Lack of Deer in Llano?

[Garrett Harlan]

My family has been on a 1800 acer LF lease in Llano, TX for the past 11 years with a handle-full of other family friends. In the past years we don't have huge bucks (largest being 146" take from the place) but it is typical to see 5-10 or more deer each sit.

Last year (2019/2020) was rather slow with people not seeing as many deer throughout the year with 15 deer not taken at the end of the season out of our total allotment of deer. (Each spot on the lease gets 1 mature buck, 1 cull & 2 does). A few people on our lease last year would go through a hunt and only see 1-2 and even get skunked a few hunts.

This season is the same but worse. 4 weeks into the season only 6 deer shot on our place. I hunted 4 times this past weekend only seeing 4 deer total for the weekend.


Just wanted to see if anyone else in Llano County was experiencing anything similar? We are hearing a lot more coyotes and wondering if the freeze made a big impact on the deer in the hill country.

[RMW]

Acorns might have something to do with it, I’m not in llano but the deer where pounding my protein feeders in summer and early fall and then the acorns hit the ground and they pretty much stopped coming to the feeders.

[Uncle_Milty]

My family has been on a 1800 acer LF lease in Llano, TX for the past 11 years with a handle-full of other family friends. In the past years we don't have huge bucks (largest being 146" take from the place) but it is typical to see 5-10 or more deer each sit.

Last year (2019/2020) was rather slow with people not seeing as many deer throughout the year with 15 deer not taken at the end of the season out of our total allotment of deer. (Each spot on the lease gets 1 mature buck, 1 cull & 2 does). A few people on our lease last year would go through a hunt and only see 1-2 and even get skunked a few hunts.

This season is the same but worse. 4 weeks into the season only 6 deer shot on our place. I hunted 4 times this past weekend only seeing 4 deer total for the weekend.



Just wanted to see if anyone else in Llano County was experiencing anything similar? We are hearing a lot more coyotes and wondering if the freeze made a big impact on the deer in the hill country.

I would highly recommend a predator call and taking out as many yotes as you can. If your deer numbers are indeed low then you want as many fawns as possible to make it this coming spring.

Big Cat in the area by chance?

What do you trail cameras show? Less activity than normal? Has anyone new started hunting around you that may have an impact? 1800acres is a good bit so you should have some deer that never leave the property.

[Garrett Harlan]

I would highly recommend a predator call and taking out as many yotes as you can. If your deer numbers are indeed low then you want as many fawns as possible to make it this coming spring.

Big Cat in the area by chance?

What do you trail cameras show? Less activity than normal? Has anyone new started hunting around you that may have an impact? 1800acres is a good bit so you should have some deer that never leave the property.

Yessir, we are working with the landowner and surrounding landowners now to have a trapper come out after the season is done to knock down the population of yotes. Will need most neighbors to get onboard for it to really make an impact.

Trail cameras reflect the same thing we see during the hunts, not that many deer.

[Hills of Texas]

Llano county has an over abundance of whitetail deer. If your not seeing you share of them, then something else is going on. Coyotes will put pressure on them but not any worse than anywhere else in the county. There acorns are hit or miss this year. Some places are covered up, others none at all.

[BLee15]

I’m in Cherokee and have been seeing plenty of deer. Haven’t seen a nice mature buck yet but there aren’t many to begin with. Are y’all feeding year round? I haven’t seen much acorns this year and the deer are coming to corn

[Garrett Harlan]

Llano county has an over abundance of whitetail deer. If your not seeing you share of them, then something else is going on. Coyotes will put pressure on them but not any worse than anywhere else in the county. There acorns are hit or miss this year. Some places are covered up, others none at all.

We have almost zero acorns on our lease this year, would that have the deer traveling elsewhere for them?

[PondPopper]

Llano county has an over abundance of whitetail deer. If your not seeing you share of them, then something else is going on. Coyotes will put pressure on them but not any worse than anywhere else in the county. There acorns are hit or miss this year. Some places are covered up, others none at all.

This^^^It is very odd to have that so few deer on 1800 acres in Llano OR surrounding counties..

How many hunters is a "hand full"??

[Hills of Texas]

Possibly. It’s also possible that your neighbor is feeding heavily and pulling deer out of an area. If you have any higher elevation, where you can see a little better, you might try glassing and catch them moving through. The bucks are crushing around pretty good right now. You might catch one out in the open moving around. Plus, the moons been fairly bright. Lots of times a mid day sit can be extremely productive.

[Garrett Harlan]

This^^^It is very odd to have that so few deer on 1800 acres in Llano OR surrounding counties..

How many hunters is a "hand full"??

We have 6 total spots on our lease. My dad, brother and I share 1 spot.

[Garrett Harlan]

Possibly. It’s also possible that your neighbor is feeding heavily and pulling deer out of an area. If you have any higher elevation, where you can see a little better, you might try glassing and catch them moving through. The bucks are crushing around pretty good right now. You might catch one out in the open moving around. Plus, the moons been fairly bright. Lots of times a mid day sit can be extremely productive.

Surrounding neighbors are saying the same thing, less deer being seen so its not just our lease.

[Hills of Texas]

The other thing that happens and I don’t know if it applies to your lease but its quite all year long and then when deer season arrives, it’s atv’s running around everywhere, ar fire on hogs and all kinds of other things that are out of the norm. It can change up a deers normal routine.

[Mexico]

We have 6 total spots on our lease. My dad, brother and I share 1 spot.

This explains a lot, 3 people and 1 spot? WTH? You have the potential to have 18 hunters on this place??

Way too much traffic, and possible over harvest happening. And if you're LF " culling " I guarantee you guys are shooting future trophies and calling them culls....

[Hills of Texas]

Try rattling today and tomorrow. You might be surprised. The bucks are responding well right now.

[Garrett Harlan]

This explains a lot, 3 people and 1 spot? WTH? You have the potential to have 18 hunters on this place??

Way too much traffic, and possible over harvest happening. And if you're LF " culling " I guarantee you guys are shooting future trophies and calling them culls....

You are jumping to conclusion sir. My dad, brother and I share a single spot because we have enough room on lease where we have separate feeders/blinds. Everyone else on the lease is a single hunter and we are never up there at the same time.

And we have strict management rules on what is considered a cull sir. Any buck that is a stag (fuzzy antlers, no nutz) or a 5.5 or older buck that has had no change or antler development.