Anyone ever get discouraged?

[marshman]

Just wondering if others ever get to feeling discouraged about deer hunting? I’m kinda been feeling that way lately. I’ve been on the same SETX lease for 5 years and all I’ve killed is a lot of money, a lot of time, a lot of work and a lot of mosquitoes. On top of that I haven’t seen many deer while hunting. And when I do it’s usually does after does season. (We are not MLD). Then when muzzleloader season rolls around the does disappear again. We have deer and good deer at that. I have plenty of pics and many other members do too. Several nice bucks have been taken along with does when they were open. One thing I’ve noticed in my 5 years there is it’s usually the same members getting deer every year. I’ve also noticed as time goes by I get more discouraged and do not sit as long as I used to. I used to could sit from daylight to about 11 head to camp for lunch walk around stretch my legs then be back on stand by 1 until dark. Now I’m doing good to make it to 9am. Seems like I’m not expecting to see anything so I get impatient. I know it can all change in a split second if a good buck steps out but it’s hard to pay attention and stay focused. I know I’m not anywhere close to being a great hunter , but for nearly 20
Years I lived in Alabama , Louisiana, and Mississippi and never had problems getting around 2-4 deer every year. My freezer had deer meat in it year round. Sorry for the vent, just down and discouraged and wondered if anyone else is going through or has gone through the same thing.

[NLuna]

I feel your pain! I was hunting liberty for 3 years and only harvested 3 doe. I relocated to the hill country in Utopia, TX and have no shortage of deer now. I think it is time for you to head south brother.

[dustoffer]

Well marshman---I'm about ready to hang it up with the bow this year, and rifle too as I saw ZERO deer during the bow season, and have seen deer only 5 sits during the general season, none legal. Bucks on camera during daylight very seldom, and at night frequently. I hunt a small tract (80 ac) of which only about 50 is brush, the rest is pasture.

Several years ago I had two places near Wimberley (hill country) that had lots and lots of deer, but my friends who owned the places passed away and their families sold the land.
Sure do miss those places as I seldom hunted there when I didn't see at least one deer, and most often many.

However, I have lots of hogs coming and as soon as I decide to do it, I'll take my 12-ga and go slam a few of them!

[Stuck]

I’d start paying attention to what the members that seem to kill every year are doing.

[Turbo6]

same thing on my lease. other members just throw out a feeder and go out to sit in a box blind 50-60 yards away and kill a nice deer with a rifle every year.

I try and bow hunt, sit longer, etc and all I see are does and young bucks.

[AntlerCollector]

After 5 years I think I would be looking for a change of scenery. I may have a bow only lease come available after this season. The guys that are on it are wanting a place closer to their home. It's about 80 acres in Bon Weir.

[marshman]

I’d start paying attention to what the members that seem to kill every year are doing.

They really are not doing anything different. Sitting in a box looking at a feeder.

[Native Texan]

East Texas deer hunting can be frustrating at times. Are you hunting the same stand or area all the time? Riding a 4 wheeler out to the stand? Hunting only over a feeder? The deer will get your pattern down pretty quick and know when you are there.
Sometimes you just have to think outside the box. Hunt the oaks dropping acorns, downwind of scrapes or game trails or use a scent drag. Try hunting the middle of the day when everyone is in camp, especially when it coincides with peak solunar periods. Rattling can be effective too at times. Hunt a different area of the lease if you are allowed to. Get off the feeder and hand corn close to the thickest areas. Walk the roads and find where they are crossing...set up a brush blind there to give you a long rifle shot so scent control is not a problem. Hunt the middle of the week when you have the lease to yourself.

It can be tough and discouraging, but if there are legal deer there they can be killed. Just have to get creative with your methods...and you won't kill any sitting in camp.

[Greenheadless]

Could be all about how they enter the hunting area and have their set situated.

I find figuring these two things out are key in SE Texas. You have to be able to slip in, be there, and then slip back out without them ever knowing you were there. This is not as easy as you think.

All great things in the post above as well^^^^^^^^^

[hogslayer78]

I’d start paying attention to what the members that seem to kill every year are doing.

These guys are doing something different than you are. Maybe they are walking in father, parking farther away, ect. For the same people to always kill means they are doing something right. If you have good numbers on camera and they disappear when your there then something is going on. I used to have the same problem on my East Texas lease. I might see 3 or 4 deer all year and never any mature bucks. I started driving my truck to the stand and walking about a 1/2 mile in and what a huge difference that made. When I quit driving that atv to the stand the deer numbers I seen when up dramatically. They will pattern you just like we try and pattern them. Its doesn't take them long to associate the atv with danger, especially in East Texas. The deer will follow you around on the ranger at my buddy's lease in Brackettville. That aint gonna happen in East Texas.

[bullets13]

They probably just have better spots. I was on a lease in Kirbyville for a year and there was one stand where all the big bucks seemed to show up at. His spot didn’t really look any different than anyone else’s, but they travelled through there for whatever reason

[kyle1974]

I never liked hunting in east Texas. I realize that good deer come out of east Texas every year but the area as a whole is so segmented with small tracts of land and over ran with pigs it makes the deer hunting hit and miss.


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[stickemhard3]

Sounds like your spot within the lease just doesn't produce, yet. It's a fact that deer prefer some areas over others even when the terrain is almost the exact same. The main 4 factors that you can control and that can change their patterns to a varying degree are: constant food, water, low-traffic, and time. If you have controlled those 4 factors for 5yrs and the place still sucks. I'd be finding a new lease.

[Radar]

Its been a long time since I have seen this few of bucks. Last weekend really soured me because all three of my feeders had corn piled up underneath them and no bucks and few does were on trail cams. I even sat in my rifle stand on Saturday evening.

Strange year so far, hopefully I can sling an arrow at something this year, although I have been skunked many times before. I will be off for 9 days during the holidays, plan on hunting 7 of those days.

[RiverRat1]

Sounds like your spot within the lease just doesn't produce, yet. It's a fact that deer prefer some areas over others even when the terrain is almost the exact same. The main 4 factors that you can control and that can change their patterns to a varying degree are: constant food, water, low-traffic, and time. If you have controlled those 4 factors for 5yrs and the place still sucks. I'd be finding a new lease.

We get people every year hunting with us that have the same story. Spending way too much time, money, labor and don't see enough deer. All good if you have and can handle all 3 PLUS more time to actually hunt. So you may want to look into a day lease type hunt. Talk to several people who go on them to find a good one.

The about I quoted is accurate. We have so many deer it feels like they hide behind every little bush. But the same 3 stands have 3-5 times more deer versus the other 4 stands. And it doesn't matter how many we kill off the top 3 or how much traffic there is at the top 3 stands. For some reason they just love those 3. And it's not food or water or cover. It's a mystery.