I have not seen one single case of bucks chasing. What in the world. Anyone else experiencing anything like this at all? ZIP of this...
My dad saw the 8 that came out with the buck I shot this year behind the house chasing does this morning. Other than that who knows. Our season is over, so not many reports from guys in the trees. I will know though after my dad sits a few days here during bear season.
Serious guys. I remember times in college where I was only able to hunt 4-5 times a year, and I saw more rutting activity in those few sits than I have this entire year. I have hunted in multiple counties and have seen squat for chasing, and only one instance of a buck scent checking, the one I killed.
If I don't see any chasing on Thanksgiving morning, I swear I will wear blue jeans and a flannel jacket into the woods on Friday afternoon for good luck.
Ive seen a little, heard it yesterday, seen scraping, rubbing, and heard quite a bit of grunting in daylight hours lately, and this week has been the week at our property for years, so I'm still super excited, you've still got a little time up there Brett, I'm guessing your rut is very similar to ours and I have killed deer into December chasing does.
Oneshot, in all my years around here I have never seen a rut this late, if in fact it does show itself. I am hoping it does because I just want to see some action. I miss it! Again, no rutting behavior on Thanksgiving morning= I wear something like this on Friday afternoon......
Brett I understand. I have seen nothing to alert me that there is or ever was a rut here in my part of Va...I hear that they are chasing on property near mine, but I have not seen it. When I say near, I mean up tp the property line!! 10, 15 , 20 yrs ago, yeh more rut sigh, but there is a reason....a whole lot less does back then too. when you can sit and see 8-15 does in a group, you don't have to wonder anymore about a rut, the only rut you will have, is the one I get stuck in every year at this time...I have always said I have a better shot at taking a mature buck prior to Nov b/c at least I can somewhat pattern him..
This was my worse year for chasing. I saw 2 bucks all year chase does, and one was in the middle of October. However, I had several bucks respond to rattling, more than any other year.
Brett I agree somewhat but I did see some signs early on like late October. Then we had lots of warm weather followed by the week of bad weather from that noreastern I almost feel like whatever was happening I just wasn't seeing it or it was at night. I saw 2 different bucks with does during the bad weather last week and both were at first light, Also saw a nice buck at 130 in the afternoon cruising across an open field with sideways rain and 45 mph wind(what's up with that?). I got some trail cam pics of does and bucks that fit this topic(some from late Oct and some from the last few days) if I get a chance tomorow I'll post them up to see what you think about them.
In the western part of VA we've seen activity pick up dramatically in the past week or so. We've seen 4-5 different bucks (mostly young guns) exhibiting rutting activity. Prior to that, we had seen very little action at all.
I have witnessed one buck chasing a doe this year and that was on November 12th. I had 3 does bedded under my stand on the 19th. I know we have bucks, we have lots of bucks and I have witnessed them up and moving during the day but in terms of chasing does I've seen nil. I'm not the only one either. Here in NW MO chasing sightings are minimal. In fact, most guys that I've talked to say that the does still have their fawns with them. I took an adult doe last Saturday that was with her fawn. I'm really excited for the 2nd rut in December.
I think sometimes as hunters we build up the rut bigger in our minds than what really occurs, at least in my area. I qualify my statements to my area because that is all I know firsthand. I understand from reading different magazines and supposed authorities on the subject that the farther north you go, the shorter the rut may be and therefore more intense. But further south, like where I am, and many of the respondants to this thread, the "peak" rut is a good 21 days if not closer to 30 days, therefore making it less "intense". Some years I see lots of chasing, some years I don't. But I have hunted long enough to know that just because I didn't witness doesn't mean it is occuring right on schedule. It might be because I was in the wrong place, if only by a 1/4 of a mile or so. While most of the times it is only one or two bucks, it is nothing for me to see four or even five bucks tending to the same hot doe. So if they are all with her and I am just out of their "chasing" parameter I will think nothing is going on and may not see a single deer. But the subtle signs are still there. Yesterday, I saw a 2 1/2 yo buck crossing a county road at 3:00 in the afternoon in 65 degree weather. I travel up and down I-40 through deer country. The road kill has increased 10 fold recently, almost overnight. I see a lot of grown doe without their fawns and completely bt themselves. I see some doe that appear to be lost and are on a mission. (I THEORIZE these are the ones that probably just got bred and have been chased out of their core area. Since they are now out of heat, they are left alone and trying to find their way back home.) These tell me the rut is going on, regardless of how many "chases" I have witnessed. There will be some that disagree and again I can only speak for my immediate area, but in over 20 years of observations (since we have had enough deer population to hunt them) our rut period is the same every year. Forget the moon, forget the weather, the overwhelming majority (think a normal bell curve distribution) of our rut will somewhere around Nov20th and it will pretty much be done by Dec10th. The weather may dictate how much occurs in daylight vs darkness, but it is occuring just the same. So what am I saying in all of this? I doubt anyone's rut is late. You just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time nor are you picking up on the subtle indications that are the telltale signs of the rut as well. Just an opinion, FWIW.
I hear you Jack. I really believe the strong chasing phase of the rut was around November 10th-16th or so, right when the dang rain pounded us in Virginia for 3-4 days. Prior to that rain, it was 60-70 degrees. I think the chasing phase came and went in a blink of an eyeful of rain and unseasonally high temps. I just said I have not witnessed any chasing, not that I believe the rut did not occur like I would expect. On Saturday I saw one lone doe hauling butt across a dirt road by herself at 1pm. She was the first lone doe I have seen. Even up to last Tuesday I saw does still with their fawns, and does in groups of 3-4 moving about without any sense of stress.
I saw probably the least amount of chasing while hunting this year than I have in a long time. I did see a good bit while driving though.
