2017 Panhandle Hunting Thread (5th Annual!)

[kry226]

Seen a couple of yotes on my place and killed one. Gotta admit the yotes look fat and happy this year. Beautiful coats.

Dang it.

So I'm done for the year and now back in Deutschland. Seen lots of deer at my little ranchito, but nothing mature AT ALL. If it weren't for the side trip to Kansas, I'd not have much to show for it but some good memories, and fabulous sunrises and sunsets...they're the most important part anyway.

I was able to lay waste to a few hogs, but not nearly enough.

Y'all be safe and best of luck to each of you. I'll be watching, as always.

[pickles]

There are bigger ones in that area, they are just good at hiding. Get as much food and cover as possible on the property. Lots of whitetail numbers will keep down mule deer numbers to a degree, just cause whitetail are more aggressive and the land has a certain carrying capacity and both are competing generally for same food.
If you can put in a large alfalfa or wheat field in center of property you should hold some there and then it’s just a waiting game for 2 weeks a year. Normally they show up week after season.


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Thanks for the feedback kind sir! Like I said. Very uneducated on Mule deer and the Panhandle in general. So every little bit of info helps.

This may be a stupid question but do you mean like feeding alfalfa bales or planting alfalfa?

[coldgas]

Seen a couple of yotes on my place and killed one. Gotta admit the yotes look fat and happy this year. Beautiful coats.

Dang it.

So I'm done for the year and now back in Deutschland. Seen lots of deer at my little ranchito, but nothing mature AT ALL. If it weren't for the side trip to Kansas, I'd not have much to show for it but some good memories, and fabulous sunrises and sunsets...they're the most important part anyway.

I was able to lay waste to a few hogs, but not nearly enough.

Y'all be safe and best of luck to each of you. I'll be watching, as always.

Sorry you didn't get a panhandle buck but congrats on the Kansas deer. I'm not seeing shooters either. Only seen 1 shooter and he refuses to come in bow range. Looking like I'll probably just kill some does this year. Can't eat horns any way!

Have a safe trip and a merry Christmas!

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[Top Of Texas]

Pickles,

There's not much to do. Mule deer actually prefer less cover and more rough topography. If you don't own the place then there's not much you could do on reducing cover.

A mule deer buck's home range is over 10,000 ac.

Bringing in "bigger" mule deer won't do anything and TPWD wouldn't approve it anyway due to habitat structure and high whitetail numbers.

A large irrigated field of alfalfa and/or wheat could hold local mule deer (won't make new mule deer), but will also suck in additional whitetail. On 1600 ac, best to leave as much habitat as possible. A centered wheat field wouldn't hurt, and definitely attracts deer, as long as you didn't destroy good habitat to do it.

The best management a hunter can do is to fill all his whitetail doe tags and only shoot bucks that are 6-7 yrs old.

[Top Of Texas]

Seen a couple of yotes on my place and killed one. Gotta admit the yotes look fat and happy this year. Beautiful coats.

Dang it.

So I'm done for the year and now back in Deutschland. Seen lots of deer at my little ranchito, but nothing mature AT ALL. If it weren't for the side trip to Kansas, I'd not have much to show for it but some good memories, and fabulous sunrises and sunsets...they're the most important part anyway.

I was able to lay waste to a few hogs, but not nearly enough.

Y'all be safe and best of luck to each of you. I'll be watching, as always.

I've only been out 2 days. Just put doe #2 in the freezer.

Congrats on Kansas buck. Appreciate you Kry.

[Mudslinger]

Finally had a shooter show up on camera on the 29th but not since. Did have 3 bucks show up at one feeder i have not seen before. Movement was better but not by much. Hopefully this cold front gets them moving.

[Johnny_Dodson]

Thanks for the feedback kind sir! Like I said. Very uneducated on Mule deer and the Panhandle in general. So every little bit of info helps.



This may be a stupid question but do you mean like feeding alfalfa bales or planting alfalfa?

If you can do a wheat or alfalfa field that’s great. You can make an alfalfa feeder out of a 55 gallon drums and by a bale of it. I never had any luck with Mule deer and feeders. Not saying you can’t I just didn’t .


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[coldgas]

There were deer already on wheat when I walked in. Maybe it's a good sign. I'm ready to kill something!


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[chuckw]

if the wind doesnt lie down i sure dont expect to see much. a few muleys on the wheat now but thats it.

[myway]

Thanks for the feedback kind sir! Like I said. Very uneducated on Mule deer and the Panhandle in general. So every little bit of info helps.

This may be a stupid question but do you mean like feeding alfalfa bales or planting alfalfa?

They will come to protien feeders see post 496. Build large pens to keep the pigs out and they will come. I started with soy corn mix and then introduced protien steadily to it. It took a little while but they did. I have multiple photos of both WT and MD at the feeder at the same time. Hell I have pics of MD sleeping under them and using them for shade. I have not had luck getting them on Alfalfa but I cannot find a good source either. Everything I have purchased is hay with some alfalfa mixed in.

[kry226]

Sorry you didn't get a panhandle buck but congrats on the Kansas deer. I'm not seeing shooters either. Only seen 1 shooter and he refuses to come in bow range. Looking like I'll probably just kill some does this year. Can't eat horns any way!

Have a safe trip and a merry Christmas!

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I've only been out 2 days. Just put doe #2 in the freezer.

Congrats on Kansas buck. Appreciate you Kry.

Thanks, gentlemen. I love these Panhandle threads and love coming home for a couple weeks each season. Luckily, I have a wife who notices that I walk a little straighter when I get out of the deer stand, so she supports me tremendously.

I'm pretty sure I'm only a few years from retirement, and I'm finding that the older I get the more of a homeboy I'm becoming. Should transition from Germany by summer of 2019 and I'm certainly ready for deer season to not be a military operation for my family and me.

I'm really looking forward to the next few years when we should get back to seeing the Panhandle-quality deer we're used to. Y'all be safe and shoot straight.

[coldgas]

I went out yesterday evening and it was the same old story. My shooter buck comes in, stays about 150 yards out, and then shows up at the blind when it's too dark to shoot. One of these days he will show up 5 minutes early....maybe.

Should've gone out this morning but I was lazy

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[Top Of Texas]

Had an opening yesterday and finally got out in the pasture.

Jethro, I got distracted also. 4 yoties for the day including this big old male.

[Aggiehunter08]

I'm headed back up this weekend. Lease manager is reporting mature bucks are back on camera

[Jethro]

Good job Jeff.

Looks like he was starting to get the mange a bit on his feet and lower jaw. I've been talking about that with a friend of mine. 6 weeks ago my daughter and I killed 4 one afternoon, 3 of the 4 were in the beginning stages of mange. But the 4 I killed this weekend were from 6-7 miles away and none of them had any mange on them. Seems like the mange can be pretty spotty and localized sometimes. It hasn't been bad this year, but looks like it is starting to show back up a fair amount.