Breading: are they hooked up, or finishing up?

[Jerry Jeffer]

It may sound crazy, but I'm feeling pretty confident that the deer in my area are already finishing up the first round of breading. For at least the past week, deer have been staying completely nocturnal. Suddenly I see deer showing up yesterday. Then today it seems like everybody is back. I have been saying this year would be weird.

I know quite a few people here have mentioned a slower spread out period of activity this year. Feel free to share how things have been playing out in your neck of the woods.

Well, get ready for late first week Deccember. It should be a good second round. The rest of November....... well, I'm looking forward to it.    

[NWoklahomajacob]

No rutting activity in NW Oklahoma. We have another weak or two before it's going strong.

[RedShaft]

Trickle. Hot n slower n hot n slower. There is times in a week I see all the guys I work with seeing n shooting then it dies then gets hot again.

[RedShaft]

Today was a killing day. You can bet there was allot of deer all over the state killed today

Bad thing is this is our last week of bow until after christmas

[Jerry Jeffer]

Yes, I agree RedShaft. There are a lot of deer cruisin' around right now.
I hunt the gun season with my bow as well, so there is more time than that.

[ron w]

I saw my first scrape today.......don't know if it's on or off. I saw does yesterday and a few minutes later a buck and he showed no interest in them             !! I must add.....just seeing deer is a big deal for me....lol!

[Hawkeye]

I am seeing one rub and one scrape for every twenty I would normally see in our woods, and my deer sightings while hunting are down by 2/3.

All my woods are surrounded by harvested soybean fields, so food choices may account for some or all of it, but it's been a strange year. EHD has also been a factor in our area, but I don't know it hit our herd, or not...

I keep thinking things will break loose tomorrow, but "tomorrow" has not arrived in my woods.

It's a privilege to spend the time in nature, though!

[bamboo]

jerry
we've been hunting north jersey--zones 1-2 and
we had a good bit of intense chasing---the last 2 days of oct and first 2 days of November---shut right DOWN--and has not picked up again-fri at sundown a buddy called to say there was buck chasing does back and forth between 2 stand sites--then mike jr and I watched a shooter cruise a ridge right under one of my other stands at 11:30 am sat---boy timing is everything!!can't find a doe myself--there was a gang of them earlier!!
I was out 16 days straight--took only 2 afternoon sits off because of heat and /or obligations me and southpaw were out!!

[tracker12]

I live in Maryland and on my SAT hunt I saw 6 different bucks cursing around without any doe. This first buck came by at 8:30 and last at 1:30 in the afternoon.  I went home a 3PM.   It is just starting in this area.  Today I drove from Pittsburgh Pa back to MD and counted 24 dead deer and saw several deer in the field feeding.

[Bill Carlsen]

Last night Laura and i were walking the 3/4 mile or so trail from out land to our vehicle. The wind was blowing at our backs and I had the smell of doe estrus on me. I was about 20 yards in front of Laura when I heard a branch break. I knew it was a deer running, then I heard it bleat. It was a buck and getting closer. It was nearly pitch dark and as the buck approached on the run I turned on my light and he veered off the trail. He stayed in front of us all the way to the next logging road crossing and ran in front of us about 10 yards away. Then he disappeared. The card on Laura's camera had 75 pictures on it....one group was of 6 deer. All were does and fawns. Usually there are several young bucks in the pics. I am assuming that they are with hot does.

I've never been pursued by a horny buck before but I would like him to try that again during daylight. But, this has been the weirdest deer season I've seen in quite a while. Bucks were knocking heads in Sept. and I jumped a really ripe one on my way out two nights ago. We have so many does around, all nocturnal, that I am sure bucks will be cruising by shortly.

[ChuckC]

Isn't that what you put on fish before you fry it ?
     

ChuckC

[lpcjon2]

The winds have been blowing like crazy in SJ that always keeps them down till they have to eat(makes them come out later in the evening). I had a fresh rub two weeks ago and it hasnt been touched since.I did get winded buy one from behind last week and that was during a break in the rain.

  All I see is young does, the accidental roadside carnage has been up in the last two weeks, which is a sign that some chasing may be happening.

  With this massive cold front on the way today would have been a stellar day to hunt.

[Red Beastmaster]

I thought this thread was about some sort of recipe.  

The breeding phase here must be getting close, lots of dead deer along the road.

[Jerry Jeffer]

Mike, that is how my season has been, even less exciting. Bill, don't get MD started on how many bucks have tried running me down with some stink on me.

[Bill Carlsen]

Jerry.....it was pretty exciting. He kept in front of us about 25 yards for about 100 yards. He would run, cross the trail and do it again and again. Wish it had been light enough to see him. He looked big in the dark but was acting like a young buck that needed an education. I think the only thing that kept him at bay was my head lamp. Plus, it is great to share such events with my wife. Last year at the end of the trail we encountered two bucks fighting. Never know what to expect this time of year.

[ChuckC]

Bucks are scraping all over here now, are chasing does and making pests of themselves.  Now is the time to be out in the woods.

ChuckC