I just finished with my hunting for the year at my lease. My season ends next weekend and I'll be working, so this was the last try for me. I got on a lease in red river county and its only 25 acres but backs up to a 2500 acre ranch that's not hunted. I saw deer, 3 of them, my first time out but then only 1 more since. That's 4 total deer in an entire season! The place is littered with tracks and I've got 2 feeders going twice a day, at 7am and 4pm. Camera shows activity at night between 10pm and 2am. I wash in scent killer, bath in it, wear scent blocker clothes, spray down, and hunt in woods where wind just swirls. I have never been busted, by this I mean having a deer blow at me or anything. Could the deer just know I'm there and stay away? Is the land just too small? Am I doing something wrong? I even stayed up in my tree all day from 6am to 6pm. This is my first season so I don't know if I'm doing something wrong or what. It's been a discouraging season. The 4 that I saw, I let walk due to small size.
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Oh and the deer on camera aren't eating the food from the feeders either. They act like they could care less about the feeders. -
If your place was in the same drought conditions as we were here, and then got the good rains that turned the place from brown to green almost overnight, then the deer have so much greenery and forbs to browse that they simply don't need or want the corn. Add in a bumper acorn crop and you'll see very few deer at feeders. That's been the pattern for me at 3 different places I hunt.
Clearly, the deer prefer the salad bar--Comment
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Well that's good to know. I just second guess myself.
That's exactly what happened here. Plus the land is full of huge oaks that drop acorns like crazy.Comment
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that part of Texas is just tough huntinComment
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To many other groceries for them.. Hunt the trails and oaksComment
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Holden88 I have a Very similar situation on my lease. I lease 65 huntable acres, land owner lives on front 2 acres and runs about 8 head of cattle on the rest. These deer are used to smelling and living around humans. Been on for 4 yrs now. First year a button buck and yearling doe,2nd year two bigger doe taken. 3rd year two nice 8pts taken. This year I took a small 6pt that was hobbling towards the feeder because I knew he wouldn't stand a chance with coyotes. I haven't had anymore chaes other than small deer. There is only 1 way in and out of place and I do believe the Mature deer No when I am there and which stands I'm sitting. Very frustrating at times. Hang in there!!!Comment
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Crazy when I see guys south or west that have them come to feeders like they're dinner bells.Comment
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25 acres isn't big enough to be able to drive in and park without the deer knowing you're there.Comment
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I hunted 40 acres a few years ago. I had plenty of deer on camera. Once season started only saw a few deer during season. We would show up and no deer on camera, we would leave and have deer showing back up to the feeders. We didn't even drive on the property but they knew when we showed up!Comment
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Deer hunting is a lot like real estate................location, location,location
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I think this ^^^Originally posted by Shane View Post
deer aren't stupid. they know. it could be that you even park on the trail they normally use to come to your place from. they really cant go completely nocturnal, but they can choose to not come over your fence until after dark. I hunt 20 acres and struggle with this very much.Comment
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Fairly similar for me in Lee County.
Four more things come into play though:
1) Dogs show up from time to time. Deer + dogs is a no-no.
2) Drilling is happening on nearby properties. Hey, I don't even like to hear the noise, so it's gotta be spooking the deer.
3) Management permits on adjacent property are being abused imo. Less deer overall than over last several years due to too many does being taken.
4) Less habitat than when I started hunting this property five years ago. It's a pecan farm, and the owner (my brother) has had several acres of good deer habitat cleared for the purpose of planting more pecan trees. C'est la vie.Comment
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Sounds about right. Thanks guys. Maybe next season I'll try to park further down the road and see what happens.Originally posted by beardedBrazos View PostComment
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