Deep East Tx Deer Numbers

[Anvilheadtexas]

I feed year round and I’m sure that makes a difference in the population. Feed, keep em on your place and watch the numbers go up.

We have done that in the past. When I first bought the land back in 2006 the guys who hunted on it would toss a bag of corn in a feeder in October (pretty much was the extent of managing) and the land was covered with deer. We backed off running feeders year round because we did have a little situation with hogs a few years ago. I don’t necessarily subscribe to the feeder thing … it’s really habitat right? there’s a lot for deer to eat in the East Texas woods.

[Anvilheadtexas]

The place I hunt near Groveton has been MLD for years. There is no shortage of deer. And dang sure ain’t no shortage of hogs !

I used to hunt and run a deer lease (MLD) in Woodlake …. Essentially Groveton. There has always been a good pocket of deer in that area. I remain tight with the guys on the lease and they certainly have had good luck with their program, although this year they said the spotlight survey was very disappointing from a Numbers perspective. They’re not so disappointed about the antlers.

[SmTx]

I have the suspicion we're not too far out from there being mandatory reporting on kills. It's already there for other creatures.

The harvest log on the back of our licenses is about the stupidest thing ever since TPWD only sees it if you're being checked by a warden. Mandatory reporting and TPWD getting a more accurate count of deer being killed could be beneficial for herds but I don't want to have to report. lol

[Native Texan]

My lease is in Polk County near the Trinity county line. We noticed a big drop in deer numbers after the 2011 drought. Seems like we have been trying to get our numbers back up ever since then.
We used to get 18 doe tags on 1400 acres and often used them all, along with 5 or 6 bucks. We took that many deer every year for over 20 years. A few years ago we started getting only 10 doe tags for our 1400 acres, and we only use about half of them. The large lease next to us has not shot a doe the past two seasons...their choice to help the numbers. Our herd is slowly coming back to the numbers we saw in past years.
Our Turkey population has exploded in the past two years, likely helped by a lot of clear cutting.
We feed protein year round and throw a lot of corn, but I have often wondered if it is really good for the deer. Protein feed made from ingredients imported from overseas and GMO "roundup ready" corn is not a deer's natural diet. I've also wondered about the risk of a tainted batch of feed making them sick.

[Anvilheadtexas]

My lease is in Polk County near the Trinity county line. We noticed a big drop in deer numbers after the 2011 drought. Seems like we have been trying to get our numbers back up ever since then.
We used to get 18 doe tags on 1400 acres and often used them all, along with 5 or 6 bucks. We took that many deer every year for over 20 years. A few years ago we started getting only 10 doe tags for our 1400 acres, and we only use about half of them. The large lease next to us has not shot a doe the past two seasons...their choice to help the numbers. Our herd is slowly coming back to the numbers we saw in past years.
Our Turkey population has exploded in the past two years, likely helped by a lot of clear cutting.
We feed protein year round and throw a lot of corn, but I have often wondered if it is really good for the deer. Protein feed made from ingredients imported from overseas and GMO "roundup ready" corn is not a deer's natural diet. I've also wondered about the risk of a tainted batch of feed making them sick.

That’s great to hear about the turkey. back when I used to hunt down that way, probably not far from you, there was a huge pocket of easterns south of 287 near the Trinty/polk county line. But that was almost 15 years ago.

Your comment on your acreage and the does you harvested is interesting… 10 does for 1,400. For everyone guy that is conservative, there’s that 12 acre tract next to him that…

[DedDuk]

Shocked that you say the hogs are not out of control. We border your property. 2 years ago, a pen would keep the hogs out. Last year, a couple hogs throughout the place would jump into pens. This year, just about every pen has hogs jumping into it. We also have been hammered by the logging company. I'd bet they have cut 1500-2000 acres in the past year on our lease. (thats on our place, they have hit the other 9000 acres also. ) Thats lots of new native growth and lots of new cover coming into the end of summer. As far as deer numbers, Im not sure. We still feed 30-40 tons of protein a year. I think now that we are done with protein for the year you will start seeing a few more deer. We always have some during the summer that disappear in the winter and are gone until the first load of protein in February.

[prodigyoutdoors]

Following

[Death from Above]

That is exactly what I am seeing at my place although I am not MLD. Last year A family guest took a fine 10 pointer and I bunked up a bow shot on a very fine 8. That being said i’m not sure that’s really good or not. It’s nice to know you have a chance seeing a good buck, but it’s tough sitting in a stand without seeing anything and watching your ungrazed oats grow. It would be nice to see a deer in one’s Hayfield in the off-season now and again as well…but yeah we have a healthy deer herd.

Lol…go hunt where the deer are, not were you want them to be.

And for the record a healthy deer herd should be an outdoors and goal…if you wanna watch wildlife then go to a zoo

[Snowflake Killa]

No shortage of deer on our place for sure. I'm with gumbo feed more

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[Javelin]

I hunt northeast Polk county and have been MLD on 6,000 since around 2005. We dont have a numbers issue at all. you cant hardly drive the main road without seeing several deer. I dont think I have had but maybe 3 or 4 sits over the last three years without seeing at least one deer. Our biggest issue is we flood or have flooded almost every year for the last 8 years or so. The deer head for higher ground, but as soon as the water comes down they come back. I had the same buck on camera for 4 years in a row, only reason it wasnt 5 was I killed him the 4th when he was 6.5 years old.

[cnc_xt]

The population seems fine in my opinion!

[Anvilheadtexas]

I hunt northeast Polk county and have been MLD on 6,000 since around 2005. We dont have a numbers issue at all. you cant hardly drive the main road without seeing several deer. I dont think I have had but maybe 3 or 4 sits over the last three years without seeing at least one deer. Our biggest issue is we flood or have flooded almost every year for the last 8 years or so. The deer head for higher ground, but as soon as the water comes down they come back. I had the same buck on camera for 4 years in a row, only reason it wasnt 5 was I killed him the 4th when he was 6.5 years old.

Awesome. We are prob close. I bet your lease is on Piney Creek or there abouts. Makes me wonder if it’s not an immediate local issue for me when I see posts like yours. Or maybe my expectations are too high?

[Anvilheadtexas]

Shocked that you say the hogs are not out of control. We border your property. 2 years ago, a pen would keep the hogs out. Last year, a couple hogs throughout the place would jump into pens. This year, just about every pen has hogs jumping into it. We also have been hammered by the logging company. I'd bet they have cut 1500-2000 acres in the past year on our lease. (thats on our place, they have hit the other 9000 acres also. ) Thats lots of new native growth and lots of new cover coming into the end of summer. As far as deer numbers, Im not sure. We still feed 30-40 tons of protein a year. I think now that we are done with protein for the year you will start seeing a few more deer. We always have some during the summer that disappear in the winter and are gone until the first load of protein in February.

You would think that your planted clearcut and my mature woods there would be this never ending back and forth from one place to the other. I am still waiting. Lol. That being said, I do get a few pictures every year of cruising bucks coming off your place that look protein healthy in both body and rack. Never consistent pictures however. Clearly they are just cruising.

There are some hogs coming out of your clear cut now, but it’s not major.

[Javelin]

Awesome. We are prob close. I bet your lease is on Piney Creek or there abouts. Makes me wonder if it’s not an immediate local issue for me when I see posts like yours. Or maybe my expectations are too high?

yep piney creek is out south border and the neches is our north. we end to the east where piney dumps into the river

[Anvilheadtexas]

yep piney creek is out south border and the neches is our north. we end to the east where piney dumps into the river

Man, that has to be pretty cool hunting down in there. We are close, but our overall terrain and conditions are night and day. Where do you access this land from?