East Texas hunting 2022-‘23 season

[HNT ETX]

Freeze doesn't have to kill deer directly to kill deer. It hammers food sources in habitat that is not adapted for deep freezes. Causes deer to expand home ranges looking for food and reduces cover. Both of which make for easy predator pickings.

Yes

[Texas452]

I agree it seems coyote numbers are up, but based on some studies I've read coyotes breed to prey capacity. So if white tail deer were the primary prey lower deer numbers should lower the predator numbers.
I do think the combination of predators, hard winters, doe harvest, and a few other factors have lowered the overall deer numbers in my areas.
My cameras, deer sightings, number of deer I see on the side of the road at night, and even the number of shots I heard opening weekend ( or lack there of ) of gun season support my theory.

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I believe the feral hog population plays a big part in helping the coyote population explode, there’s lots of sows having numbers piglets supplying more food for more healthier litters of pups, plus when fawning season comes around they have that much more to eat, plus shooting way too many does it decimates the deer population.
Just a thought.

[Anvilheadtexas]

I agree the freeze had zero effect on our older bucks as far as we can tell. All showed back on camera the following season. We have a few that are in the 7-10yo range(or older).

Not east Tx, but I did find an 8 year old deer dead out in Priddy during Turkey season…he was last photographed the night that big epic freeze blew in… but again, thsts one old deer, the freeze was too short to have a mass effect on deer overall. Plus, does anyone know anyone that found a bunch of dead deer after it?

[HNT ETX]

I agree it seems coyote numbers are up, but based on some studies I've read coyotes breed to prey capacity. So if white tail deer were the primary prey lower deer numbers should lower the predator numbers.

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That is correct. Nature is cyclical. Coyotes gonna have a couple good years here in the short term, but the lack of current deer numbers will result in poor pup recruitment in the next couple yrs and numbers will trend down.

I will do my best to wipe out as many as i can to speed this process. But it is indeed a natural process.

Deer will also trend back up in the next few yrs, but killing pregnant does on these “managed” places where they are likely congregating in january/february due to feed programs is likley going to make this a slower process, but wild animals are resilient and will find a way.

[Anvilheadtexas]

What’s fascinating is everyone in this conversation is on board that numbers are down.

[HNT ETX]

Not east Tx, but I did find an 8 year old deer dead out in Priddy during Turkey season…he was last photographed the night that big epic freeze blew in… but again, thsts one old deer, the freeze was too short to have a mass effect on deer overall. Plus, does anyone know anyone that found a bunch of dead deer after it?

Kill a deer in East Texas with a good population of pigs and yotes and then try to find remnants two days later. What one does not eat the other will clean up.

[HNT ETX]

What’s fascinating is everyone in this conversation is on board that numbers are down.

That is fact…..at least in Polk County.

[Anvilheadtexas]

Kill a deer in East Texas with a good population of pigs and yotes and then try to find remnants two days later. What one does not eat the other will clean up.

Point well taken. The buck I found in Priddy had been dead a few months and it still was not scattered. They take care of the coyotes in those parts.

[Bayouboy]

Same in Angelina.

[BarW]

I believe the feral hog population plays a big part in helping the coyote population explode, there’s lots of sows having numbers piglets supplying more food for more healthier litters of pups, plus when fawning season comes around they have that much more to eat, plus shooting way too many does it decimates the deer population.

Just a thought.

You probably have a point about the hogs.
Nothing seems to affect hog numbers much though. If only deer bred like pigs.

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[jshouse]

need some help guys... in january we are going to be looking to purchase around 80-120 acres of recreational land within 2-2.5hrs of rockwall. probably somewhere between nacadoches up to the red. we are looking for a spot to take my boys on the weekends and possibly retire to in 8-10 years.

in a perfect world you would come in the gate off a county road and it would fall off into a nice big hardwood bottom with a creek or 2, maybe a pond, a couple meadows and have water and electricity. electricity is a must, or at least be close. and mature bucks in the 140s or better if i am dreaming

we check the listings everyday, but if you guys know of, or hear of anything, let me know...thanks

[AgHntr10]

That is fact…..at least in Polk County.

We haven't seen the same thing at our Polk County place this year, numbers seem to be steady or rising.

I just haven't chimed in the discussion this go around since we have had it 2-3 times already this year it feels like.


....and we got a tip that our place is going to be up for sale very soon so for the first time in my life I am joining the lease search. 50+ years is a good run, will be hard to ever find anything like what we have, not so much from a quality of deer perspective but just the overall camp/lease/history aspect of it.

[hogslayer78]

What’s fascinating is everyone in this conversation is on board that numbers are down.

I can't speak for all of San Augustine or Sabine counties, but our numbers were up this year along with a great fawn crop.

[Quackerbox]

Our doe numbers might be down a very small amount. Bucks are down a HUGE amount. Pigs are near non existent after seeing them 2 out of 3 hunts in the last 10+ years.

Coyotes are thick enough I killed one with a bow and hairlipped a second with a bow on the same hunt. Last weekend they woke my wife up and she saw one standing 10 feet off the porch of our cook shack with all the porch lights on. Lots of pics of them standing at feeders. With warmer weather, Im going mid evil on the yotes this weekend.

[stringmusic]

Those seeing a decline in deer numbers has alot to do with fragmentation and fire. When fire gets ignited in 2022 it gets extinguished rather quickly, typically. 25 years ago almost every farmer/rancher burned their places generating great habitat. Now those same 3,000 acre farms are 300 ranchettes that frown on burning. Alot of fertile soil has been the subject of subdivisions. I agree with coyotes and even pigs effecting populations. There is no doubt. I just think not enough attention is being given to the fire/fragmentation aspect of things. This is a very generalized statement of course and is not specific to any county or region in particular.