By Brandon Ray

Overall Activity Status: I just returned from three days of hunting in north Texas near Abilene. The weather was cold, with a dusting of snow on the mesquites and cactus. Bucks seemed more active in the mornings than the afternoons. My friends and I saw anywhere from two to ten bucks each while sitting near corn feeders. The best buck seen was a 155-inch 10-point, but just as my friend was about to shoot, a coyote howled nearby and the buck ran in the brush. [ Read Full Post ]

By Brandon Ray

Overall Activity Status: Reports are mixed this week, varying from location to location. Whit Peterman, hunting the family ranch in Bosque and Hamilton Counties in central Texas, reports deer sightings were slim to none, the deer staying hid in the timber, but trail cameras showed them around feeders after dark. I hunted the eastern Panhandle one afternoon and saw a doe, button buck, and small eight point at a windmill. Despite the runoff pond being frozen, the deer managed a drink around the partially melted corner of the pond. Kyle Barbour was hunting the other end of the same ranch and saw five bucks, three of them with broken racks. He also saw three does. The activity did not start until around 4 p.m. at my spot and closer to 5 p.m. at Kyle’s blind. Meanwhile, the south Texas rut is hot right now. [ Read Full Post ]

By Brandon Ray

The sun was setting to the west over black skeletons of dead mesquite trees. Daylight was dying and time was running out. It was just before Christmas in north Texas, the night air cold enough that I could see my breath in frosty plumes each time I took a breath.
 
Twenty-five yards from my hideout were three whitetail bucks. Two of them were youngsters with small eight-point racks. The third buck was a fine 140-class 10-point, but because I was a guest on this well managed Texas ranch, I couldn’t take him. I was looking for a mature 8-point. The Hoyt bow would have to wait to get its chance. [ Read Full Post ]

By Brandon Ray

Overall Activity Status: A change of scenery has a way of sparking new energy into a tough deer season. I spent the last three days hunting a friend’s place near Abilene, Texas. Three of us hunted each morning and evening, and we saw between 3 and 10 bucks each every time. Most of the hunting was from elevated tower blinds near corn feeders. The bucks were really focused on the free food, refueling now that it is post rut in that area. The landscape there is comprised of mesquites, prickly pear cactus, yuccas and abundant broom weed. The area has no oaks and thus no acorns, making corn feeders effective in the late season. There is not much native feed for deer between December and March, so ranches in that area that supplement or have food plots will hold and grow healthier bucks. [ Read Full Post ]

By Brandon Ray

Several hunters have mentioned to me the lack of deer sightings around corn feeders this year. Most of them are hunting in middle Texas, on properties with lots of oak trees. The likely reason for sparse buck sightings is a bumper crop of acorns. Sometimes these acorn crops are localized. But if a property has lots of oaks, and lots of tasty acorns lying on the ground in the woods, it’s a good bet that’s where the bucks are. After all, why would deer leave the security of the timber when there’s plenty to eat, only to venture out around an automatic feeder that randomly spits out a few corn kernels? [ Read Full Post ]

By Brandon Ray

Overall activity status: Hot weather still hangs over the region. High temperatures in the 70s and 80s have been common. Some locations are tying or breaking all-time record highs. In the afternoons, the short 30-minute window from sunset to dark provides the best odds for seeing an old buck. Cool mornings provide a good chance for seeing a buck on the move, before the day heats up.

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