Full Blown rut activity

[cbx46]

I hunt Sullivan County and my uncle hunts Rockland as well as Sullivan.  I am home now between trips my last trip up ended this Tues. and I have been seeing deer with "trailing" going on but no real nose to the ground out of control chasing I am not hunting again until Friday in Rockland then Sun-Tues back in Sullivan I hope I am not missing the explosion has anyone been seeing this full blown activity.  Or are my experiences the same everyones been having.

[5.9cummins]

I am begining to buy in to Charlys theory of moon phases triggering the rut. According to him the second full moon after the fall equinox is the rutting moon. If it holds true he says that next week should be slamming and the SZ firearms will be hoping for the start.

All i know is i saw 3 bucks in 2.5hrs of hunting opening day. I have only hunted 30hrs since then but haven't seen a dam deer (none - doe or buck). I havent even seen much buck sign till just the other day when i found a massive rub line.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Im with you 5.9, its almost looking like his prediction is going to be pretty close. I have been seeing younger bucks following does since opening day and have seen some seeking activity in the last week with a couple of older bucks, but I just have yet to see any real chasing going on. He did say that there would be a slow, drawn out build up this year, and so far thats what Ive noticed. Ive been watching the bigger boards, like AT for the usual flurry of mature bucks being taken and posted during the peak rut, and I havent seen that yet either. If it holds true, we should see alot of mature deer hit the ground once gun season opens.

[cbx46]

I think the second full moon (rutting moon) fell on 10/22 or somewhere in that area because the first full moon was on the fall equinox this year.  I thought what Charlie Alsheimer from Deer and Deer Hunting said was a that few would come into heat on that October moon triggering a "mini rut" but it would fizzle out and the rest would come into heat on the next moon which is coming up in November setting off the main rutting activity.  Which is what I am hoping for.

[LetEmGrow]

I too believe in Alsheimer's working religiously and would echo what has been said above about the experience so far.  Seen many deer and many bucks but still not the hot time just yet.  Does are being harassed - not chased.  I have his calendar and this is what he predicts.

Seeking Phase: November 11 - November 24 with the peak being the 17th and 18th

Chasing Phase: November 17 - November 30 with the peak being November 24th and 25th

Tending Phase: November 26 - December 9 with the peak being December 3rd and 4th

Next week should be the hot time and the gun hunterss may have a blast this year.  There are gonna be a lot of bucks shot seeking and chasing during gun season.  I cringe when I say that  :'(

[First-light]

We had bucks chasing does all weekend in Steuben county. 1 big 8pt which I missed was trailing two does and a smaller buck, grunting and crashing through the woods!

Exciting times right now!

[hunterjohn]

im in 3k went out this morning and will be out for the next four days didnt see any rutting goin on saw three bucks a small 3 point little 5 point and a small basket 6 or 8 couldont see the brow tines im hopeing that starts picking up alittle bit i know i have a couple nice tens and eights running the property...

john

[HectorBuckBuster]

The bucks are moving.I just got some photos of a really nice buck on my cell phone from a friend, that this buck was chasing a doe through the cemetery up on near East Hill Plaza in Ithaca at around 12:00 pm today.He was within 10 feet of this buck, all the buck wanted was the doe he was following. Sorry for the crappy pics

[IRL]

East Hill Ithaca.  That is my old hood.  We see bucks running the big field on Ellis Hollow Road behind the shopping plaza every year.  We do our hunting in the nearby hills but it is always fun to watch the town deer when the rut is on.  There is a huge buck hanging out on the Cornell golf course.  I think he is well known by the locals.

[HectorBuckBuster]

I heard in the Cayuga Heights Area ( in the Village some where's) is a Huge 17 point.

[IRL]

That is probably the golf course buck.  Also 17 points and I hear often photographed.

[Pipecrew]

My buddy caught a glimpse of a huge buck on the Cornell golf course last weekend, I bet that was him. It's amazing how many deer are within the city in the Ithaca area.

I hit a descent 8 point with my truck about 5 years ago. He was crossing the road from the Cornell golf course. We were returning from a day of hunting. I never saw him til he was across the front of my truck. I hit his back leg and broke it. We called the local police and an officer put him down. The officer said a lot of guys were going to be mad, they had been watching this buck for a while.

[Doc]

I hunt Sullivan County and my uncle hunts Rockland as well as Sullivan.  I am home now between trips my last trip up ended this Tues. and I have been seeing deer with "trailing" going on but no real nose to the ground out of control chasing I am not hunting again until Friday in Rockland then Sun-Tues back in Sullivan I hope I am not missing the explosion has anyone been seeing this full blown activity.  Or are my experiences the same everyones been having.

Something sure is going on. I've got a field that is tore up with running tracks from some kind of night-time chasing going on. Once the sun goes down, it must be getting pretty x-rated out there.

Also, tonight I was almost run down by a wild-eyed small doe that looked like she was running for her life. I waited for a buck to come through, but he most likely got side-tracked ...... probably took off after the mother. I think it's all in progress, you just have to be in the right place at the right time to actually see it.

Doc

[WNYBuckHunter]

I stopped by my dad's place today and noticed some big tracks tearing into the ground out back by my stand. Id be will ing to bet they are from that big guy I grunted in last week. They are starting to move good now. This weekend, next week and the week after are gonna be great times to be out there.

[cbx46]

I hope the activity is picking up I am hunting tomorow in Rockland and Sun-Mon Sullivan.

But I think the prediction might be right because in late October my uncle had bucks pushing does a little in Rockland and answering rattleing and doe bleats also that same time I saw a small six try to mount and harass a single doe in a group not caring about the other 3 at all so she might have been an older one that came into heat early.  That same trip I passed a 7 that was grunting and trying to fight a spike.  The next trip NOTHING (the lull D & DH spoke of) but a spike.  Hopefully tomorow I have a story this is where I tagged a nice 8 last year on 11/7.

[Nomad]

I shot a nice 8pt on the 10th he was chasing 3 does at full speed(stopped him with a grunt). Just before this a 4pt was running a doe all over the place .

The bucks have been running all over the place .

My buddy shot a buck that was humping a doe 9 days ago.

[5.9cummins]

My wife had a monster cross in front of her on the way home at 9:30am. I am going to spend every free minute i can in the woods from here on out.