I'm fairly new to this hunting thing. I hunted over a few scrapes this morning and had two small bucks work the scrapes at first light. Around 9 I saw a monster walk into the bedding about 90 yards away. I grunted and he stopped but showed no interest. So I rattled after he walked out of sight. Nothing. Will it be a mistake to hunt the same tree again this evening? Or have I blown it out with all the noise? Is it too early to be rattling in Clay County Illinois? The wind is fine for it, blowing away from the scrapes and away from the bedding. I have one more day tomorrow to hunt this piece. I don't know what to do. Any thoughts?
Sounds like he just walked away and out of sight so I'd be surprised if you scared him. I'd say go for it, during the rut I tend to be on the more aggressive side.
Post this question in the live from the stand thread, it is like a chatroom with very quick responses
I doubt that you scared the buck off. During the rut, you are gonna wanna be agressive. Dont be afraid to take out those calls every 40 min, or even less, it all depends on the situation. there is a possiblitly that this buck you saw was a subordinate buck. This means that at any sign of a bigger buck, he gets outa there cause he dont wanna fight. Not saying that this is for sure, but it is a possiblitly. I would hunt it again. Good Luck!
