Val Verde County

[Txhuntr2]

You are right about that. Rain is good, but I have a feeling it's leading up to another tough/strange year.

[brianlg31]

Just heard it even knocked the power out at the house. Of course it doesn't take much for that to happen

[blntrey3]

Did you find out if y'all got any rain? We are right down the road.

Yes we did....sorry I forgot to post back. But we got a really good shower.

[SabreKiller]

Looks like our place is getting some rain now. I'm really not looking forward to a normal year out there!



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Looks like some of that may have hit our lease. Good deal.

BTW, what do ya'll mean about an abnormal year?

[Txhuntr2]

Last year we had a tough time. With all the rain, the pastures were green going into the season and the deer were very well fed. Great, except that we weren't seeing the mature bucks we knew were there. Seemed like they weren't hungry enough to hit the feeders until late in the season. Our best cam pics showed up late December. Made for tough hunting and I'm hoping that it doesn't happen again the same way.

[brianlg31]

I said normal year. When it's dry and not knee deep grass. It's been raining ever since I got on my place. We've got one mud hole that I've only seen without standing water once. And the mud never did dry up before it rained again. Before this lease I hunted east Texas so I've never experienced a dry year out west.


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[SabreKiller]

The rain can make it tougher no doubt. It didn't seem to hurt us too much last year. Does were coming to the feeders and when the rut kicked in the bigger bucks started showing up. I just didn't see the one I'd been after for two years. I haven't seen him on camera, so I'm hoping he made it another year. He was 5.5-6.5 last year.

When I was out there two weekends ago it was very green. I saw a lot of deer while driving and filling feeders, but not many were actually coming to the feeders. I'd much rather have the grass and water than not. Makes for fatter/healthier deer.

It seemed like it rained/drizzled every weekend I hunted last season.

[Txhuntr2]

The rain can make it tougher no doubt. It didn't seem to hurt us too much last year. Does were coming to the feeders and when the rut kicked in the bigger bucks started showing up. I just didn't see the one I'd been after for two years. I haven't seen him on camera, so I'm hoping he made it another year. He was 5.5-6.5 last year.

When I was out there two weekends ago it was very green. I saw a lot of deer while driving and filling feeders, but not many were actually coming to the feeders. I'd much rather have the grass and water than not. Makes for fatter/healthier deer.

It seemed like it rained/drizzled every weekend I hunted last season.

Same here. We have a couple deep draws we hunt over where we can't get a box blind and I sat up there in the rain multiple times. Got so frustrated with it I bought a new stainless rifle and New rain gear for this year. And we hunt in pertnear west Texas! Hahaha

[SabreKiller]

Our lease has a bunch of deep draws or canyons if you want to call them that. I can't sit at a feeder for much more than two hours. I get antsy. Having hunted mule deer in west Texas for about 30 years, spot and stalk has been my favorite method. I'll sit on the feeder until about 9 AM then I'm off glassing. Funny how I can glass a canyon for all day, but can't sit in a blind that long! LOL! I've got two stainless rifles, an A-bolt in .270 and a Remington 700 Ti in 7mm SAUM. The 700 is my go to gun when I get serious about it. I've got good rain gear, just didn't think I'd ever have to use it as much as I have the last 2 years in pertnear west Texas!

[SabreKiller]

Here is one I'm thinking about putting on the chopping block and calling a cull this year. What do y'all say on age? 3 yrs worth of photos. No real good photos of him yet this year but I think I have enough to make the call.












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Looks like hes 4.5 now. I'd consider him a cull. We have a butt load of those on our lease. Current rules only let you kill one mature and one cull. I usually wind up taking a cull/freak. I counted 6 spikes of varying lengths on my feeder at one sitting and a couple of freaks. I wound up taking this old spike out of the herd the last weekend of the season.

[Txhuntr2]

That's a broom handle spike.

My new rifle is also a Remington 700. It's a suppressed 5r 300wm. I hope it gets a chance to get serious!

[SabreKiller]

Awesome on the suppressed! I'm a supporter of the noise reduction act as well. Have one on my Bushmaster AR. I take it out there during the off season for whacking pigs and sheep. Like this nasty thing...

[HunterU]

Awesome on the suppressed! I'm a supporter of the noise reduction act as well. Have one on my Bushmaster AR. I take it out there during the off season for whacking pigs and sheep. Like this nasty thing...

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Man I wanna kill one like that! Need a mount!!!

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[Txhuntr2]

That is a good looking sheep. I wish we had more of those running around. The only ones I've seen are the ragged Catalinas.

Most of my rifle hunting is done with a .308 ar that I run suppressed. I chose the Remington 5r bc it's threaded. Once I started hunting with the suppressor I hate not using it.

[Rodney Bauer]

The biggest two deer from our area came when we had water in river at camp. And they were not at feeders 182 & the one on my pic 145". Get on top of hills and watch the bottoms. My son shot his at 275 yards and 12 years old.