Hunting East Texas in late December

[TxsBuda]

I live in Buda and hunt near Kennard, east of Crockett. Have hunted three times this year. Small buck inside the ears in October, good body-sized deer in opening rifle week (I bow hunted) and last week nothing came out in three days. Supposidely it's the rut, but nothing moved. So my next trip is the day after Christmas, antler deer only. What is deer movement like in your experience? My bow stand is set up near a creek crossing. There are huge tracks. Have they gone nocturnal? Deer are there as evidence of all the deer tracks, but nothing.

Hopefully something will come near the stand next month.

Let me know what your experiences are like during late December in East Texas. Thanks!

[GarGuy]

Mid december untill the end of season is absolutely the best time to pattern and kill a big buck here. Im talking near Kennard. CORN is key. Hand corn near a thicket that you can approach and hunt on a given wind direction without the deer knowing. Not unusual for bachelor groups to show up then either.

[robert97dodge]

I haven't really hunted Kennard during the rut a lot but i do bow hunt there. I think there is way more doe compared to bucks so I don't think you see as much rut activity. The bucks just don't seem to have to fight over them as much

[ETXBow]

Mid december untill the end of season is absolutely the best time to pattern and kill a big buck here. Im talking near Kennard. CORN is key. Hand corn near a thicket that you can approach and hunt on a given wind direction without the deer knowing. Not unusual for bachelor groups to show up then either.

Go with whatever this guy says.
He's right every time!

[hardtner]

In my area, Dec 15 to end of season is the 2nd easiest time to kill a big buck. They are sometimes busted up but they will be poor and hungry and are likely to eat at a corn pile in the daylight.

[Bayouboy]

I don't even start hunting East Tx until December. I hit it hard for days and weeks at a time. The bucks on my walls are Dec and Jan bucks. The closer you are to the thickets and bedding areas the better. All the early season hunting activity pushes the good ones to cover. I have nine setups and not one has been hunted yet. Starting the second week of December the chess match begins.

Just before and after a good front has produced well.

[lovemylegacy]

Mid December is an awesome time for bucks, young does are coming into estrus for the 1st time.

[lovemylegacy]

Mid december untill the end of season is absolutely the best time to pattern and kill a big buck here. Im talking near Kennard. CORN is key. Hand corn near a thicket that you can approach and hunt on a given wind direction without the deer knowing. Not unusual for bachelor groups to show up then either.

The 8pt I killed this year was between 2 pine thickets in an oak flat....consequently at the narrowest point. No corn, just hunting over 2 scrape lines.

[Etxbuckman]

Mid december untill the end of season is absolutely the best time to pattern and kill a big buck here. Im talking near Kennard. CORN is key. Hand corn near a thicket that you can approach and hunt on a given wind direction without the deer knowing. Not unusual for bachelor groups to show up then either.

I need to find some areas and start hand corning 'cause the bucks at my lease won't hardly look at a feeder till mid- to late-January.

GG's posts really have me motivated to do something different. I'm actually getting tired of sitting in a blind watching a feeder now. I feel almost lazy.

[More Liberty]

Is anyone able to bring them in with doe bleats or antler rattles ?

[Bayouboy]

Is anyone able to bring them in with doe bleats or antler rattles ?

I have heard on occasion of it working. Not as much as south Tx. My way of hunting East Tx has always been more of a stealth style. I like to hunt their core area, get in and out without being detected, and not pressure the deer. Once the old bucks know something is not right or feel hunting pressure your odds of getting one drop tremendously when they have access to lots of cover. Pine thickets and briar laden clear cuts are what I hunt near and they offer lots of it.

[lovemylegacy]

My 1st "big" buck was downwind side of a pine thicket that hugged a creek with a bluff bank. He came out with 5 other bucks, he was last in line, he is on my wall. Pine thickets are the key. It is the only place I think that they are relaxed.

[TxsBuda]

This is great information and motivation. I'm off from the 23rd to Jan 2nd. I will be in Kennard area. Thanks all!

[lovemylegacy]

This is great information and motivation. I'm off from the 23rd to Jan 2nd. I will be in Kennard area. Thanks all!

Shoot straight, take pics

[Bloodrunner]

My experience in Crockett is different than what it seems everyone is saying. The rut occurred about a week or two before thanksgiving this year with several nice bucks checking does around feeders, but then they went nocturnal or went looking for other sources of nutrition as there is a lot of pressure in the area. Late season has never gone well for me in Crockett because the pressure catches up with em and they go nocturnal.