We are leasing 200 acres in rock island texas(colorado county). i know it is not the best county to hunt deer in and that there arent any huge bucks there. We put out 3 feeders on the property around october 5 and within a week we saw a lot of deer on the trail cams. Within three weeks i saw several bucks that were outside the ears and saw a few that were a really good deer for my standards of deer hunting. With that said, i was seeing so many does and bucks in october and now they have vanished. What do yall think would be good to do for this place? It is right of highway 90 so there is alot of activity around there. I was thinking about putting up hog pens and my uncle even suggested a food plot... If you guys had just got a lease in this area, what would be a few things you would do to do to get the deer staying in the area? I already have feeders and i built ground blinds for each. I am just so frustrated that all the bucks i was seeing on the cameras in october have just vanished..... The good thing about the place is that its an hour from my house so i can go there whenever. Im thinking of planting a small food plot, any other ideas?

The same has happened with a lot of people this year. But it is due to the acorn harvest. Have any down that way?

yes, but the thing is that i was seeing acorns on the ground on october when i was seeing the deer. They were old acorns but there were tons of them. I guess its possible that a new batch of acorns have fallen in the last couple weeks. It just seems wierd that it would change so quickly. Im talking a day or two, i was seeing bucks on my cameras every day, on opening day i passed on a nice 8 point because i assumed i would see a better one since i saw them on my cameras. After opening day, no bucks on the cameras.

Agreed!! it happened to me this year.. Deer will continue to eat acorns until a good hard freeze and when all the acorns rot

Hunting pressure can change patterns

honestly, i am kind of hoping acrons are the problem, i am starting to think there just arent many deer in the area. although i have seen a ton on my cameras, i have heard many shots in the area while hunting. I have hunted my whole life but never on a place this close to civilization so im kind of worried about the deer population. Another thing is that i had the feeders out only a month before the season and i built 3 blinds and put them out like 3 days before the season. The wood and paint has a pretty strong smell.

I had a lease in the same general area for several years. Every October I bow hunted and saw a fairly good number of bucks every time I went out. Come rifle season, they became nocturnal and moved almost strictly at night but were still there. Bucks were almost impossible to get during rifle season. A lot of days we would not see a single deer, buck or doe, but the trails were beat down with fresh deer tracks every morning all over the lease. Never did find a solution to the problem. Good luck!

If acorns are your problem, the last half of deer season should put them on your feeders. Nearly all of the acorns will have been eaten or gone bad by then. I had that happen one year when we had a bumper crop of acorns. I had corn plants two feet tall under my corn feeders until then and after that, the ground under the feeders looked like it had been plowed up.

I hope it returns to normal, i keep checking the colorado county wildlife management site and they have pictures of bucks that were shot and entered into the colorado county buck contest. There are some nice bucks on there and if the people on there are seeing bucks, then i figure i have the same odds. I am just going to keep going as much as i can. I have found that it is better on cold days than warm.

I have to agree and say that the acorns are part of your problem... The other 2 factors of why you are Not seeing the deer is hunting pressure as you said you have heard plenty of shots and the fact that you waited so long to put out your freshly painted stands! Mostly the pressure and acorns, but the née changes to the scenery may take a month to a few months for the deer to become comfortable during the day around the new stands!!! I have done the same at my lease just to study the effects and it does hurt deer movement mainly during the day! A well planted food plot and year round feeding will hold them in
Your area during the next season also! Good luck man!!!

If the rut is going on in your area that will affect what you see. At some point you won't see any deer because they are not moving while mating. Towards the end when the bucks go searching for the last does coming in heat, that is when you catch large bucks making mistakes. Good luck.