What's some of the coolest rut action you've seen? I had quite a show just this year. I was sitting in a staging area where I could see the cut corn field in front of me and hardwoods/thickets behind me. Out in the field I see a buck (bout 90" or so). Watching him for awhile and a bigger buck comes screaming across the field and starts to run this buck out of dodge. They start tickling antlers and sparring a little bit (always cool). So I'm sitting there watching those two mess around for awhile and behind me I see two does about 40 yards away. I thought to myself whoa this could get intersting. Bucks didnt' see the does and the does didn't see the bucks. They were just cruising around. Then all of the sudden I hear a series of grunts from behind me and the does. Another buck comes trotting in and starts chasing these does ALL OVER creation. Sounded like a dozer going through the woods. Every once in awhile a doe would pop out into the field where the two bucks were followed by the other buck chasing her. Then the two that were sparring would run off chasing the other one. Then they'd chase eachother lol. It was insane. Looked like a scene from Top gun. I kept seeing bucks, does , chasing , grunting for about a half hour. One of the does was about 5 yards from me once and stopped. Looked like she was going to pass out from exhaustion. My head was spinning around like the chick from poltergeist. Really cool stuff.
That's awesome! I once had a big mature buck jump a creek in response to some young buck grunts I floated his way, and he proceeded to stay in thick cover less than 20 yards from me and roar and grunt for a few minutes before slipping away silently. It was nerve bursting! Oh the love of the rut.
I once watched 3 separate sparring matches, involving 5 different bucks.....and never reached for the bow. All this took place within 20yds of my stand. Earlier that day, I'd had one of the bucks bed down 14yds from the base of my tree for 3:40.
I've saw a good share of fighting. Most of that happened 10+ years ago when we had more bucks around. In one case I had 3 bucks directly underneath me fighting with each other. Lots of snort and wheezing going on and leaves and grass and dirt getting tossed up every where. They all 3 were 2.5 year olds. Two years ago I watched a 2.5 year old use the growl while chasing a doe around In a staging area, that was a 1st for me. Other then the things I've listed lots of sparing matches through out the years but like I said most of that was 10+ years ago.
About five years ago I had a morning that I don't think I will ever see again. The total deer seen that morning was 23. There were bucks, both big and small, and does everywhere. I saw chasing, grunting, fighting, snort wheezing. Just about everything except the actual breeding. There were deer bedded about 30 yards away and some went directly under my tree when walking by. I was holding out for a big 6 pointer, but he never gave me a clear shot. Talk about getting the blood pumping. It was just awesome to watch all that action.
Bucks chasing does with tongues hanging out and saliva coming out of their mouth....grunting the entire way!
I've seen every type of rutting activity, short of getting the deed done. But hands down the coolest was the 35 minutes I spent watching a huge 9 point try and kill the forkie that was trying to sneak in on the hot doe. I got to see/hear every aggessive posture & vocalization from a buck that day. And eventually I shot the big guy at 10 yds, where he CONTINUED to fend off the small buck until he finally slumped to the ground.
I watched a big, mature buck fend off 4 other bucks including 1 that was 4 1/2, from a doe he was guarding. After 2 hours of this, which happened within 30 yards of my stand, the big guy finally got to breed the doe only 9 yards from my stand. After he was through, he walked to 6 yards and stood there panting like crazy. I almost gave him a smoke.
I watched a stud buck keep 8 other bucks at bay while with a hot doe one day. I was glassing them from about 1000 yards away. He and the rest of the breeding party were up in big clearcut. That was over 15 years ago. Now with all the quads and hunting pressure I doubt I will ever see that out in the open again. I have glassed and watched two different bucks going at it full out, knock down drag out fights. Again from a long ways off. Watched several bucks over the years chasing does, mostly younger bucks. Have yet to witness a buck breeding a doe.
2005-Had a doe come through right at daylight. I shot her which proved to be a stupid move. As I'm watching her go down, a great 10 pointer came busting through. Over the next 15 minutes I had 3 more bucks come waltzing by. One was a borderline shooter, but stayed behind a slight brush line and never offered a shot. About an hour after I shot the doe, I lowered my bow down to the ground. When I looked up an 8 pointer I had been hunting all year was walking right towards me. I got my bow back up, arrow nocked and drew....and he busted me. 2007-With a doe decoy in front of me in the corner of a cut corn field I had a great hunt. Right after dawn, a small fork tried to mount the decoy before realizing it wasn't the real thing. A short time later a nice 8 pointer and a 1.5 yr old 9 pointer gave put on a pretty good fight in front of the decoy for a short time, but the bigger buck never offered a shot. I later had another small buck approach the decoy, but was downwind...a short time later though I heard him "roar" and he showed back up with a doe. Around 11:00 a 140 class 10 pointer appeared in the field posturing towards the decoy. I stopped him and let my arrow fly, but only to scrape a few hairs off his back and nothing more. 2009-I was hunting a new stand for the first time. A little after dawn, I saw a "buck" walking through a standing cornfield. I rattled to him, and over the next 30 minutes, 6 different bucks responded. 2 were shooters, but only one came within range, including 2 very good what I thought were 3 year olds.
By far the most intense rut activity I've ever witnessed happened last Thanksgiving. I had my gun and bow with me this particular morning. Didn't see anything until 11:00 when the woods erupted! Out of nowhere, the biggest buck I've ever seen in the wild came charging thru the woods like a brahma bull, roaring/growling the whole way. He had a doe with him and 2-3 smaller bucks were messing with her. He chased those little bucks in circles all around my stand. I grunted, roared, snort wheezed, bleated, farted, burped, etc. but nothing would slow him down. For two minutes I witnessed the craziest chasing I've ever seen then, as sudden as it had started, the show ended and the woods returned to silent mode. I stood there in awe of what I had seen and disbelief that a bonafide B&C buck was within 50 yards of me for an extended period of time and yet I was never able to fire a shot. For 50 minutes I sat there hoping they would return. When it was evident they wouldn't, I began to gather my gear. I planned to put a stalk on the buck, hoping the doe had him preoccupied when all of a sudden I spotted a doe following the same trail with a buck in tow. He wasn't the same buck but a shooter nonetheless. Fortunately, they were traveling at a slower pace than the first parade was. The density of the trees and the distance they were away from me told me that if this buck was going to die, it would have to be with the gun. In an instant the gun was off the hook and shouldered waiting for an opening. After the gun roared, another buck that I hadn't noticed fled the scene. I climbed down, grabbed the buck and started dragging only to see yet another buck traveling thru the area. I grabbed my bow and readied for a shot but he spooked at the massive pool of blood left by the buck lying at my feet. Without a doubt that was the most exhilerating rut activity this Okie has ever seen.
Just last season, I had a stud of an 8 pointer, tending a doe on a ridge above me, about 70 yards away. (I actually have cam pics of him, and would have taken him if given the shot) A small 6 was pacing back and forth, grunting, along a creek next to me. It was pretty funny, man was he frustrated. Between him grunting, me grunting and snort wheezing, the big buck was getting super pissed! He was snort wheezing back non stop, trashing every small tree around him. He really wanted to brawl, but would not leave that doe for nothin. Just before sundown, she finally got up, and they walked off the other way. I hope to see him this year!
When I first started "bowhunting" I was a total dip. It was in 1999 I believe. I was hunting some state land in southern Virginia when I tried some crazy hairbrain idea. I had yet to kill a deer with my bow at that point and I absolutely was a terrible bowhunter. So I woke up one morning and poured tinks 69 and a dominate buck lure onto a sock and drug it into the woods early in the am, in early November. About 30 minutes after sun-up a beautiful 7 point started coming in on a rope. I was hunting off the ground and stood behind a tree. Well the 7 point was so keen on the scent he did not even notice me. As he closed the distance I drew and waited.......as he was about 30 yards away I heard some grunting and it became loud as all hell. I tried to play it off but my senses went on overdrive. I slowly turned my head around and looked behind me. A massive 10-12 point buck stood there looking right through me towards the 7 point, not 15 yards away. Before I knew it the big buck took off after the 7 point and I ended up not getting a shot off on either deer. I stood there in amazement, looking like a total dufus.
