Weird Deer Season

[RickBarbee]

This has not only been the worst season, but also the WEIRDEST I have ever experienced.

Saw several doe in early down at the feeder behind the house this morning, and right after 8 o'clock I had a huge buck come in.

He was half again bigger than the biggest doe.

Now here's the weird part I have never EVER seen before - He was in full rut (neck all swelled up & all), and chasing the doe HARD, but he has already shed his antlers.

The pedicals were as big around as my wrists, and he wasn't an old buck. Maybe a 4 year old.

I could have legally shot him too, because we are in our antlerless only season.

Of course I didn't shoot him, because I bet he had a monster rack before he dropped them. I hope he lives to next season.

Rick

[DRT]

No doubt it has been different this season. Glad you're still seeing some.

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[huntingarcher]

We are starting to find fresh sheds in our feed pens and food plots,seems early to me.We are in East Texas.

[Trinity Outfitters]

Crazy year. Not seeing near the numbers. You made the right decision!

[RickBarbee]

Deer in this country have never started shedding antlers until around the end of February - first of March, but I started seeing shed bucks about the middle of December.
That's early by over two months

This one wasn't the first one I've seen already shed either.
I've seen around a half dozen so far.
It's just the only time I've seen a mature shed buck in full on rut.

Rick

[60 Deluxe]

It seems that the winter season came a month early, also. Considering the drought stress on the deer herd and the lack of numbers, I sat this season out. Pray for rain. Comparing some pictures of the pasture from a few years ago to what it looks like now explains a lot.

[DRT]

Yeah we are spending way too much trying to maintain them.

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[Hoytbowhunter]

We have the same thing happening as far as chasing in Mertzon, I think the drought has a lot to do with it. We got a lot of rain just before season, everything greened up. They start concentrating on eating. I think survival mode kicks in then the rut happens later.

[txtrophy85]

Didn’t see a mature buck and my numbers were way down. On a stand where I would normally see 10-15 deer I would see 2-3 deer.

Very odd season

[Sika]

Didn’t see a mature buck and my numbers were way down. On a stand where I would normally see 10-15 deer I would see 2-3 deer.

Very odd season

Same in llano. As a result we decided not to shoot anything this year to let the population recover.

[M.E.B.]

Crappiest season ever.

[TxMedic]

Super weird season…

[PapaSmurf]

we are in N Erath county and also seeing deer dropping there antlers before Christmas really strange season

[Hogmauler]

I literally just witnessed that last week in Robertson county. Had a doe run out of the park patch with a buck chasing her. I few minutes later the buck came back with his nose to the ground, musta saw another doe cause he hit the afterburners!
The day before, my friend was out on our place with his black powder and saw a huge buck jump from the neighboring property onto ours and chased a doe. He came back a few minutes later and hit a group of does on the other side of the fence scattering them like pool balls.
This friend of mine has killed scores of bucks so when says “this buck was huge” I know he wasn’t exaggerating. But, adding to the weirdness, I’d never seen that buck on camera or in person. Two, smaller antlers with literally thousands of acorns on the ground and last but not least thousands of acorns on the ground during a drought. It truly has been a weird year.
Granted, I let 3.5 / 4 y olds walk, had two shots on does that didn’t materialize, and shot a doe last week with black powder at a hundred yards. Rolled her, she got up and bulldozed for about 10 yards, recovered. Ran back to the fence and couldn’t jump it, turned and ran back down our power right of way. Never found her. So that was my deer until October.

[RickBarbee]

The deer in the area where I've witnessed this aren't lacking for the availability of nutrition, or water.

There are tons of acorns on the ground for them, plus we keep good feed & water out for them 24/7/365.

They all look, and act healthy. Very healthy in fact, and that just adds to the mystery of it.

Rick