It’s been a while since I’ve written here and there is one reason for that. I’ve had absolutely nothing to say. Hard to believe isn’t it.
This time of year is very busy for me and every spare minute I have (when I’m not at work, church, or kids sporting events) I’m hunting so you would think I would have plenty to write about, but I don’t. You see, I haven’t seen a deer in almost two months. I don’t mean I haven’t shot a deer, I seriously mean I haven’t SEEN a deer since the opening weekend of rifle season and then it was only a couple small year and a half old bucks.
I hunt in east Texas but even for this area this lack of deer is highly unusual. It’s almost like we’ve been transported to the early 80′s again where seeing a few deer a year was a claim for a successful season. I know of a local meat processor that by this time last year had processed 300 more deer than they have so far this year, so I’m not the only one not seeing anything.
Personally, I think the drought last year had a greater impact on the deer population than was first anticipated. It is very likely that we could have lost a fawn crop and all the weaker deer in the herd last year due to the drought.
So let’s conduct an impromptu, very unscientific survey. Let me know where you hunt and how this hunting season has compared to an average season in your area. I’ll start.
I hunt East Texas (Wood County)
Deer sightings down significantly. An average hunt over the last few years would consist of a few does and small bucks coming by, this year nothing. I mean NOTHING. Zero mature bucks spotted, very few does and immature bucks.
Quality, all deer I have seen have looked healthy, one spike killed (by my wife) had a lot of fat on it. The racks on the few mature bucks I’ve seen killed where above average.
South West Arkansas, a stand that would have yielded a doe or two and decent buck gave up nothing. Not a deer seen.
Took two does about 10 miles from that place, both small. One was a mom I seen in trail camera pictures, fawn was as big as her.
Spent time at processors, same thing. A few good bodied deer the rest were sub par.
Central Oklahoma, family farm…
Over the course of the last three months, on the game cameras and in person, we’ve gotten to know seven does in two distinct groups and two lone bucks, all good sized, but no harvests. The smaller of the two groups of does was a mother and a pair of yearlings at the beginning of the season, but they’re as big as mom at this point. Including me, there have been six family members hunting this property with many near misses, including a factory load not discharging in my wife’s rifle and my bow sights getting knocked out of allignment in the field. Still, a bad day in the field is better than a good day at the office, and a clean miss is better than a messy kill.
FIRST this password is verh bad. im 71 and i just spent 30 min. trying to work a no reason password. like they say keep it simple ,;./’[][.be sides that. my Q is to you paul on your late season duck hunting. movement in small spread 6 to 9 decoys full of color. what about calling? i hunt katy eagle lake area, all most all pentails. quacking or whisleing, little or none if a little, just some whisle for a comeback call or what. THANKS BILL/THRILL my dog thrill 1-2-13