wfmiller

I can't tell you when the rut is gonna happen for you, but for me where I hunt, it happens around the 27th or 28th of October every year. I also agree with Larry, stop over analyzing this stuff.

Counting points is not identifying your target, you're not shooting his rack.

I keep seeing people say they would feel safer with AR's, that doesn't make since to me. If you have to spend more time looking at the deer to make sure it's legal, how does that help with knowing what is beyond your target? Your attention is focused on the deer more not what is around it.

Obviously you can't read good I said what was beyond my target, and the 5 pointer was broadside and I couldn't see his rack because his ears were hiding it. So were was I doing something wrong?

I just read this last page and see that someone shot a buck they thought was a doe, and someone else is saying AR's might have changed that by making him look harder. I can understand that mistake did it myself 2 years ago. Thought I was shooting a doe and it was a 7 pointer instead. Just the fourth day of bow season and hard to see in the woods with all the leaves. He was standing 30 yards away and in the open but it was darker in the woods and thick brush behind him I just couldn't see his rack. Would I have looked harder if there were AR's? No not at all, I was looking as hard as I could. I was shocked when I found him a little while later. Here's the other thing about AR's. Every time I ask a buck to stop so I can count his points he runs away. But seriously I have never had time to worry about how many points were on their head, except one and he was a big spike and I shot him. If there had been AR's I would not have killed a deer last year. I killed a 5 pointer with the bow I could not see his antlers, I thought I did but wasn't sure. My point is, it's not always possible to tell how many points are on their head and no you can't always shoot a doe for meat. If that was the case I would be without the last 2 years because I haven't seen a doe closer then 300 yards.

Best scouting you can do is to just get out there and hunt. Do your best at first to find a spot, but the real scouting will begin when you start hunting and start seeing where the deer are moving. Now days we have the aids of cameras so things can be a little easier, but even that is not gonna tell you everything you need to know. Spending time in the woods will help you the most.

I take a book with me and read. I also play around on the phone and listen to music a lot.

You can hang scent from day one. I shot a 7 pointer last year on October 4th, he came running into my scent I had hanging. When I say running I mean running. He came in and stopped about 10 feet from it and started walking towards it and then I stuck an arrow in him. First one I have ever had come into scent for me.

Does will keep going into heat until they have been bred. Sometimes that will carry over to the spring. So it's not a big surprise to see fawns with spots well into hunting season.

I have a single mature tree in the middle of a field where I hunt and have seen lots of deer in that field and not once have they gone near the tree. So I don't know if they gravitate towards single trees or not. I would imagine if it has cover they might. You never know what a deer is going to do.

As someone said before, don't show up at the last minute in your camo. Go now and start knocking on doors, heck you should of done it months ago. Also you don't need to dress up, but don't look like you just got done working in your yard, or after you've had a couple beers. Offer to give them some meat if you get one. My dad and I hunt a farm right down the street from me and every year we take a bag of meat to them after the season and a christmas card with a $100 in it. We've been there 4 or 5 years now and he lets us keep our 4 wheelers there for the season and this year he agreed to let us put in a food plot. No matter what happens be nice, and thank them for their time.

WOW! I can't believe people put them out so early! I put mine up a week before the season and it works just fine. When I first got it I put it up one day and the next morning I was hunting in it. Shot a buck out of it the first morning, he never even paid attention to it.

You moved, that chased her away. As far as scent, I've had bucks run right into them, like this year. October 4th, 7 pointer ran right by me and stopped at 30 yards and I got him. I had scent hanging over a fresh scrape, that got his attention. As far as does, I've had them walk right by hanging scent and they never even look at it.

I don't pay any attention to the wind direction anymore. All I know is that every time I see a deer it is moving with the wind.

I hunt the 7J-7F line(depends which side of the road your on), we have not seen any rutting yet. All does and bucks are alone.

Blind calling with a grunt call is not gonna work a lot, it can I've had it work, but you have to remember, grunt calls are not that loud, they have to be close to hear them. You are better off rattling blind, I've had great success with that.