.

I enjoy hunting a deer that is smarter than me, but I would love to hear other suggestions on what to do different. I've even considered stringing up a hammock and sleeping on stand out there overnight to eliminate the access problem. My only other thought is to start hunting off stand on the ground and try and catch him coming or going.

[Low Fence]

4. Hunting deer sign … instead of deer

This is still my mountain to climb but I feel pretty confident now… or more than I did (hard habit to break)

The 2 most successful hunters I know, hunt areas most would never even consider. I thought they were trying to gar hole me, until he told me this. “Your trying to kill deer sign, I’m trying to kill a deer…” we get caught up in scrape and rub and trail… and deer make those, at some time in the year and hour of the day. Hunting an area because it offers what they need at that time is just something that takes trial and error until it clicks. I’ll hunt an area now without a single deer track in it and fully expect to see deer… don’t always work, but I’ll learn something new. Lol

[Patton]

It's important to be able to quickly and strategically decide between 'I need to shoot ASAP' or 'I need to let this animal calm down before I even try to draw'

[Mudslinger]

Where I hunt on the South Plains and on our place between Rotan and Jayton, there are no particular bedding or feeding areas. Yes they do hit the wheat fields on places where there is wheat, but there is not a lot of those fields close. We depend on feeders for bowhunting and mostly for rifle, but they do not necessarily hit feeders constantly, even when good browse dies. Our rut has been at night or virtually none witnessed for the last few years. Not the easiest hunting for sure. Hogs can be a huge problem too!

[lovemylegacy]

If there is one thing I learned about Tx deer hunting is....don't leave your stand at 0930. So many "hunters" I know get off stand at 0930, exact! Stay on stand past noon. Most of the good bucks I have taken and have seen, have been after 1030, most around noon. This one thing will earn you more opportunities at a buck than any other.

[jt400]

Stay out of your best spots when the forecast calls winds to be light and variable

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[jt400]

If there is one thing I learned about Tx deer hunting is....don't leave your stand at 0930. So many "hunters" I know get off stand at 0930, exact! Stay on stand past noon. Most of the good bucks I have taken and have seen, have been after 1030, most around noon. This one thing will earn you more opportunities at a buck than any other.

At feeders?

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