So last night was the second night of no luck. Set up in my usual place where I hunt with my smoke stick. Near the edge going into a corn field. This is really early in the year for me to be hunting so it maybe just that. I havnt seen a dang thing, other than the freaking squirrels. Im going to get a tree stand today and see if getting higher up helps me any. Other than that I am starting to see some signs of the rut starting around here. Some fresh new rubs is always a good sign. Anyone have any good ways to remove squirrels from an area other than shooting them.
If the rut is starting there already you have got some really horny deer! I wouldnt worry about the squirrels, they make for some entertainment on those slow days.
They are good entertainment. Running about my ground blind and chattering at me. The rubs I have seen are really green so i cant imagine they are more than a few days old. Just like any place there is always that one deer who thinks he is Ron Jeremy.
The deer might be filling up on accorns during the day and hitting the fields well after dark. I've been noticing a lot more all day activity on my trail cam's near the accorn patches and less on my field cam's. My guesses are that might not be true for you since you have squirrels near you and they love those acorns as well. So I don't know any more.
Classic case of not enough pre-season scouting. The deer should be concentrating on filling their bellies right now. Your job is to find out; On What?, Where? and When? Those rubs that you see now are just the result of their racks hardening up and a little hormonal "friskiness". You won't see any true pre-rut activity for nearly a month. Good Luck!
Acorns is one thing we dont have alot of around here and is something that we dont have on public ground like that. I sat there from about 4 pm till dark. Same place I always sit except i have a gun, not a bow. I cant be sure what they are eating this time of year. The fields are still full. Harvest isnt in full swing yet. Where I sit i have the opening to the corn field that is on private ground, and the milo and soybeans that the Game and Parks plants. All bare of deer last night. I figured with the cold front coming through early this morning last night would have been a really active night. I suppose its back to driving 45 mins to the private ground I usually hunt on.
