phade

Informal observation, but sometimes scrapes will be made around doe bedding areas. Does going into heat may actually seek out active scrapes according to some studies I have read that challenged the premise that bucks are the only ones who will actively seek out the other sex during the rut.

No offense to Charlie. He's a great person and after I sent him a letter as a younger adult, he called me back and gave me very sound advice relating to my career path in outdoor writing. His discussion was one of the two moments that convinced me to pursue the path - even as a partial income or hobby income. But, some of the things he puts out there are starting to really be questioned and regressed as time and science goes on. Back dating fetuses show that the breeding doesn't change much at all from year to year - really shaking up his perception that the moon can make wild swings in rut timing.

Question for you - you posted in the pic I took of me in it with a buck in his bed, and you totally avoided any conversation about it. Why? You can't see the forest for the trees. I on the other hand, can't wait for legal crossbows, simply for your sake.

Ameristep is own by those nutjobs at wildgame innovations. Enough said.

I was talking about the bedding part.

It helps when you angle the deer toward the cam and seat the hunter behind the deer. Not quite long-arming, but another similar tactic. Regardless, great buck.

Be careful. Talk like that will cause some members here to accuse you of whitchcraft and call for your burning at the stake.

Bucks may increase nocturnal habits based on pressure, and sometimes weather, but rest assured, they have to get up and move in daylight. Biology requires it for the most part. They have to be up to eat at least every 4 hours at a minimum.

Is that the Savage 220 in the Liv. kid photo?

That's the problem is personal observation on all fronts, mine included. We're biased to what we experience. Two hunters 100 yds apart...one with chasing like crazy and the other with nothing. Funny how the unlucky hunter thinks the rut isn't going strong whereas the other thinks it's peak chasing.

Not a bash. You just need to find the hot sign in places you are not hunting at the moment.

Biology shows that deer daytime movements as a trend increase throughout the given hunting season (our context of Oct 1 through the rut period). Their Core expands, too. People who believe in the myth can't seem to remember changing food sources and hunting pressure impacts deer. They're still hunting the stands they hunted first and applied pressure and then don't see deer and attribute it to some imaginary reduction in daytime activity.

100% MYTH. Always has been, always will be.

October Lull is a myth.

You must not like the men your sisters married. Phew.

People have been claiming areas for a long time. Nothing new. Do what you think is right. It is public.

By "our" you mean someone came in and wiped out "your" plot? Seems a bit of a stretch, no?

Axis imo is probably the best low-end rifle there is.

It's Early forcing use back to the stone age.

Decent cams. No official word, but appears to be made from the same factory in China as the Moultries - although they are different resellers.

Yes Vince, hunting right over the scrape rarely results in a good buck going down. They check down wind many times and sometimes will make a straight line to it. Some people believe in the j-hook method. Worth googling and learning about. Your plan is good. Look for an extremely faint trail downwind of the predominant wind direction. Many times it'll be in cover with the occassional open sight view of the scrape area. They'll scent check it from there in many instances.

Remember with a swamp too, that you dont NEED to get high. All you need is to see over the reed grass/brush and be able to shoot before the buck knows he's been had. If you have cover at 10', then so be it. Make it happen. Really looking forward to see hero shots.

Either bring a stand to set in there or move the one that needs moving. You already know where you need to be; no more wasting time in that stand that was sat. Good luck.

Not really worried about being right - it's just what the info and facts told you about the situation. Use it as leverage and make your move as soon as you can. You still have a bit of time to catch him before that range starts getting too big to take advantage of. Sounds like you can do it, for sure.

Someone posted a 150" here a month ago and I identified the actual property the cam photo was taken without the county even posted. Don't think it doesn't happen.