Things seem off

[longbowben]

The rut is just not in full swing around here right now.Seeing small bucks playing with the does but they want nothing to do with the bucks.And the large bucks are not even looking at the does in our area.We have to be getting close    .We are going to check some cams thursday hope some of the big bucks are moving around in the daylight    .Anyone have the same problems in thier areas?

[maineac]

I never am sure which rut theory is correct, general day length or Alsheimer's full moon kick off, but his prediction was the early moon cycle (late Oct.) would cause a longer drawn out rut, with less really strong chasing over a week or so.  The does will cycle in more sporadically, causing lots of action if you are around a doe that is hot, and less if not.  One positive is it will keeps bucks more active searching, though not as crazed.

[varmint101]

I believe the fun part of the rut here will fall squarely on the gun opener this weekend/next week.

I saw quite a few deer this morning and one nice mainframe 10 with double drop tines making him a 12 with his tail straight out and nose to the ground.  I think he's getting antsy!

[longbowben]

It seems to explode overnight and im ready.Been seeing small 100 class bucks messing with the does but no mature 4 1/2 year old and older bucks chasing the does.Good luck all im going back out in the morning again.  

[wapiti792]

Last year at this time I nearly got ran over by bucks chasing. This year very little chasing. I have witnessed alot of scrape making, and overall pre-rut stuff which seems way late. I have a couple of theories:

1. It's dry as heck. Don't know why this would change the behavior other than there is no where to drink and the cycle of the does is off. We have not had a good rain here in IL over a month and another month before that. Every shallow pond around is dry. The biggest buck I have seen all year was laying beside a lake.

2. The crops got out really early and pushed alot of the bucks into cover early. They set-up new "holes" in deeper cover and therefore aren't visible quite yet until after dark. Hey the does aren't ready yet either. My neighbor called me 3 days ago to look at a buck a guy brought to his taxidermy shop. It scores over 200" NT and is 6.5 years old or older. It's neck wasn't swollen and his testes weren't engourged. He just looked like an early Sept deer and not a Nov deer. Just odd.

OK my unscientific theories...but something is odd. I am hoping it hits all at once 'cause I got 7 of the next 10 days off to hunt with Ms Hope!

[Molson]

Same here.  Had small bucks and does all around the other night and they didn't pay any attention to each other.  We've seen a few chasing here and there but no real action.  The state biologists were saying around the third week of November should be hot this year.

[adeeden]

I have been seeing young bucks harrass does for the last week. But last night I saw a 150 class deer doging a doe in a field on the way home from my kids basketball game. We watched him in the headlights for about 20 minutes and he was all about her. Everytime she would stop to feed he would just bed down by her but as soon as she begin moving he was up and right behind her.

I believe the breeding phase has begun here in east central IL.

I shot a little 1 1/2 year old this morning who was following a doe and grunting every other step as well.

It's time to spend every minute you can in the woods around here and I will be back out as soon as i shower and have lunch. I just wish it would cooI back down some.

[Winterhawk1960]

Not much going on in southeast Ohio either. I'm hoping to get out the next two days, provided nothing happens to prevent it.

Last week the does still had their little ones with them and the little bucks were "sneaking" around........only saw one buck that might have been a shooter, he was most definately in "sneak" mode too.

It's gonna bust loose.......pretty soon. I'm just hoping that it is on one of the days that I have the priveledge to be there.

Winterhawk1960

[xtrema312]

I was talking to one of my coworkers and she said as of about a week ago her deer processor they use when they are too busy to cut their own said they have had no deer in yet this year.  That is just crazy.

[bbassi]

slow here too. I've seen small bucks harassing does but they haven't been interested. This past weekend just sucked. Everything shut down and nothing was cruising. Just this morning though I saw the first mature buck out in the open for this year. He was tending a pair of does in a cut corn field 1/2 hour after daylight. He went back and forth between the 2 but strangely there were no other little bucks hanging around. Usually if one of those does had been hot there should have been 2 or 3 satellite bucks looking to sneak in and get um' some, so I don't think we are there yet. Maybe 2-3 more days and it should be hot.

[PAPA BEAR]

thats strange,the rut seemed late for elk this year..last year the bulls were screamin opening day..wonder if the elk rut being late and the deer rut also seeming slow are in some strange way connected....  

[Rick Butler]

Saw a small 6 point chasing the ladies yesterday, who wanted nothing to do with him and a 4 point dogging a doe. Thirty minutes later I had an 8 point cruising thru, minding his own business, not in the least bit interested in the does in the area.
Only the 6 point offered a shot and the landowner's rule is; Shoot all the does you want but bucks need to be 8 points or better.

[Airborne]

I will be in Ohio on the 18th--I hope it starts when I land!!--I am encouraged it has not hit full on yet--I only have 3 days to hunt.

[xtrema312]

Originally posted by PAPA BEAR:
thats strange,the rut seemed late for elk this year..last year the bulls were screamin opening day..wonder if the elk rut being late and the deer rut also seeming slow are in some strange way connected....    

It is an conspiracy!  They are trying to get us to burn up all our vacation time too soon so they can copulate in peace.

[lt-m-grow]

I am seeing the same thing.  Have and IA tag and hunting hard.  Seeing lots of deer, but not the heavy rut activity I expected.  

Not worried though :-)

[lpcjon2]

seriously   :eek:   , theirs gonna be a rut this year?. I thought by the lack of deer activity it was January in Jersey without the snow and cold.    

[centaur]

ditto here. What gives??  

[BlacktailBowhunter]

Everything is late this year. From bears being out later in the spring due to a late spring green up to late elk rut and now to late buck rut.

Things are just starting in Oregon for Blacktails right now. My girl friend kille a Blacktail Buck on the 28th that didn't show much signs of being rut crazy other than he had some alder wood in his antlers where he had been rubbing.

A taxidermy friend of mine does a 36 mile drive every morning past several farms where he has the does patterned and is just now seeing a few bucks appear.

I am glad it is late, because our season doesn't open til the 13th for Southern Oregon and the 20th for Northern Oregon, which is closer to home for me.

Good luck to all.

Paul

[Guru]

Here in NY everything this year was early...early green up, turkeys breeding was way ahead, early fall....

The early buck sign was incredible around here this year...with everything else being so early, and all the sign I was seeing i was expecting things to be full bore by now...but that's not the case.

I've been hearing the occasional story about chasing, but very spotty.

I personally have not seen any chasing or even any interest....but I only hunt weekends...so I probably miss a lot....

I have Friday, Saturday, and Sunday this weekend....I;m hoping for a "big" change    

[Buckeye Trad Hunter]

Just saw a few large bucks traveling back and forth to bedding areas Sunday but other than that I haven't been seeing much.  Of course you know how it goes, this guy knows a guy who shot a buck while he had a doe mounted when I haven't even seen a buck with a doe.

Scrapes but no chasing here.  I'm just about two hours south west of Bethesda in the very southeast corner of Ross County.