Bucks grouped up during rut?

[katie]

I was in stand today at 11am when I had 3 very nice mature bucks come in my way.  I about wet my pants.  All 3 were shooters and they were on MY trail.  The ONLY trail in the funnel.  Wind was in my favor.  I was freaking out.  I knew that 2 does bedded down between me and the bucks might mess things up.  Then, all 3 bucks turned south, into the wind, and walked through a thicket to go straight out into an open field.  They went 10' from the does and paid no attention to them.  I tried to call them back with no avail.  I found it strange.  I am only 3 seasons into the whitetail game, but have never seen 3 big bucks hanging out together during rut.
This weekend I had 2 smaller bucks (6 & 8 pointers) come in to my stand together as well.  The 8 pointer was beautiful and stood in front of me for 10 minutes grazing.  It was sooo hard not to shoot but I think Gene Wensel was in my head saying "don't pick the fruit before it is ripe!".  I could see he had the potential to be better next season, so he lived another day.  He left on a trail I have a camera on. Guess I get to see him again    
Anyone have the same thing happen?  Is it normal this time of year?

[vermonster13]

Sounds like they had wind of a hot doe. They won't get along to well when they find her. You lucky lady, I'm tickled to see one mature buck every five years or so here. lol

[elknutz]

I'm impressed by your self control.

[30coupe]

Katie,

I've seen bucks walk downwind past bedded does before. I watched a doe flatten her head to the ground as a nice eight point walked within 25-30 yards downwind of her. She didn't want any part of him. I figured she wasn't ready yet, so that's why he didn't wind her.

 I doubt those big boys were "together" either. As Dave said, they were probably on the trail of a hot doe. Once they locate her, all bets are off.

BTW: you did the right thing on the young eight. I have let several big-bodied, young bucks walk this season...no regrets. Since we've been doing this for a while now, we're starting to see more mature bucks in our area...kinda like the one my son shot on Saturday. That was very rare not so long ago.

[katie]

It is all Gene's fault.  I am reading his book.  We should do a count how many times he says "don't pick the fruit before it is ripe".  It is working  

[2treks]

Our shot gun season opened on the 15th. My freind called and asked for help getting a buck out of his woods. He had put the creep on a group of deer that he watch go past his stand outta gun range. 3 hrs later he got into the bunch and shot the biggest of SIX bucks. 2-3.5yr olds. 2- 2.5yr olds and 2- 1.5yr olds.
   SIX bucks together on the 15th. of Nov???
You got me. They all had went into a bunch of tops from a logging job and bedded down. No doe to be seen.

[owlbait]

And those are the last 6 bucks left in Michigan. Hope they live long enough to repopulate the Lower Peninsula! Katie those bucks may just be hanging out. Just because the calendar says RUT doesn't mean it is happening right now. We have had very little rut activity and it seems to be short lived and in small pockets.

[2treks]

I agree Owlbait, I was seeing rut activity early and thought it would be a good rut, then it just kinda simmered for a few weeks. got a few glimps of some heavy activity but not like years before.
   I wish I new why they do what they do.
By they way, that group is down to 5 you know. but we have seen some other buck around so do give up OB.

[GingivitisKahn]

I've got a trio of nice bucks here too that I've seen for the past couple of years (busted me drawing on one last year and aaaaalmost got a shot opportunity at one this year).  They seem to hang together quite alot though.  Saw the three of them during the rut again this year.

[owlbait]

Alternative lifestyle bucks?

[rappstar]

Who knows why they were together.  I like Vermonsters answer...that is the most likely this time of year.

One hot doe will drag a lot of bucks around.  Last year I had 3 around my stand before I shot my 10.  A big 9 was with the doe and two 10's were running circles trying to get the 9 off the doe.

[joevan125]

Its seems that down here in south Alabama we have a noticible rut about every 3 years. Im not sure why that is but im in the woods almost the whole time our deer are suppose to be rutting.

About 6 years ago i must have hit it just right because right at first light i had a huge Bama buck slip across the corner of a pasture that wasnt on our land.

That afternoon i set up inside the woodline so i could at least see what was going on in this pasture which is about 20acrs. That afternoon the hunting gods showed up and i saw 8 shooter bucks hanging around this mans pasture, he doesnt deer hunt and i was told he feeds them a LOT of corn spread out in the pasture.

While sitting there taking all this in a mature doe steps out and 6 of the bucks take off chasing her, i have yet to see anything in the woods better than that day. I watched 8 mature bucks for 45 min. dog several different does and all i could do is watch the show.

The next morning a great 10 pointer finally chased a doe onto our property and i get to see him everyday when i walk out the door.

Its the only time i have seen big bucks hanging around waiting on that perfect doe. I watched one buck run 200 yds across that pasture to check a doe but she wasnt ready so he took off running after another one.

I wish i would have had a video camera because most the guys in our club would never believe we had the caliber of bucks i was watching. It was a amazing experience that will probably never happen again.

[rascal]

Ive noticed the same sort of activity here in IA, I dont think Ive seen a half a dozen bucks cruising alone all through the month of November so far.  I keep seeing them in pairs with one significantly larger buck being pals with a much smaller specimen.  The bucks Ive seen together would certianly be no match for each other and yet it seems to be the norm for this year.  I cant say as Ive seen this in past years and here as well the typical rutting activity that I see is strangely missing.  Very few scrapes, very few rubs and what I am seeing appears half hearted so to speak, scrapes no bigger than a dinner plate where last year they would have been 4 foot across!  All of this is more consistent with a pre rut pattern here but then again it could just be an odd year.  The only theory I have is that the younger/smaller bucks are tagging along with the big boys in hopes of getting in on some action if they run across a couple of hot does the little fella can sneak in while the big guy is busy with bachelorette number one.  Mind you Im not complaining I shot a 14 point out of a lop sided pair just like this in mid November.

[George D. Stout]

I'm sure we don't know nearly as much about whitetails as we think we do.  I have seen bucks together during the rut, and I always assumed they were of the same bunch with a pecking order already worked out.  But that's just a guess on my part.

I do know that they will do the unexpected nearly everytime. 8^).

[katie]

rascal-mention a 14 pointer and no pics!

[pete p]

Katie, im not sure about central iowa but here in northern MN the rut is over. i saw a group of does out in a clearing and the bucks paid no attention to them.  when the rut is over the bachlor groups re-establish. good luck!

[Don Stokes]

The rut is still three weeks away here in north MS. I'm hoping for a good one, because deer sightings have been scarce so far. After several years of bad acorn crops, this year they're everywhere! That results in very little deer movement, since they can fill their bellies without going very far in any direction. Not even getting many pictures on my game camera.

They should be fat, anyhow!

[wingnut]

I've got two nice bucks coming in every night too the feeder 15 yds from my front door.  I'm sure they are brothers and they are hard to tell apart.  One has a bad back left foot so that makes it easier.  They look like brothers but sore foot is a year older.  They are traveling together even though the early rut has taken place and we are starting into the main estrus cycle in the next week.

 


 

They will be good next year.

Mike