Rut or Rut what's going on.....

[phade]

8F has been tough to figure out. i see a lot of nocturnal movement on my cams. and the daytime movement is wildly inconsistent. I think you just have to get in the woods and hope at this point.

Hope? There has to be more than hope. Especially at this time of year. This is a great time to kill a big buck.

The first thing I look at is your cams - where are they and why? Cams are a tool, but oftentimes they don't tell the whole or accurate picture.

Edited November 13, 2012 by phade

[NYbuck50]

bucks on the move on our properties in 7m and 7f.. i had 2 bucks sparring in my neighborhood 3 days ago at 4pm in the city of syracuse.. The winner ran a doe through traffic

[coonhunter]

Phade, you are correct in a lot of what you said, but the problem was only a few early does coming in. Today I wake up expecting rain, and I have snow and dead calm. I went from just getting up to see how hard it was raining, to hurrying like hell to make sure I was on time.

I saw more bucks today than some hunters will see all season and I had to leave to renew my drivers licence. I just waited until I went an hour without seeing any deer, and got my butt down, went to DMV, and straight back to the woods. Had to wait another hour for the wind that had picked up to die down, and the action picked right back up.

I saw at least seven different bucks chasing I think two does. I mean these bucks were grunting and their mouths were hanging open, This is the true chase stage for my hill. I thought I might miss out this year, but it is almost the exact same day as last year. I saw some of these bucks several times, and I had a few shot opportunities at close range.

There was one really nice 8 that was inside of 25 yards twice this morning, but even though I was at full draw both times, I couldn't even get him to slow down. He didn't show up this afternoon so I assume he got hooked up with one of the does, and will be prime to go again in the morning. I can't wait.

You talk about primary scrapes, and we just don't get them on this farm very often. No matter how many does we have tags for, we can never seem to even put a dent in the population. I think this is why we always have lots of small ones. I was surprized to actually see some bucks work a scrape even if it was first thing in the morning. As for finding the does, that is where I have been waiting on the weekends. I have two areas that the mature bucks show up at every year to get the does, and I was at one of those today. Only one mature buck showed, but hoping for more tomorrow. Thanks for the input. I sure don't pretend to have it all figured out. This was my most exciting day in a couple years. My hands were froze because I had my bow ready for over an hour tonight, and I just didn't dare reach into my pockets for my hand warmers because I had deer all over and didn't want to get picked off.

[Five Seasons]

Hope? There has to be more than hope. Especially at this time of year. This is a great time to kill a big buck.

The first thing I look at is your cams - where are they and why? Cams are a tool, but oftentimes they don't tell the whole or accurate picture.

There's a couple things to consider. Some people only hunt 10-15 acre spots. You may only have 2 stands. If this is the case you need to use your tools and experienece to pick the best stand. But if the bucks are locked down on does there isn't much you can do but use your best judgement on where the does are bedding and hoping that the ones who are bedding near your stand are in heat.

Same can even be said if you're hunting large tracks of land. go where the sign is and utilize natural funnels. You can research and calculate all you want, but they still have to go by you. I've always said that hunting is 90% preperation and 10% luck.

[phade]

There's a couple things to consider. Some people only hunt 10-15 acre spots. You may only have 2 stands. If this is the case you need to use your tools and experienece to pick the best stand. But if the bucks are locked down on does there isn't much you can do but use your best judgement on where the does are bedding and hoping that the ones who are bedding near your stand are in heat.

Same can even be said if you're hunting large tracks of land. go where the sign is and utilize natural funnels. You can research and calculate all you want, but they still have to go by you. I've always said that hunting is 90% preperation and 10% luck.

90% prep means that you aren't hoping imo...so that's a bit of a contradiction. Size of property makes ZERO difference, actually - you still need to game plan.

Lockdown is a completely blown up excuse, just like the lull...at least the lockdown has some biological merit whereas the lull is a myth. Some of the biggest bucks of the season are shot during the supposed "lockdown." Lockdown period means getting super aggressive with your sets and parking in or on the bleeding edge of the bedding are of does, or in the thick cover between food and doe bedding areas where bucks will tend. The thing is, lockdown doesn't mean all bucks are locked down at the same time.

Edited November 14, 2012 by phade

[phade]

Phade, you are correct in a lot of what you said, but the problem was only a few early does coming in. Today I wake up expecting rain, and I have snow and dead calm. I went from just getting up to see how hard it was raining, to hurrying like hell to make sure I was on time.

I saw more bucks today than some hunters will see all season and I had to leave to renew my drivers licence. I just waited until I went an hour without seeing any deer, and got my butt down, went to DMV, and straight back to the woods. Had to wait another hour for the wind that had picked up to die down, and the action picked right back up.

I saw at least seven different bucks chasing I think two does. I mean these bucks were grunting and their mouths were hanging open, This is the true chase stage for my hill. I thought I might miss out this year, but it is almost the exact same day as last year. I saw some of these bucks several times, and I had a few shot opportunities at close range.

There was one really nice 8 that was inside of 25 yards twice this morning, but even though I was at full draw both times, I couldn't even get him to slow down. He didn't show up this afternoon so I assume he got hooked up with one of the does, and will be prime to go again in the morning. I can't wait.

You talk about primary scrapes, and we just don't get them on this farm very often. No matter how many does we have tags for, we can never seem to even put a dent in the population. I think this is why we always have lots of small ones. I was surprized to actually see some bucks work a scrape even if it was first thing in the morning. As for finding the does, that is where I have been waiting on the weekends. I have two areas that the mature bucks show up at every year to get the does, and I was at one of those today. Only one mature buck showed, but hoping for more tomorrow. Thanks for the input. I sure don't pretend to have it all figured out. This was my most exciting day in a couple years. My hands were froze because I had my bow ready for over an hour tonight, and I just didn't dare reach into my pockets for my hand warmers because I had deer all over and didn't want to get picked off.

Scrapes going cold are some of the best "real-time" info you can read at this time of year...even edge ones as long as nothing has impacted it...ie a corn field coming down, etc. If you have a farm of any size, chances are, you have a primary scrape somewhere. I'd look real hard come post-season and figure out what drives it - crop rotation is likely a factor.

Glad to see the action picked up for you!

[HuntOrBeHunted]

The bucks that I have seen are for in rut. There scraping hard one of the bigger guys cleared a little area out right were I hunt. It was a pretty cool sight. And he chased a little 4 point out. And has been all over the doe on my camera!

I'm no expert but i'd say the rut is on!!

Good luck.

[BizCT]

When in doubt just blow a little bleat call just before dark and out comes a buck, every other time.