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Has the full moon phase and the unusually high winds got east Texas deer hunting fouled up? My opening week has not been good at all. I managed to rustle up one doe on the way to the stand opening morning well before shooting hours. Other than that, I've only seen 'em on the side of the road while driving and supposed to be working

I did see flintknappers post, but how about everyone else? Whatcha seeing?

I didn't see anything. One of my buddies shot a spike, but that was it.
We hunt in Young county (2 hours west of Dallas) and have nice deer on the cameras, but theyr're showing up at night.

We fenced the feeders so the we're not seeing as many hogs....or damage from them.

So far I got a doe and an eight point. I think the key is to get in the stand an hour before daylight and quietly sit in the dark and let the woods calm down. Play the wind correctly and be patient.

Just yesterday I saw a beautiful 8 point with a harem of about 8 ladies at 8:00AM. Unfortunate part is they were next to the south runway fenceline at Bush airport where I work. But it sure was a nice view. Wish I had my camera.

I was in stand well before sunrise last Saturday, saw zip all day long, not even hogs.
I hunt in Burnet county, winds were especially strong.
But yet a buddy on the lease got a nontypical 8 point.
I'm on the side of a "mountain" maybe should say extremely large hill, winds were very, very strong.

You are right. Full moon really lets them eat at night & wind will put a deer to bed faster than anything I know. In their ears it sounds like a wind tunnel & they cant hear anything else.

Had deer around the feeder a couple of weeks ago but all I am seeing now are pigs

We were in Houston County most of the week and saw quite a few deer, mostly does and some small bucks. They were moving later, saw most of them from 11am-2pm. The evenings were dead until right after sundown. My wife got her first deer, a small 8 point on Tuesday around 11am but no one else saw anything worth shooting. Heading out West on Monday, hopefully I'll have some luck next week.

For the last month, they have been at one of my feeders every morning at 7:30 AM. Well, that was until opening day. Now they are there at about 3:30 AM. They have never been around in the late afternoons or evenings.

The other feeder is my wife's "pets". Even though I know they are the same deer there is no way I'd shot one there--not if I ever want to climb in the same bed with her again. However, I turned the timer off this week, as there has not been any activity in the last 10 days.

My FIL has property about a mile from here and his feeder has not seen any activity in the last week.

I believe the deer have a copy of the TX hunting season calendar.

i8godzilla wrote:
I believe the deer have a copy of the TX hunting season calendar.

Full moon and high winds are a bad combination. They can feed all night by the light of the moon (not to mention all of the gravitational-pull theories), and don't feel safe walking around in high winds, as it takes away one of their main defenses: hearing.

Okay, so Friday afternoon, I post about the lack of deer and the fact there have been no bucks on my property. Friday evening my son and I sat on the top of the bluff and did not see anything. Nothing near the feeders nor anywhere else. I decided since it looked to be a bust of a day, to play around with some deer calls that I loaded on my phone. I played what is purported to be a doe call seeking a male to mate with. The help file indicated that you should play it 3-4 times every 15 mins. We did and not results. Saturday we went out prior to going to the LaRue Range day. Same result. Saturday night same, same.

Well, Sunday morning my son causally meanders over to the bluff and before he can even get all the way there he spots a buck eating at the feeder. He made the shot from a standing position and connected. Not an instant kill but the buck only made it about 10 feet before collapsing. He ran down and instantly ended its suffering.

Here is his six pointer:



Now the questions begs to be asked: Did the call work and attract it?