It is normal for deer to do that, not just east Texas. My guess is the bucks are keeping close tabs on the doe. If you do not have the doe feeding and bedding areas on your lease, then the bucks will most likely not be there. Right before the rut, the bucks will sorta hole up to prepare for the fun times. During the rut, the bucks rarely come back to their normal bedding areas if there is some distance involved. Look for travel routes that are being used more now than before Halloween. You might try some obersvation hunts. Place a stand out of range, but able to see the routes. That way if they are using that route, you can verify it, but not disturb the area if you misjudge the stand placement. You can learn a lot in 2-3 hunts just watching from a distance. If you do have doe, the bucks will be scent checking the feeding areas hopefully just before dark. They do that from field edges and up to 50 yards off the edges. As fast as I have seen some appear and disappear, if you are not looking at the right spot, they can be missed easily.
On my property we kinda have the opposite problem. Before rut was very slow for the antlered deer. Doe were everywhere, but not the bucks. Once the rut kicked in, we had bucks traveling through and chasing. Now that the rut is over, I have a feeling the bucks have moved back to my neighbors place. They don't have the doe population we have. I guess that is good and bad, good that they do not bow hunt, bad that I have a lot of time in the stand and not seeing the bucks. I am trying to get some buck bedding areas, but that takes a lot of time for the bucks to find it and feel secure there. I haven't been out since the rut ended, but should be out later this week if time permits.
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