My hunting buddy just bought a small tract of land out there. Good thing for me, since I lost my lease in Childress!

My main question is: When is the WT rut out there?

Since it is so far from where I live, I will only be taking a couple trips out there during deer season and want to optimize my hunting time.

I have family that are on 4K acres south of Ozona on Taylor Box Rd. I usually get to go and hunt in early December and in all the years I've been going out there it seems the rut usually takes place the last 2 weeks in November...If you only go out there a couple of times then you absolutely, positively must be there for the Deerfest!! First Saturday of December. Excellent wild game dinner and raffle. Lots of guns and hunting stuff are raffled off, not to mention the amount of beer consumed! Those West Texans can drink!!!

I just drove thru there last night Midnight to 2:00 am to Midland via Big Lake.

12+ deer on the roadside, most nearer to Ozona.
1 Monster buck standing in the opposite lane of a 2 lane FM road. Scared the crap out of me when I topped a hill at 60mph, thank goodness he preferred the southbouand lane.

Hunting may be better with a large truck with a deer catcher welded on the front, but there are definitely deer out there.

I agree! I have seen some monsters out there, too!! Lots of deer, turkey and many of the ranches are now following very good feeding and managing practices. It's getting better and better every year out there!

My buddies place is on the south side of the county only a couple miles from the county line. About 30 minutes south of Ozona. Said during their time looking at it he saw plenty of deer sign & turkey sign. Also said that right down the road he saw several Axis buck & doe just roaming around.

WT rut is around thanksgiving every year. a great time to hunt them too.

We've hunted not to far from there (Roosevelt in Sutton Co.) and found the WT rut is late November/early December. We've hunted the third week of November without seeing much evidence of bucks chasing does.

I hunted in Juno (Val Verde County, just south of where you are) the last two years and the rut did not start until mid-December.

I hunt outside of Eldorado. Rut usually varies between the last week of November and the first 2 weeks of December. Should be an excellent season this year with all the rain ect.