2017-2018 East Texas Hunting Thread

[SaltwaterSlick]

Does anyone have a recommendation on where to buy sausage seasoning for making pan sausage with hog meat? For years I've gone to Vernon's Cajun Meat Market in Atascocita, but they unfortunately closed their doors in February. Sure am going to miss that place.

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Always bought mine at B & W Meat market on North Shepherd, Houston... Been there since before I-45 replaced 75 as the route to Dallas and points north...

[EastTx]

I hunted the wrong stand after work today!


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[bowhuntingw]

Yep you did

[NewBallCoach]

I hunted the wrong stand after work today!


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That is a nice buck!

[NewBallCoach]

Well, I got some good news. All I have had on camera this season is pigs and a couple pics of a young 6 point (probably his first set) and thinking about scrapping this season to take care of a new hog problem I got a call from my mom this morning (I hunt at my parents place).

She was headed to work and called to tell me she saw a 10 point jump out of the woods on the side of the road where I have been setting up a new stand and clearing brush for a food plot. She said it jumped out then ran back in as she drove by.

Then this evening my dad called and said he saw a really good looking 8 as he was coming home, IN THE SAME SPOT.

Bad news is after grabbing my card from the camera last week I had about 5 pigs show up. I shot at one and 2 minutes later they were back so I silently left and didn't put the card back lol. I had 296 pictures, 294 of pigs, one of the small 6, and one of a doe, I thought no way there would be anything show up this week, serves me right I guess lol.

I guess you can say buck fever has taken back over lol. Headed down this week to put up some hog wire with my brother and put the cards back in, maybe shoot another pig if they show up as well.

[EastTexan]

I thought the exact same thing as soon as I saw Jooger's pic! And FWIW, one of my favorite things to do is track a buck's progression from year to year, but I just cannot make the leap from what he was previously to this deer. Not saying it's impossible, just highly unlikely.

I can appreciate that because I feel the same way. BUT....it's like if YOUR wife goes to town and gets her hair style changed AND colored: I may not recognize her, but you'd know more than anyone else. I have HUNDREDS (possibly a few thousand) pictures of this deer through the years. There's subtle things that most people don't notice.

Also, when deer hit 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 and reach their prime, they no longer have to split the nutrients between their body growth and their antler growth. He didn't have it in him to ever be a 10, but he did have the muley G2s. His genetic predisposition didn't allow him to put his growth in additional tines. My "hunch" is that a nutrient surge due to all the late spring/early summer rain (in the year he hit his prime) caused his beams to really grow. This deer has annually put on almost exactly 10" of growth. Every year his max potential has been scaring either 130, 140, 150, and now I think he scares the heck out of 160.

Most everybody thinks I'm crazy or a wingnut....but it is him.

[EastTexan]

Do y'all need a mediator to sit in the woods between y'all?

lol...I think we have it covered. I'd be tickled for Jooger to get this deer. I have so much history with him that it is going to be very bittersweet if/when I put him down. When he didn't show-up in August or September this year, and I thought he was dead, it was hard to even get excited about the season.

[Hix]

I hunted the wrong stand after work today!


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Beautiful double patch



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[sweldo73]

I can appreciate that because I feel the same way. BUT....it's like if YOUR wife goes to town and gets her hair style changed AND colored: I may not recognize her, but you'd know more than anyone else. I have HUNDREDS (possibly a few thousand) pictures of this deer through the years. There's subtle things that most people don't notice.

Also, when deer hit 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 and reach their prime, they no longer have to split the nutrients between their body growth and their antler growth. He didn't have it in him to ever be a 10, but he did have the muley G2s. His genetic predisposition didn't allow him to put his growth in additional tines. My "hunch" is that a nutrient surge due to all the late spring/early summer rain (in the year he hit his prime) caused his beams to really grow. This deer has annually put on almost exactly 10" of growth. Every year his max potential has been scaring either 130, 140, 150, and now I think he scares the heck out of 160.

Most everybody thinks I'm crazy or a wingnut....but it is him.

I completely understand and appreciate where you're coming from. The main thing for me though is not the strong uptick in inches (like d_e_smith suggested, because I've also seen that happen), but it has more to do with the almost zero similarities (other than the muley fork) with the overall shape of the frame and distribution of tines between the pics from last year to this. There are usually several traits that carry over each year, and that's even shown well on your age progression of this buck before this year. This year's pics just seem to be too unrelated.

With that said, when it comes to deer I will always concede that things like this may be possible.

Like someone else said, the worst thing that could happen is that it is 2 different deer and you've got 2 brutes walking around.

Good luck getting him!

[d_e_smith]

I completely understand and appreciate where you're coming from. The main thing for me though is not the strong uptick in inches (like d_e_smith suggested, because I've also seen that happen), but it has more to do with the almost zero similarities (other than the muley fork) with the overall shape of the frame and distribution of tines between the pics from last year to this. There are usually several traits that carry over each year, and that's even shown well on your age progression of this buck before this year. This year's pics just seem to be too unrelated.

With that said, when it comes to deer I will always concede that things like this may be possible.

Like someone else said, the worst thing that could happen is that it is 2 different deer and you've got 2 brutes walking around.

Good luck getting him!

I thought it was the bottom pic of #412..... those are the same deer. The beams say no on the avatar buck...that formation doesn't change much over the years.

[Etxbuckman]

Jooger did y'all do any good in Trinity opening weekend? I know Ryans there now but it's certainly not optimal weather for hunting.

[jooger17]

I can appreciate that because I feel the same way. BUT....it's like if YOUR wife goes to town and gets her hair style changed AND colored: I may not recognize her, but you'd know more than anyone else. I have HUNDREDS (possibly a few thousand) pictures of this deer through the years. There's subtle things that most people don't notice.



Also, when deer hit 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 and reach their prime, they no longer have to split the nutrients between their body growth and their antler growth. He didn't have it in him to ever be a 10, but he did have the muley G2s. His genetic predisposition didn't allow him to put his growth in additional tines. My "hunch" is that a nutrient surge due to all the late spring/early summer rain (in the year he hit his prime) caused his beams to really grow. This deer has annually put on almost exactly 10" of growth. Every year his max potential has been scaring either 130, 140, 150, and now I think he scares the heck out of 160.



Most everybody thinks I'm crazy or a wingnut....but it is him.

A lot of those deer over there carry that split G2 genetic. The big deer I was telling you about via PM earlier had split 2's... amongst other things lol. I knew it was a matter of time before I posted a NF buck that someone here had a pic of. That's all part of the public land game. Heck, last year I killed a giant right where another TBH'r had been scouting moments before. If he hadn't driven by when he did I wouldn't have gone back in there. He and I have talked since then. They did some logging in there this summer and that spot is trashed. I spent a full day of scouting over there a couple of weeks ago and didn't see a single thing that I liked. Also, that's how GarGuy and I got to be such good friends. He posted. Deer that he'd killed. I hunted that deer every day that I was off working 14/14 from Oct 7 until December 21 literally from daylight to dark. I think GarGuy had killed him on the 12th of October lol. I let 2 over 140" walk that year with a bow in the national forest! Looking back that season was the best thing that ever happened to me. I learned more about hunting mature deer on public ground in a season that I had in a lifetime up to that point.

I'd be tickled if you killed him and to be honest I won't even be after this buck until I kill out on my two leases. I won't be back until around Halloween so you've got plenty of time to get him. Best of luck to you, I'd sure like to see him if you get him killed.


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[EastTexan]

A lot of those deer over there carry that split G2 genetic. The big deer I was telling you about via PM earlier had split 2's... amongst other things lol. I knew it was a matter of time before I posted a NF buck that someone here had a pic of. That's all part of the public land game. Heck, last year I killed a giant right where another TBH'r had been scouting moments before. If he hadn't driven by when he did I wouldn't have gone back in there. He and I have talked since then. They did some logging in there this summer and that spot is trashed. I spent a full day of scouting over there a couple of weeks ago and didn't see a single thing that I liked. Also, that's how GarGuy and I got to be such good friends. He posted. Deer that he'd killed. I hunted that deer every day that I was off working 14/14 from Oct 7 until December 21 literally from daylight to dark. I think GarGuy had killed him on the 12th of October lol. I let 2 over 140" walk that year with a bow in the national forest! Looking back that season was the best thing that ever happened to me. I learned more about hunting mature deer on public ground in a season that I had in a lifetime up to that point.

I'd be tickled if you killed him and to be honest I won't even be after this buck until I kill out on my two leases. I won't be back until around Halloween so you've got plenty of time to get him. Best of luck to you, I'd sure like to see him if you get him killed.


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Oh believe me...I know the muley G2 gene is in this area!

I know ya'll all think I'm crazy. If I was looking at somebody else's pics, I'd agree with every one of you. Don't look at the horns in this picture...just look at the deer's face. I'm telling ya'll...it's him.

[MedikDave]

Always bought mine at B & W Meat market on North Shepherd, Houston... Been there since before I-45 replaced 75 as the route to Dallas and points north...

Appreciate it. I'll have to stop by sometime in the next week.

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[Hobbs]

Oh believe me...I know the muley G2 gene is in this area!

I know ya'll all think I'm crazy. If I was looking at somebody else's pics, I'd agree with every one of you. Don't look at the horns in this picture...just look at the deer's face. I'm telling ya'll...it's him.

Unless he has a scar or something along those lines it would be hard to compare. I have a genetic trait with some of my deer. Some have real dark hair on their forehead just above their eyes almost like a mule deer. Gives them an angry bird look. Not all have it but I could not use it to distinguish one buck from another. It really only matters to you. He's a shooter regardless.