Seen hf that are shot out. Over hunting is overhunting.

The trigger fingers have more to do with it then any fence

haha there where some decent bucks this year... i had some pics of a deer with an upside down horn wich i thought was unique... and 2 decent eights and a young young ten... but ALL of the pics where at night. i had a really frustrating deer season

This is why I just dont hunt East Texas anymore. I have been on a couple leases around Nachadoches, Luftkin and its some hard huntin the deer are just run ragged.

But i actually seen the ten point one morning but he is only about two and a half with a thirteen inch spread... so i passed him up... chances are someone on a neighboring lease shot him though. Hardly anyone in east texas practices good management.

Nac & Lufkin area hunting isn't that difficult, just have to be where the deer are and be ready to shoot them where they pop out. Sometimes that requires being prepped to shoot over 300yds or never see a certain deer during daylight hours again.

I kinda agree with your one point about the High Fence. Got to go to my father in law's place in Hamilton and had to pass up alot of nice bucks that would have been trophy's anywhere in Texas. There where two mornings where I saw over 20 bucks. I saw one huge guy but alls I caught was the back of him moving thru because I was watching all the other deer trying to figure out which one I could shoot. We were allowed a cull or a trophy over 5 yrs old. Most of the cull bucks were trophies on most places. Kinda took some of the fun out of it

The places we hunted you werent shooting over a 100 yds the landowner never mowed like he said he would. We mowed second year but the we think someone was night hunting in the area we saw 4 wheelers but could never catch up because we were on foot.

Our place looks kind of like a golf course.

Thats what the place in Hamilton that I went looked like. It was so nice but I want to get on it with him but have a new little one due soon so just cant pony up right now.

It helps when wanting to see a lot of deer, but I'm glad Nac has a bad rep for no deer

I think this is more fitting for that bar-ditch lovin' Chevy truck and spotlight ...just sayin'

Change it to drag strip and it would be more accurate... HWY 103 & HWY 21 are straight shots.

Thats funny right there sir. I know there are a ton of deer there just have never been on decent place out there.

I think this is the main reason why you haven't been on a decent place out there. Rifleman always said something keeps drawing him back home...so I am thinkin' now it is those long mowed golf course right-of-ways. I know the hogs are in trouble if they show up on one.

Who needs a spotlight when you've got headlights

Well you got four doors and 4 peeps inside so I would imagine you are "scouting all" directions right?

Roll solo, no one to contradict your story


Being from stx you should know this, I've been told it's in the night hunting 101 manual

Where is BOBO when you need him for backup I also seem to remember something in a pic about pink PJs and night hunt once so I know the riding solo is Just sayin'

I personally didnt put it at 202 the man who had it before me did... and i left it that way cause the deer where use to it... also i have feeders at 60yds... its not just being still that has to do with it, its odor, (scent killer is garbage by the way), comfort of the deer, and how it blends with its cover ... i hunt in a non high fence non expensive ranch... its just a convienent lease... not only that but i live in EAST texas... [/quote]

I know this off the topic of the best deer rifle, but wouldn't you want to move your feeder after the last people that were on the place. If deer can pattern you so well, wouldn't you want to change things up? If you only move it fifty yards, you are giving them a new spot with a different perception. The old leasees could have been shooting non stop in that spot and thats why you don't see deer in the daylight.

That was on the back 40,it doesn't count if tires don't hit pavement.

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It'll depend on how feeder conditioned the deer are. I wouldn't move any of ours to other locations you can see from the stand bc the landowner would cuss you until he was blue in the face.

Well first I see no need for two different rifles simply because of region, what works well in West TX will work equaly well in East TX, but since you threw West TX in that will eliminate several calibers. Out here long shoots are the norm and the winds always blowing I want something thats flat and fast. 270 and the 06 would be my minimums with my preference going to magnum calibers like the 257 and the 300 Weatherby. 308's or anything based off a 308 case is off the list.

Well, judging by how much waffling, crawfishing and agonizing indecision I went through building an AR (because there were simply too many options) and the fact that metric measurements seem strange and mysterious to my English standard trained brain - a broader selection may not be a good thing for me...

I know very little about the 6.5's except that the people who shoot them get drawn into this little cult like people smoking opium in a tent. Must be some pretty good stuff.

Would you say that the same selection applies for non-handloaders?

$1800 isn't an expensive lease, I would jump on that in a heartbeat if they were shooting 160+s deer.

I can take you to ranches that are low fence and the deer never get shot at, they mill around all day and are really not concerned about you one way or the other.

i can take you to high fence rnaches that are package hunted to death and the deer hole up in the brush once they hear a truck leaving the camp. i guide on one and in january I had two hunters that never got sight of a mature buck, we ended up shooting culls so they didn't go home empty handed

You should really go experiance hunting on different ranches before you make such rock-solid opinions like you posted above.

For factory ammo, 6.5x55 is the best option. Both match grade and cheap hunting ammo. 6.5CR is Hornady's favourite. 260Rem, I think Federal loads them with Barnes bullets. 6.5-264, Norma, Nosler. You'll find good choices on factory ammo as well but for handloaders the selection is great.

The actual diameter of the bullet is ~6.7mm (0.264" * 25.4mm/" = 6.7056mm). .257" is 6.5278mm.