3rd time hunting and no deer

Hello,
I am going hunting for the 3rd time in 3 years and have seen just 2 dears in 2 years..so I average hunting 1 time a year. I am going my normal time...Saturday before Thanksgiving until the Tuesday before thanksgiving. I am going in East Texas with a 30-06 and a 185 grain bullet. I am thinking about using peanut butter this year to see if I can attract deer better. The problem I have is I haven't ever shot a deer\hog. I have water on the land and a ton of trees around. I can't put out a feeder, because it will get stolen. I throw corn out about every other day by hand. I hunt from a pop-up blind and this will be put out on the day I get to the land and taken down the day I leave the land. The question I have is...do you have any suggestions on how I can kill my first deer, or see more deer. It is about a 300 acre land, and very few hogs-(never seen one with a spotlight, or in the day time). I have seen about 3 squirrels, 1 red fox, and 2 deer.

Any help is greatly appreciated....

well, i think you need to scout the area real good, find where the deer are bedding and moving through. Then if you have a good idea where they will be you can set up a brush blind in a few diffrent spots. Brush blinds are good cause you dont have to worry about anyone stealing them. Also just keep throwing corn in the same spot, they will look to that spot as a food source.


Good luck, an check the wind , be quite, and also put some good hours in hunting. This year is your year to get one or two buddy

I am somewhat confused.Do you hand corn everyday all yr,or everyday for 4 days,once a yr?If you cant set up a feeder,for fear of it being stolen,then I would seriously consider planting a food plot.In these drought conditions,Im sure you'll have deer,if you have water.Any other yr,I would think that you have to find a food source to keep them on your place.My $.02 is to follow a fence line,find where they're crossing,and follow that trail to find out where they're headed on your place.Like previously mentioned,set up a brush blind off that path,hand corn your ambush spot,and let the lead fly.

Doe piss works pretty good for me around thanksgiving. Scout your land and find a good trail and put some out. If their rutting you might pull in some bucks.

lmao dears

I had a really rough last year not soo far off what you describe... If you are happy with deer OR pig.. Why not put out a whole bag of corn 2-3 days before your hunt along with HOG WILD... I think that stuff works pretty good... A buddy suggested tearing the bag of attractant (after spreading much liberally.. then hanging rest to dangle so when the wind or tree branch moves to let a little of the stuff fall out and aerate the area.... I think this would help ya.. Lots of corn helps in such a case in my humble opinion.. Maybe that crushed acord suff in lieu of the hog mix???

How much deer and hog sign have you seen on your place? Find many trails? What about around the water? Any food plots on your place or the neighbors? What is your access point? How much of the land do you disturb to get to your stand location? Do you corn before you get there or do you start on the Thursday that you arrive?

sounds like your in the wrong spot. txshntr had some good questions you need to answer to have better information on what's going on. just setting up a pop up and throwing corn out for a few days ain't gonna cut it if your in the wrong area.

If there is a clearing, find that. Remember that deer are not forest animals, but edge of the forest animals. I own a small East Texas property that I have hunted for years. It was covered with VERY thick trees up until last year. The only way I could get a shot on a deer or pig was to find a little clearing, of which there were a few, like 30' across, and back up as far into the woods as I could go and still see the clearing, usually about 50 yards or so, and put the pop-up there. Then I would pour 3 to 5 bags of corn out in the clearing a week before I hunted. I almost always saw something I could shoot.
I hope this helps.
Thanks!!!
Matt

I've tried using peanut butter before - mainly out of curiosity to see if they'd like it, but never saw them even romotely interested. I've tried other things too but nothing (in my opinion) works better than good ole' corn. Some things (I think) can even scare them off. Like others said, you need to throw lots of it. It might take a couple days for them to really come to it. How far are you from where you hunt? Is there anyone that can throw corn for you before you get there? Trails are good and fence lines like others mentioned and look for fresh ground scrapes too.
Hope you get one!!!

honestly sounds like you just need to put in more time preparing before the season starts. Scouting is always your area and knowing your land will increase your chances. Its not always as simple as just walking into the woods and taking an animal but your on the right track by asking questions. Some of these guys have some really good ideas and info. that can help.

I have never had good luck with showing up and hunting with no preparation thru-out the year. Need to find a good high traffic area and throw corn/ set-up a feeder at least a couple of months ahead of time.
I always start preparing my area around the end of June to start hunting on oct. 1st.

Call me crazy, but I'm calling !!! Somethings just not RIGHT with this thread..Read it and then look at the past post!!

Agree 1000%!! Out of 3 years you have less than 2 weeks in the field if I understand correctly. You need to put more time into pre hunt and on the stand, no doubt about that. Using everyone's suggestions and adding more time to your effort will bring you nore satisfaction and you'll be addicted shortly....to deer hunting!!!

who would have thought?

what past post?

Click on his name and past post. It will show his two post.

One says first time hunting and the other is this thread

Yes that it is right...I think I posted on here when I first went hunting. I didn't know anything, since then I have gone hunting maybe 2-3 more times. To answer other's questions....actually my father puts corn out mostly on the weekends....but does it well before I go hunting. Last year I heard a buck and didn't see it. I would also see doe's eating as i was walking around. To get to the place where I am staying....it is about a mile down a private road. To get to my blink it is about a 300 yard walk. I use cover sent on my boots, gloves, and clothes. I think wear those same clothes the whole hunt. I put my pop-up blind along a tree path. About 10 years ago path's were made my tractors. There is about 300 acres of land, and then water might cover 2 acres of it. It is about 50 yards away from our cabin.

Hopefully this answers some questions. Sorry about having somewhat of the same title.

hunting east texas i hunted for 3 years on this one place and never saw a buck...only a few does.

i would book a trip for a cull hunt in south texas or the hill country and get your feet wet.

at the rate your goin you could eat up a decade before you see a shooter buck

Blah Blah hill country, blah blah south texas!!! I've hunted east texas my whole life, and i see deer every weekend.. But i put in work for months before and after the season. Put in the work or you'll never see a deer!

good for you that you see deer every weekend.

i can drive down any road on my ranch with a feeder and within 10 min be looking at a dozen deer .

poster is obviously frustrated about his lack of buck sightings. I simply suggested going somewhere that has a deer population of more than 4 deer per square mile to experiance viewing some wildlife and hopefully getting a kill.

If it matters...I think at this rate I would take a doe. I have pulled up my rifle while walking and by the time I get it up the doe runs off. I have tried to spotlight for hogs before and have seen the bucks out at night, so I know that they are there.

if your worried about someone stealing a feeder try this. Go OLD school. get a metal trash can or an old metal barrel cut 3 or 4 holes in the sides around the bottom of it and fill it with corn. that is what we used when I was a kid. That was before timers and we still always killed deer, or maybe we just did it that way cause we were poor and I didnt know it!

Hey Golffor1, We wish you good luck this year. I also hunt East Texas...E Texas Daddy is right...it takes some work. Whatever you do, please make yourself fully aware of doe restrictions and Antler restrictions in whatever county you are hunting!!!!! What county is it? You certainly don't want your first deer to cost you hundreds of dollars in fines!!! Good luck to you.

I will be hunting in Angelina County. I believe that doe is open until the day before thanksgiving. I have through YouTube and think I have figured out to field dress a deer, and have everything I need....or I hope.