grizzmck

There are 6 of us on a 640 acre lease East of Hallet OK. The plot consists of about 1/2 grass graze for cattle and 1/2 timber to include a load of that scourge to mankind, the evergreen. Last year we saw over 40 deer on this property including one large 10 point buck and a nice 8 pointer. We harvested 6, including one buck. This year we collectively have seen 6 does and that was during bow season in October. This last weekend, the opener for gun season, we all hunted very hard and did not see one single animal. We interviewed the hunters on the mile north and also the mile west of us and they had not seen any either. We know that there has been a poaching problem in the area but this is beyond reason. In over 25 years of hunting, this is the most desolate area of great habitat I've seen. There are plenty of acorns, though mostly gone now, plenty of water and some persimmons. We have two 55 gallon feeders out and they have not been visited by anything other than crows in the 3 months that they have been spewing corn. I'd would like the thoughts from some of you other hunters out there. My group is experienced and are all stymied with this problem. Thanks in advance for any theories you may have.

Dan O.

I would have said that they went nocturnal and have daytime beds like a swamp but you said that they didn't touch your corn. What ate the acorns? Were there any deer prints around? If the acorns were heavy they would prefer them to the corn. Did you drive when you hunted? If they're nocturnal that's about the only way to move them.

Dan O.

River Bottom Buck

Buy you a motion detection camera from Walmart for $129.00. Put up at your feeders to see if you get some pictures of deer. If not deer maybe you will get some pictures of the poachers.

timbercruiser

Do some looking around. Are there any tracks in the area? How about deer poop, bedding sign or any other sign of deer presence? If not I would guess there is either a bad poacher problem or a disease problem. Can't think of any other reason as long as there is abundant food available.

grizzmck

The ground is very hard. The only tracks we've found are those from the October bow season and one set, most probably from a larger doe, from the rainy opening weekend of primitive season in early November. The few of those which were discovered were made during or after a rain. No one has seen any evidence of scat either.

There is no effort for many miles around to plant any of the deer browse we usually have enjoyed on other sites such as winter wheat, peanuts, corn, clover or feed maze/milo. This is probably due to the massive amounts of rocks in the grond and the hardness or acidity of the soil. This area is definately not agricultural in nature other than cattle.

The layout of the land precluded us from perfoming any type of successful drive. The deer have too many outs and the drive area is extremely thick.

A motion detecting camera is high on my shopping list for next season.

Only one of us drove through pasture inside the section approximatly 1/2 mile to within 1/4 mile of his stand. The rest would walk in from their respective spots around the section and they parked just inside locked gates. The rancher drives over the grassy portion of this land regurlarly to feed and count his cattle and an oil pumper drives into one area almost daily, so the deer should be used to seeing and hearing a vehicle at least on the trail we drive.

We circled our place each night with a spotlight, carrying no weapons, to try to locate them with no luck. There's no doubt that those deer which once resided in our area were nocturnal. We would see them traveling to or from their feeding/bedding areas at first and last light.

I fear that that poachers have made a small dent in the population. However, they may have, through their actions, driven the remaining deer away which were still alive to travel. In addition, the lack of sufficient food may have moved them, in mass, to other more suitable habitat.

It is a delima which I have only experienced once before some 15 or so years ago at another location. I have hunted seasons in the past where I didn't see any deer, but someone in camp would either see some or harvest one.

I guess that we must go to plan "B" and begin the difficult search anew for more suitable hunting grounds and let this spot rest for a year or two. A lot of you out there realize how hard this search is and realize fully well how discouraging it can be and the amount of work and cost that goes with it.

Thank you all for your responses. I appreciate taking your time to offer thoughts. Best of luck to you all.

Live well, laugh a lot and love much.
Jim McK