Rut activity?

[apb]

Could someone make sense of this years rut. With only 2 more days of bow we have not seen a bit of hard core rut activity during the daylight hours. I have been at this sport longer than I care to admit and I do not recall such a lack of daytime movement of mature bucks during the first two weeks of November.

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[DJ 17]

It has been way below normal around me as well.  Maybe some of it can be attributed to some warm weather, but as a whole it has been non-existent.  Or as is probably the case, I'VE BEEN IN THE WRONG SPOTS!

[Guppy35]

I think it honestly has to do with being in the right spot at the right time.  I've seen multiple bucks while driving to my hunting land before light chasing doe like crazy in the last week especially.  From the stand, i've been out hunting probably a half a dozen times in the last 10 days and have seen maybe 10 bucks.  More than half of them were hot on a doe.

 

My mom was out hunting yesterday morning, and had a doe come running through with 5 different bucks chasing her.  Two of which were 120" or better.  A half hour later she had 2 more small bucks trotting through with their nose to the ground.

[dvdegeorge]

The rut or actually the pre rut(rut is actual breeding period which can equal limited sightings and the so called "lock down")

We as hunters actually want the "seeking" then secondly the "chasing" stage of the pre rut

This has been going on for better than a week and a half.

This does not happen on the same day or date every where. The rut is more of a couple week marathon than a couple day dash,

Doe to buck,ratio,weather,human and hunting pressure all have a hand in things.

Right place at the right time is a major factor also.What one perceives as no rutting activity may be happening on the next ridge over and you are not seeing it but that does not mean it's not happening.

Factors I use to judge the stage thats happening.

 

When scapes that have been hot go cold abruptly things are getting close( my scrapes have been cold for 2 weeks now)

 

When I see fawns wandering alone without mamma I have doe that are in heat or very close to being in heat 

 

When no doe  seem to be present but buck are being sighted, some doe are in heat and the others are hiding out to avoid being run to death by searching bucks(I believe thats where we are right now)

 

You just have to be in the woods as much as possible at this time even when things seem slow.A buck will hunker down with a doe for 24-48 hours while she is receptive to him breeding her. Once that is over he will be on the prowl again looking for his next doe

I have seen bucks running doe and heavy pre rut activity as early as the middle of Oct and other years not starting till Nov

 

Lastly use your game cameras as a barometer. When its on you will have a sharp increase in photos and buck pictures as well.

(Saturday between 6:30 am and 5:00 pm I had pictures of 11 different buck cruising and I sat that spot saturday afternoon and saw other buck that didn't walk by the camera, From Sunday am till Monday am I had pics of only one doe from the same camera)

 

I don't know where I will hunt Saturday opening morning yet,I will decide Friday after I check my cameras.

If the spot I had 11 buck in a day has good natural movement I will hunt there and try for the Hammer I saw last Saturday,but if not I will hunt another property that will have pressure surrounding it. The spot will the Hammer will not see pressure so if deer are not moving naturally it will be a long day of not seeing much.

 

I'm not a biologist but after many years,days and hours in the woods this is how I have it sorted out

 

Good Luck

DD

[Gator]

DD  got it right on. I've had few deer sightings this week, although one of them was a hammer and the other was a giant mature doe that had just been bred (as I found out after I shot her). My buddy I hunt with has been in the thick of it a couple of times though, often less than 200 yards away. Scrapes go cold, baby deer wandering, more bucks sighted than does...we're in it. The rest is just luck of the draw. Boom or bust.

 

And here we go again for the afternoon sit...

[Legacy]

 Scrapes go cold, baby deer wandering, more bucks sighted than does...we're in it. The rest is just luck of the draw. Boom or bust.

 

 

For sure that time is now. 

[BSmaster]

I agree with that assessment as well. 

[apb]

Thanks guys...the scrapes I have been seeing sure aren't cold!

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[ray koziatek]

a buck in rut is much like a married man...he gets ...fun loving 1 x a year...so if ya aint got any doe chances are you wont have bucks..I would rather have 50 acres with 30 doe that call it home rather than 30 bucks ...trust me the does will bring bucks too ya ...and the 30 bucks will leave yer land without doe to find them....kinda a extreme example ...to many folks think fewer does will up yer odds of seeing a buck...that might be true is ya have a 1000 acre ranch with a heavy deer population...if you have a small area to hunt,, keep the does there ..the bucks will come...with over 45 years in the woods it has proven true to me....

[ray koziatek]

the other pile......... and I have given away many also and have 8 mounters over 140 on the wall....not braggin just saying..............

[Sean Youngblood]

Saw 7 or 8 bucks today most were chasing does.Most were smaller bucks one was nice.For the last week or so mid day has been the ticket 75% of the bucks I have been seeing have been from 11-2

[Gill-T]

the other pile.........DSCN0035.JPG and I have given away many also and have 8 mounters over 140 on the wall....not braggin just saying..............DSCN0035.JPG

 

We all can't be a woodlands knome.....stop braggin.

[Hookedup]

a buck in rut is much like a married man...he gets ...fun loving 1 x a year...so if ya aint got any doe chances are you wont have bucks..I would rather have 50 acres with 30 doe that call it home rather than 30 bucks ...trust me the does will bring bucks too ya ...and the 30 bucks will leave yer land without doe to find them....kinda a extreme example ...to many folks think fewer does will up yer odds of seeing a buck...that might be true is ya have a 1000 acre ranch with a heavy deer population...if you have a small area to hunt,, keep the does there ..the bucks will come...with over 45 years in the woods it has proven true to me.... DSCN0033.JPG

. Exactly Ray! To many hunting shows have pounded QDM into everyone's head. They take place on 5 thousand acres that never have doe killed. I like you also hunt Illinois and other states. One outfitter I use shoots no does for that reason. Even on split up 500 acre spots enough does get killed by neighboring hunters that these guys wont allow a doe shot, keeps the big guys coming in from miles. That's the problem with lack of rut activity in many areas. The deer are not alive to rut. Guys killing does in a low doe area in the name of QDM and farmers rolling over does all summer have put a smack down on them around me. Like said above its very area specific. If you got them count your blessings and try to protect what you have. Sean

[dvdegeorge]

I disagree some what with Ray...yes you want doe on your property but too many isn't the best either. Bucks won't be on the prowl to find them it would  be like the married guy  being in a bordello there's one behind every door no need to carouse the whole block looking

[Gill-T]

There is a balance for sure.  If your buck to doe ratio is closer to 1 to 1, there will be lots of competition for the does and thus a lot of chasing, but, you will also have more fighting and broken antlers.  I think a 1 to 4 ratio is healthy.  I don't believe in QDM's philosophy of shooting mature does either.

[dvdegeorge]

I prefer 1 to 2 and no more than 1 to 3

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[Gill-T]

I am including antlerless buttons with that ratio. 

[Legacy]

It's rare to ever see anything higher then 3 to1. Mother nature has it programmed to be 1to1.

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[JakeyBaby]

I agree with Dan on this one, if you have to many doe's the Bucks don't have to work or compete for a piece of the action. Kinda why I believe that when people say that the buck to doe ratio here in Monroe County has nothing to do with why rattling is NO where near as affective as places with a much better heard ratio. Why fight for something when you can go another 50yrds and get exactly what you are waiting for????

Edited November 13, 2014 by JakeyBaby

[ray koziatek]

dont forget after each doe is breed ,it dont count... so ya start out with 30 bucks and 30 does after first day of breeding all 30 does are breed and ya got 30 horny bucks ...i wonder where they will go???? now if you have 30 horny does and 5 bucks wonder where those bucks will go..""nowhere"".YES do create a bordello ,set up a proper stand ,,get ready to put in yer time,,even in a bordello ya gotta go from room to room(so i hear),,Yes i have seen the shows,and read the magazines over the years..and never once have i sat in a tree and said hmm 1to 1 ,2 to 1, 3 to 1,,I just know 110% if i see a lot of does i will se a lot of bucks...just saying

[Guppy35]

But you also have to remember that after a buck breeds a doe, they do not immediately run away and look for another hot doe.  They will bed down with the doe for anywhere up to 24 hours after, and sometimes breed the same doe multiple times in that timeframe.  So in my opinion, if there are too many does in the area, there will be a point where many of them come into estrus at the same time and your buck sightings will decrease drastically because there will be a lot of bucks bedded with their doe (essentially protecting the doe from being bred by another buck while she is in estrus).  I like a 2:1 doe to buck ratio.

[BSmaster]

Good discussion.

 

I am inclined to believe that a good balance is good for the herd.  I question that because I believe Ray too.  How can one not?  So I think a food source is critical because the doe's are eating a lot right now and as stated the buck's are after one thing.  The ratio is an interesting thing because if there are too many doe for a buck to service, the timing of estrus which keeps him in rut may be extended into winter which may or may not affect his recovery, hence overall health, and health the following season.  A deer can live without antlers so it may sacrifice antler growth in the following year to allow himself to physically recover.  Back to the food source.  This will help the buck recover.  So we can argue that a ratio is important but I think it is deeper than that.  Also, even though food is perfect area to target, cover is also very important.  Deer do not bed in the middle of the food plot.  It is important to know where there sanctuary is and leave it alone!  Hunt the transitions...  I preach as a man with a terrible season so far.  I inadvertently spooked the does and haven't seen a mature deer since.  My goal is to get the food back to what it was for next year so the does are more inclined to stay regardless of what a clumsy idiot I am.

 

Good luck everyone, and to those who got one(or more) already, congratulations.

[Guppy35]

I think BSMaster hit it dead on, it's the combination of several aspects.  A good doe to buck ratio, good food source, and good cover.  And of course you still have to be in the right spot at the right time.

[Roughrider IV]

I'm seeing a lot of doe, up to 10 on a good day, you'd think it was early October here. Same thing last year this week, two nights in a row, 10 and 12 does herded together after soy beans harvested. No bucks in sight and button bucks trying to mount does. I'm in SE pa and 5c unit had extended doe seasons bow and winter bow. End of October it heats up then it cools off fast. This is pressured deer, I get um on camera but daytime movement of older bucks is best during winter bow.

[Chas0218]

dont forget after each doe is breed ,it dont count... so ya start out with 30 bucks and 30 does after first day of breeding all 30 does are breed and ya got 30 horny bucks ...i wonder where they will go???? now if you have 30 horny does and 5 bucks wonder where those bucks will go..""nowhere"".YES do create a bordello ,set up a proper stand ,,get ready to put in yer time,,even in a bordello ya gotta go from room to room(so i hear),,Yes i have seen the shows,and read the magazines over the years..and never once have i sat in a tree and said hmm 1to 1 ,2 to 1, 3 to 1,,I just know 110% if i see a lot of does i will se a lot of bucks...just saying

I agree and on our property this is the case.  We have around 230 acres that covers a little over 2.5 square miles.  I sit on one side of the property and see different deer than the other.  With that being said we have 3 "shooters" this year one being over 150" 10 point, another being 140" 10 point and the last and smallest 130" 8 point.  We have an easy 3 to 1 ratio does to bucks on our property and have seen all 3 deer just not close enough.  One spot I hunted last week I was blown by the smaller 8 point that had the smaller 10 point right in front of him. They weren't fighting or getting ready but both within 15' feet of each other walking thru the area.