Its hot, its windy but I had a great evening. I hunted one of the tripods I place on a oak flat this evening. It was very slow, spending the time reading a paperback until 5:43 (keep in mind that shooting time ends at my locale at 6:01). At that time, I saw a 4pt come out of a thicket and it started to feed on post oak acorns. It found a couple of more rubs I hadn't noticed, licking them, and then put it's tail up and head down and hit the trail. It jumped a cross-fence I'm on and passed within about 5 yards of my tripod as it went back into the brush. Within a minuteI a saw a doe run across the flat at top speed. In minutes I had 2 6pts, 3 8pts, and 2 10pts running in circles in the flat in front of me. The doe ran past me and into the brush and all the bucks followed at top speed. The name calling and horn crashing started behind me. I was running out of time fast. A small 8pt ran out from behind me, made a circle through the flat at top speed and almost ran into my tripod. It stopped with head down, looked slowly up and me, and must have said "what the hell" as it jump back into the fight going on behind me. At 6:00, the very large 8pt hobbled out of the fray in front of me. I stopped him with a "blat" as he was getting ready to jump the cross fence, he is a 135 heavy horn 3 1/2 old deer, so I let me jump the fence 35-yard in front of me. My nephew and I saw this deer on Thanksgiving Day, he's hunting this weekend again, but the deer is too young. We take the AR rules further, only deer 4 1/2+. Anyway, back to the ruckus... My deer came out at 6:01, angling out in front of me. He is a 6 1/2 year old 10pt that was hit by a car two years ago and he travels with a bad hobble. I thought about taking the 80-yard shot but with the wind, the ambient light (very overcast), and the time I checked my "blat" and let him cross the flat.

Fellows, I will hold fast on my original December 10th peak date mentioned above. This action took place about 400 yards from the closest feeder! My nephew wanted to hunt a feeder and did not see a thing. I hope you have time to hunt hard!

I would also like to encourage each of you fellow Southern Post Oak Savannah hunters not to give up. This has been a tough year but the moon and stars are going to align and our future is going to be outstanding! We have the potential that can match anything South Texas has despite our small acreage lands. The AR rules are impacting the health of the herd, don't give up!

What I think I will see next year (I will use my property as the example) is that this mid December rut will be gone as the age structure of our bucks increases. I'm really anxious to do my fawn search next spring! The more mature bucks can and will accomplish the breeding in October and November. In the past, the young bucks have not had the knowledge or the stamina to get it done plus the fact that many, many got killed in the process.

Get your does in check and get ready for some good years ahead of us. The easiest way to meet the requirements for the doe tags is to enroll your property in a Wildlife Management Association. You do not have to be the landowner, get their blessing, but get the property in.

Friday afternoon full blown rut bucks everywhere chasing does! Sat absolutely nothing wind kicked up out of the south & temps went into 80's hunted 9 1/2 hours nothing. I wanted to thank ranch dog for sharing some his tips & personal hunting info on deer hunting in our area thanks Ranch dog!

I had a rough hunt. I hunted just outside of a creek bed that has a ton of oaks, but I did not get to hunt until Saturday and then hunted yesterday, it was hot. I did not see a deer and my dad saw one decent eight-point that he let walk. We did not even see a hog. I will be back out there Friday. The weather should be allot better! We did have allot of ducks on our ponds.

Still ongoing......saw two buck this morning lookin' for the ladies.

Also hunt ya'lls area. Daughter-in-law's family lives close to Waelder and her father has gotten several of us into leases south and southeast of town. We're going down this weekend and will let you know what we see. The leases are each about one section with mixed growth. Both have cattle.

I have been reading THF for a few years, tho' not posting much, and this is one of the most interesting and helpful threads I've seen. Many thanks to everyone and, especially, to Ranch Dog, lots of good info. In addition, was very interested in news/info on other parts of the area like from Dave Davidson's.

Last, talked with daughter-in-law's father about a week ago and mentioned "second acorn crop" I saw conjectured somewhere on the forum. He has 50+ years there and said he's never seen nor heard of such. He did say some kinds of oaks drop their acorns earlier than others and the weather makes the difference more pronounced in some years. So, once in a while it might seem there were two crops when it's really a gap between the drops from the different species of oak.

Man you guys got some nice country out there. Lots of creeks ... and with all the rains ,alot of them are running. not to mention all the ponds I see everywhere. I drive thru down 90 once in awhile for the scenery. I drive a route everyday from S.A. to La Grange. so I take various routes... I meet lots of good folks that always say "hi" or how u doin'. I don't get that here in the city. Guess thats why I'm out doors so much.I'll be hunting a buddys place out in Blanco County this weekend. Lots of deer out there, seen only one shooter but he never came in. Maybe this weekend I'll get em'.
Dont ask my why I just recently started taking pics of road signs everywhere I go.
I'd love to hunt out there...(clears thoat)

...just back from the family place.....

bucks after the does, still! very cold, 29, this morning.

saw several bucks, all lookin for does. hitting corn hard now!

I too just got back from Gonzales CO. Saw 4 does getting chased by 2 separate Bucks, looks like the season is picking up. I was getting a little leary with all the crazy weather/changing patterns. Corn feeders are still littered with old corn, and not much activity. Anybody else have an update on the Rut/scouting in Gonzales?

Prior to leaving on my mule deer hunt last Tuesday, the deer were really moving. 8th through the 10th, I saw 10 different bucks (Several legal on the big side). Back at it today and just walked back in from the pasture. Saw two awesome bucks; an 3 1/2-year old 8pt and a 4 1/2-year old 7pt. Calling the later a 7pt does not do the deer justice. It's brow tines are about 10" to 11" long with portionate main beams and tines. This is one of those 5 to 7pt bucks that the guys can't cull at age 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 because it is too narrow. Now at 4 1/2, this deer is going to score 135 and weigh 165 field dressed. It's worth the wait fellows! Being so close to the house, I'm going to see if my dad wants it. If not, it will only get bigger!

I was very tempted to return to my oak flat where I saw so much rutting activity last week but decided that it is now over and the bucks are going to want something that is tasty and good for them (that isn't corn). So, its time to hunt the clover.

I noticed yesterday evening and this morning that the deer are really on my food plots here at the house. I have several types of plants out there and what they are hitting is the Imperial Whitetail clover mix. The stand I hunted this evening is at a cross-roads of four food plots (60' wide by 750' long), all planted with different crops. The deer were in the clover ripping it out in huge mouthfulls. I was able to watch the two bucks come from about 300 yards away, straight to the clover. They both ate about 15 to 25 yards away from my tower blind for 30 minutes. There were does in the food plot with their yearlings and the bucks displayed no interest. They just ate like they were starving but I'm sure that they lost some body mass during the last several months of rutting. There is a corn feeder that they passed by 50-yards. They just went straight into the Imperial Clover. I didn't see a deer on the other three crops.

On the Wilson-Guadalupe line,we were out hunting I chose
to sit by my feeder with my son, my two nephews went towards
the tank they saw 4 bucks the largest a 10pt grunting and following a doe.They only had the bow deer was to far out,plus the cross-wind, a little after 6 a buck showed up at my feeder raised his head one time from eating nice rack but as like last year the 13" rule was in affect so I let him walk for another day.
It is allways great to have kids in the field my two nephews talked all the way home about seeing a big buck making the grunting noise following a doe.
Just like on t.v.
Price-less

My dad and I continue to hunt everyday. The rut is definitely long past and the bucks are really working the food sources. We have seen no activity at feeders, bucks wall right past them to get to:

• Acorns
• Clover
• Water

Both my dad and I have seen some very, very nice bucks. I really thought my dad might shoot this evening as the overcast skies prolonged "dusk" causing the bucks to move a little bit earlier but he did not see the wide racked 10pt he has seen the last two evenings. We will keep heading out.

I'm a big believer in the forecast offered by "PrimeTimes" software and the the peak days for this month are going to be 22nd and 23rd. So if you are going to your lease in this area, hunt a food source other than your feeder! In the details of the forecast, the software picks dusk on both of these days as being the most productive.

So the 10pt Saturday nite my nephews seen grunting nose to the ground following a doe- Is this the second rut?

RD thanks for sharing the information, I see alot of the same type of activity on the food plots at my ranch in limestone county. This next year I am going to try a chickory (sp) clover mix in open lanes thur the oak trees. Have you tried any mineral mixes? I have a receipe that the deer love, does and young bucks really tear it up in late winter and early spring. Can make about 200 pounds for under 50 bucks. Jury out on benfit to "horns" but horns of two billys on the place are huge now.

1 part rock salt
2 parts trace mineral red salt
1 part DI-calcium phospate
All come in 50 pound bags, I get mine at feed store that caters to Dairy Farmers.
I keep every thing seperated until I get ready to use. I dig hole about 4 feet across and 6-8 inches deep and mix everything with soil. repeat when "hole" is empty.
Can pour bottle of maple syurp on pile to get them "interested"

I'll give it a shot here at the house so I can watch deer react to it. Thanks!

hunted this past weekend fri morning I shot a cull buck he had no brow tines. sat saw nothing. sun morning clear & cold it was 21 at the ranch house. shot a big boar hog at 8:00am & 30min later 3 yotes come trotting out of a wood line I shot one of them. Our stock tank was loaded with greenheads & woodies. Still nothing coming to feeders but when I cleaned that buck he was full of acorns & had a little corn in him. I won't get to hunt again until the last weekend of the season.

Good job TxBuck!

Just back from the family place......
Got a real nice buck; 8 pt., 20.5 inch spread. Good heavy buck. Actually, the next morning, saw one bigger! These big ole boys are lookin' for does!

Happy New Year!

Congratulations! Nice lookin buck man!

Looks like a winner...nice job!!