Hello All,
SO I am from Alaska and have just got the chance to come to Texas to hunt whitetails.
I am not sure what to expect as I have never been there. I have access to a hunting lease.
The dates I will be hunting are from 20-25 November.

I don't know the exact location as my friend is picking me up in Austin and driving from there. Says it is about an hour away.
He doesn't have a lot of info for me. I think mostly this is just his Thanksgiving get away. He does have some nice bucks on the wall though.

OK what I am wondering?

What temperatures can I expect?

What type of rut activity?

Should I bring calls/rattle bag and attempt to call in deer.(most of the hunting will be from a blind and there are feeders around)

Any other info you think would help I would appreciate. I want to bring the meat back up to Alaska.

Thanks all.
Jason

The weather will be like summer compared to what you are used to. I would kill to hunt in Alaska and you are coming to Menard Co.

Menard county is about 90 miles from Austin.

Temps should be no colder than lower 30's, and could be in the upper 60's easily in the daytime, just depends on fronts passing through.

Tons of cold storage in those parts, so a deer spoiling is unlikely if proper measures are taken that will ensure you get to take some whitetail back with ya.

All of those options will be available, and the rut should be peaking around that time.

Some scenic country in that region, so bring the camera.

Don't forget Coopers Ole Time Pit BBQ in Llano, always top 10 BBQ in Texas every year.

Good luck

Thanks for the info.

Hookem 'UTbass, what tactics do you use to optimize the rut?

I am looking at what to bring to make this hunt to create success, rather than cross my fingers!

Anyone else have some tips to optimize the rut????

Timber Trout, the hardest part about hunting up here is setting a date and making it happen. I made a friend from there and he hunted up here. That is how my going down there came about.
Send me an email and maybe we could put something together. I really enjoy this state, but I do miss hunting the lower 48 as well. Especially elk and mule deer!!!

Jason-
Menard county has some great country, and some good deer. I'm heading there from California the day after thanksgiving for a week plus, as I've done for the last five years to a lease I'm a part of with some guys from Texas and Louisiana. Our lease is about 15 miles outside of the town of Menard.

Your timing is right on the visit, we always see a lot of rut related activity when we go, I think it's usually peaking or just a bit past peak when we are there, and we have great success both hunting with corn and without. We'll (and you should) see the bucks sparring, chasing does etc. It's very cool.

If you are sitting over a feeder, you will see lots of deer. Even if you are not sitting over corn, you can still see a ton of deer, but don't be shy about bringing some apple scented corn out with you and tossing a bit around, even the day or morning before you set up in a non feeder spot, or even for that matter to set up some opportunities in addition to the feeder. The acorn powders/deer cane etc work well too.

Rattling on the ground is an experience not to be missed. Get into some thick cover with a couple shooting lanes, have your partner rattle scraping the ground and hitting the brush too, and get ready to make a quick decision, because they can come running in on you in a flash. They can take a while to get there, so be patient, give a spot a 1/2 hour or so. Never shot one ground rattling, but seeing them charge in is pretty wild. I've brought deer in by rattling in a blind too, even over corn, mid-morning after the feeding activity has died down a bit. Spot and stalk is tough, but doable (much easier on blacktails it seems).

Just remember that the time of year you will be there, if you see a doe, there's a very good chance a buck will come next, and don't be surprised if another bigger, older one follows him, and another after that. Hunting in the stands is great fun, but getting in a popup blind can be a blast too...having the deer 8 yards from you is kind of nice, especially if you are packing a bow. They will jump the string though, so aim at the lower section of your optimal target area if you're hunting with a bow. Not a lot of super long rifle shots, at least in the type of cover on our lease...maybe 120 is the longest, but average is probably 50 or so yards. I switched to an iron site lever action a few years ago and it gets the deer just fine.
There are some decent sized deer in the area, but watch out for ground shrinkage...it happens!

The big old bucks tend to come out at very last light, and the big old does seem just as hard to get as the good bucks...they are weary. I would say if there's a good reason to have a scope, it's to be able to ID that big old buck at the very last minute of shooting light.

As someone mentioned, it can range from 30 in the AM to 60 in the afternoon, but there always seems to be a day or two of a colder snap when we go. Was 22 degrees out walking to my stand in the morning last year around the 1st of December. Get in your blind early, and stay long. I'll sit all day sometimes, maybe just go back in for lunch. Scent control clothing seems to help if you have it, especially in a ground blind situation but there have been successful hunters for years without it. I would say just try to keep your gear free of liquor and tobacco smells (not always that easy to do) and hunt the wind and you should be fine.

We quarter the deer, and store in coolers with ice until the day before we leave, then debone it, repack it in big plastic bags with double bags and zipties and stuff the coolers full. Just keep draining the storage coolers, and keep checking the ice and the meat stays plenty cold. Check them as baggage, but tape them closed. Bring tape with you to the airport, because they'll want to open the coolers and have a look inside when you check them in at the counter. I put more ice on it when I get home that night and get it to the butcher or repack it myself the next day and it's always been fine. Highly recommend the double bagging though, had my coolers come off the luggage carousel one year trailing bloody ice water...got out of that airport pretty quick.

Ditto on the stop at Coopers in Llano (which you go through on your way to Menard)...we stop every year on our way in and it's a great place to grab some Texas BBQ. And in Menard proper, make sure to stop by Burnham Brothers on the old main street. The proprietor, Gary Roberson, is a kick to talk to about deer hunting and management, great guy. Makes a nice wooden grunt call too that I would pick up if I were you, nicer tone than the all plastic ones.

Have a great trip, I'll be following the next week!

JSK,
Thanks for all that info brother. That is the kind of stuff I am looking for to make this hunt exciting. I am bringing my son and this will be his first deer hunt!
It's gonna be great!!
Thanks again.

Jason-

You bet. You guys should have a blast. Just got some photos from the annual flight of our lease, and there are some real good looking bucks out there this year, looks like a great year for horn growth. I'm having a hard time concentrating at work...I can't wait! Would post a couple of the pictures, but can't figure out how to do it. If you want to PM me, I can send you couple via e-mail. Have a great trip!

best,

j