How's it looking after Anthrax

[taco1979]

Just curious how everyone is making out.

Are deer making their way back to your areas?
Plan on leaving your lease or already gone?

We're personally seeing a few animals return, but it's nothing to write home about as most a very young deer. Might be up to a couple dozen deer or so seen every trip.

[Txhuntr2]

We dodged the anthrax this year but I’ve been wondering about this myself since we’re in the anthrax triangle and it could hit us next.

Where’s your lease taco?

[AgBass01]

What did I miss???

[Txhuntr2]

What did I miss???

https://discussions.texasbowhunter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=737352

[AgBass01]

https://discussions.texasbowhunter.c...d.php?t=737352

Holy smokes! That's crazy.

[Txhuntr2]

Holy smokes! That's crazy.

There are a lot of ranches that were wiped out. Was a bad year for many.

[JhuntsAlot]

I don't hunt an affected area, but have a buddy in Midland who has a lease just south of Ozona and he said around half the dear there died from it.

Really bad stuff and hitting some areas hard. I just wonder when it becomes something TPWD try to do something about.


J

[taco1979]

We dodged the anthrax this year but I’ve been wondering about this myself since we’re in the anthrax triangle and it could hit us next.

Where’s your lease taco?

Between Sonora and Juno (Hwy 189)

[WTN]

Should be plenty of ranches out West available for lease soon. Proceed with caution.

[Capt Glenn]

We got on a new lease in an anthrax prone area this year. Supposedly our pasture and others around us didn't get hit but we sure aren't seeing many deer. The guy who runs the ranch and our biologist both say there were no signs of anthrax in that immediate area. No dead deer, no buzzards, etc. They also say there has been a couple sightings of a mountain lion right by our pasture recently that may have pushed a bunch of deer out. But I can't see one cat running 75% of the deer off multiple pastures that are all say 1500-2500 acres each.

I put up a feeder in September and have had my camera out since then. Last I was out was 3 weeks ago and I had exactly 1 doe on my camera since Sept. Lots of hogs, some audad but only 1 doe. Several of us hunted 3 days and saw 6-8 deer total, all yearlings and maybe up to 2 year old does and bucks. All very young deer. Other guys who have been on the lease a long time went out the next weekend and saw very few as well. They said normally they would see 10-15 deer per sit and usually 3 or 4 decent bucks. And they saw just a very few as well.

I don't know about the big cat thing but maybe so. We are going to finish out the season and if there is no improvement I am calling BS and moving on. And I sure hate to, great amenities and a real good and very small group of guys. It's been nice except for the lack of deer. We'll be back out this weekend so I guess we'll see if there is any improvement.

[ccbrown50]

Between Sonora and Juno (Hwy 189)

Same, we are about 10 miles down 189 from 277. We were devastated, I personally haven't even gone back since August where the whole weekend we only seen 1 deer. Months earlier in a weekend of riding around you would see 100+ deer easily. A few guys have been up there this season but have seen no more than 5 deer altogether over a few days.

I will most likely be getting off the lease. Got lucky and found a place in Webb County this season last minute that seems to be much better anyways. A little pricey but worth it just to get out of the Anthrax Triangle in my opinion.

[taco1979]

We got on a new lease in an anthrax prone area this year. Supposedly our pasture and others around us didn't get hit but we sure aren't seeing many deer. The guy who runs the ranch and our biologist both say there were no signs of anthrax in that immediate area. No dead deer, no buzzards, etc. They also say there has been a couple sightings of a mountain lion right by our pasture recently that may have pushed a bunch of deer out. But I can't see one cat running 75% of the deer off multiple pastures that are all say 1500-2500 acres each.

I put up a feeder in September and have had my camera out since then. Last I was out was 3 weeks ago and I had exactly 1 doe on my camera since Sept. Lots of hogs, some audad but only 1 doe. Several of us hunted 3 days and saw 6-8 deer total, all yearlings and maybe up to 2 year old does and bucks. All very young deer. Other guys who have been on the lease a long time went out the next weekend and saw very few as well. They said normally they would see 10-15 deer per sit and usually 3 or 4 decent bucks. And they saw just a very few as well.

I don't know about the big cat thing but maybe so. We are going to finish out the season and if there is no improvement I am calling BS and moving on. And I sure hate to, great amenities and a real good and very small group of guys. It's been nice except for the lack of deer. We'll be back out this weekend so I guess we'll see if there is any improvement.

That sounds about like our place so I'd bet on Anthrax. Sucks man

[taco1979]

Same, we are about 10 miles down 189 from 277. We were devastated, I personally haven't even gone back since August where the whole weekend we only seen 1 deer. Months earlier in a weekend of riding around you would see 100+ deer easily. A few guys have been up there this season but have seen no more than 5 deer altogether over a few days.

I will most likely be getting off the lease. Got lucky and found a place in Webb County this season last minute that seems to be much better anyways. A little pricey but worth it just to get out of the Anthrax Triangle in my opinion.

We're hunting pretty close to one another and I agree it is just crazy how so many deer just disappeared over night. I've made trips several times a month since July just trying to get a grasp of how things are and how quickly they're improving and it's been depressing. So many 6-7 year old bucks that we've watched over the years wasted.

We saw more deer on camera and during blind sits the last two trips than we seen the previous three months so there's hope yet. The few deer remaining will have plenty to eat that's for dang sure

[bowhntrmatt]

Wow this is terrible to hear. I’m just south of Comstock and it missed us. We are having a pretty stellar year for both deer numbers and antlers.

[ccbrown50]

We're hunting pretty close to one another and I agree it is just crazy how so many deer just disappeared over night. I've made trips several times a month since July just trying to get a grasp of how things are and how quickly they're improving and it's been depressing. So many 6-7 year old bucks that we've watched over the years wasted.

We saw more deer on camera and during blind sits the last two trips than we seen the previous three months so there's hope yet. The few deer remaining will have plenty to eat that's for dang sure

I'm glad to hear there's hope, we put in 3 years of management only hunting passing on a lot of deer with good potential and all that is gone. Don't think I can go through that again. Common sense tells me its going to be at least 5 years or so before there are any trophies....hope I'm wrong and the area recovers quicker.