Deer Hunting Questions | Whitetail Hunting

Whitetail Hunting in Montague County

Question: I go whitetail deer hunting at our place in Montague County, Texas. This past year it has been difficult to see whitetail deer. I had not been there, other than to feed my cows in about a month. We have a total of 3 feeders that we keep running throughout the year. Although very few deer have been spotted over the season, yesterday was calm and cool, and there was no corn on the ground.

The deer feeders go off in the morning and evening and no deer come in before dark. It seems they are eating at night. I guess I’m going to have to put my cameras back out and see what’s going on out there. We have only a handful of oak trees (Live oak and Texas oak) on our 600 acre ranch. I know the deer are there because we see their tracks everywhere, but it has been a very odd year. Any thoughts on why whitetail hunting has been tough in Montague County? Continue reading Whitetail Hunting in Montague County

Deer Hunting, Deer Lease in Coleman County

Question: Do any hunters out there have any information they could offer me about the Coleman County and Ballinger, Texas, area. I am wondering because I enjoy whitetail hunting an am interested in finding a deer lease in that area. I was wondering what the whitetail deer population is like up there? I’ve heard good things, but was wanting to get some other hunters insight who deer hunt in that area.

Answer: Well, I have never hunted are Ballinger or Coleman County in general, but I know this area produces a lot of whitetail deer. I have a friend that knows a guy who has a deer lease of about 2000 acres southeast of Ballinger. They are a low fence property and manage the deer herd and have had good results. I have heard that they plant many food plots and feed a good amount of protein to get the most out of the bucks. Continue reading Deer Hunting, Deer Lease in Coleman County

How to Make a Deer Antler Trap

Question: I have several whitetail bucks that I have not been able to see during daylight hours this whitetail hunting season. I know they are out there because I have them on camera, but I have been thinking about building an antler trap so that at least I will have their sheds. Has anyone tried this before, and what type of antler trap worked best? I know I can get these bucks to come to corn because they have been here all season, at night. Also, when do bucks begin to shed their antlers?

Answer: Antler traps are a great way to get your hands on some easy deer sheds. A lot of deer hunters will refer to these devices as antler traps or shed antler traps, but they are talking about the same thing. The most common type of rack trap consists of bait, usually corn, and either netwire or some type of elastic cord that a buck gets his antlers caught in while feeding. Continue reading How to Make a Deer Antler Trap

Scent Control While Whitetail Deer Hunting

Question: I went whitetail deer hunting the opening weekend of bow season and although I thought I was set up well, almost every deer that I saw was acting spooky. The only thing I can think of that would be bothering them is human scent. That got me wondering about scent absorption clothing. Do you think this would be a good investment and would it help my whitetail hunting?

Answer: Scent absorption clothing has become all the rage in the bowhunting community, but it does not typically work as well as it says. It does work, to some degree, but it is not foolproof by any means. All of the scent absorption hunting cloths use carbon, which is what is supposed to absorb human scent and other odors. However, the carbon does not work forever and must be maintained. The manufacturers claim the carbon can be reactivated in your dryer, but most dryers do not get hot enough to do that. Continue reading Scent Control While Whitetail Deer Hunting

Hunting the Rut: Bucks Trailing Does

Question: When out whitetail deer hunting, whenever I think the rut is close or on, when a doe steps out I don’t even think of shooting her… hoping that a nice buck may be trailing her. I always keep and eye out for that rutting buck, even 45 minutes after first seeing the doe. In your hunting experience, what is the furthest (time wise) you’ve seen a buck trailing behind a doe? Just curious because I’d like to get some meat in the freezer, but I’ve also seen some rutting activity.

Answer: In all my years of whitetail deer hunting, most rutting bucks will be right the doe, or at least within one minute of her. Only on a few occasions have I seen bucks come much later that I thought were on the doe’s trail. Of course, these bucks could have simply been walking the same trail, but I don’t think so. Continue reading Hunting the Rut: Bucks Trailing Does

Whitetail Deer Hunting in Tall Grass

Question: I love bow hunting and spend most of my time whitetail hunting on a small piece of land with a major creek on the backside of it. The creek is a good travel corridor, but it has farm land surrounding it. I only have permission to hunt on the back 10 acres and got to see a lot of whitetail last year, so I know it is not a bad spot for deer hunting.

Last year, the land was mowed a lot and the grass never got over knee high. This year has been we and he never mowed and now it is almost 6 foot high. I think the grass in Johnson Grass, but I am not 100% on this. I mowed some paths for me to walk back to the blind as well as the area around the feeder, but the rest is tall grass. Will the taller grass help or hurt my whitetail deer hunting? I am not sure if it will hurt the hunting or if the deer will feel even more comfortable with the extra cover. What do you think? Continue reading Whitetail Deer Hunting in Tall Grass

Hunting Leased Land for Whitetail Deer

Question: I have recently leased 497 acres for whitetail hunting in Northeast Texas. In the past, I only hunted public lands where hunters were not allowed to have feeders or food plots, etc. I will not have full access to this deer lease until late October. The property is loaded with pine trees and has some power line right of ways and is surrounded by heavily-wooded areas.

So, what would be the best way to start establishing a decent place to attract whitetail deer and hogs? Please keep in mind that I do not have any equipment such as tractors, disks, and etc to create food plots.

Answer: First, let me say nice job at finding a deer lease! Most hunters have a harder time finding land to lease than they do finding deer once they have a place to hunt. Ideally, you would like to have access to the property earlier, but late October will work. The big advantage you have on leased land is that you have it all to yourself. Continue reading Hunting Leased Land for Whitetail Deer

Do Goats Effect Whitetail Deer Hunting?

Question: I have just recently received permission to whitetail hunt a piece of property but it has livestock on it, goats in particular. What I was wondering was if goats would affect the whitetail deer hunting a lot or would they be able to co-exist. I am looking to find out if it’s worth my time to look at hunting this ranch property?

Answer: Personally, I would not waste my time deer hunting a property that is stocked with goats, especially a ranch that is heavily stocked. And let’s face it, all ranches with goats are heavily stocked and offer poor deer habitat. If you are looking to put some deer meat in the the freezer then you can probably shoot some deer if you set up a feeder in one corner of the ranch. This will allow you to lure deer from the neighbors, but the neighbors won’t like you. Continue reading Do Goats Effect Whitetail Deer Hunting?