Trying to be persistent here with 5 days remaining, and so I'm trying to learn, guess, and hope for the best. Here's a map to reference what I'm talking about: On Monday evening, I was in stand 8, and at 6:15, a decent buck chased several doe around across my food plot to the NE. Stand 7 has been my go to stand all season, and maybe I've overhunted it, but the results were hard to ignore (3 shooters spotted in the same stand, and only twice have I been blanked during a sit here). So, I moved to that spot the last two nights. Tuesday, they were chasing in the thick new growth directly to the south of the food plot, and last night was a complete bust. My thoughts? I'm either A. Over hunting it B. The food source has changed (chicory, clover, wheat, and turnips is what's planted there) C. The buck(s) have pushed the normal doe groups that frequent this area off pattern I'm really hoping it's not A since I do have a good exit and entry here, and have only busted one deer visibly on the way out. As for the food source changing, they certainly seemed to really hit this plot HARD for the first three weeks of the season, and it as since dwindled. The acorn crop is thinning, but there is still standing corn on the property (possibility). As for the bucks changing the pattern, I KNOW there are bucks here, and I KNOW at least one was chasing Monday and Tuesday, along with the 8 chasing in the same vicinity on Saturday. That could in a sense have pushed them off pattern. I'm pretty sure I'm not going to tag anything this year, so instead of just fumbling about and making excuses, I want to learn more. Given this situation, do I just keep persistent, and keep hunting stand 7 hoping that my observations pay off, and risk seeing nothing for the season, or do I go mobile? I had thought that with the rain that we have now and tomorrow, that I might take my climber, and slip into number 9. The map doesn't show it, but it's a corner on the fringe of thick cover. Walking this area in the post season showed several good sized rubs, but it's hard to hunt since it's at the top of a draw, and it's hard to get in or out undetected due to the noise. The other option is to move to stand 4 which is at the bottom of a spring draw at the base of a thick ridge. I've only hunted it once this season, and the topography makes wind a major factor. Stand 2 is my final option. While nothing really screams "great" about this site, it is on that inside corner with two bedding areas...one to the west and one to the east. I hunted it once this season and saw a couple of doe and a spike. Stand 3 is my only stand overlooking standing corn. While a great stand, the corn is still in, and most sits so far this season yielded nothing (other than a 6 point I passed). I'm beginning to actually see firsthand why having too many does on the property can certainly be a curse this time of year.
I sure like the looks of #6, but it's hard for me to say without being there. Keep at it Matt, you're close, so close! Good luck buddy!
Honestly bud, its a crap shoot at this point. You can never pattern a buck at this time of year, only the does.... to an extent. I agree that #6, being a funnel is a good place to look. However, you might be limiting yourself to a very small percentage of deer by hunting it. Get back off that field, into the thick stuff. Do you have known bedding areas within the vicinity? If so, I'd take a hard look at those areas, especially if there is food sources nearby. Find those does!
Exactly my problem. This IS where the does were for the entire season, and with what I planted, they SHOULD still be hitting it. They just seem to have dispersed all over. Tuesday evening the majority of the group were in my uncle's yard when I came down out of the woods, and last night, one of them was in his yard. My dad saw two in the pasture below there house last evening (again, never there during under usual circumstances). Thick cover was my next bet. That's why I had considered sneaking into 9 with a climber. Here's a picture looking west near spot 9: You can see how steep the drop is, and this was from scouting two post seasons ago. There was a faint trail with several rubs along it. My back is to one thick bedding area, and there's also one to my right (north). I with the W wind on Friday, though, I'm better off with the draw stand or the stand up by the inside corner. It's odd, one would think that if you had the doe's pinned down all season, it would just be a waiting game during the rut. Not sure what caused this sudden change, but I want to find out.
One thing about the rut- When you get a hot doe In the area she can alter everything. One sit can be on fire and then the next will be a dud. Depends where she Is. If you know of this hot doe's presence, hunt her. The 120 acres I hunt Is owned by my dad and by my brother. Dad owns most of the wooded land and my brother owns the agriculture land. The small woods with the arrow pointing to It Is where my brothers house Is. The yellow line Is his driveway. The small woods that has the red circle around It Is not owned by my dad or my brother, It's the neighbors. 2 times In the last week I've saw a buck hanging In there In daylight hours. 2 days ago at 10:00 In the morning the 10 point Is standing there 15 yards away as I drive by. Yesterday at 1:00 In the afternoon there's the 8 point standing at about 25 yards as I drive by. I gaurantee you there's a hot doe that stinks good In there. Look how close they are to my brothers house. Bucks are stupid this time of year and will go where the hot lady's are. The one buck Is a 3.5 year old (125 Inches or so) 10 point and the other Is a heavy beamed 3.5 year old 8 point with short tines. Both are so huntable It's not even funny but I'm not Interested In them. All I would have to do Is hunt this doe as I know which doe she Is. She's hung around this small acre woods all summer.
Steve, there certainly is a hot doe in the area, but there's no pattern as to where the chasing is, or where she is? I can honestly say I see why people get excited about the rut due to the fact that the mature deer are on their feet during shooting hours more, but I think I like the ability to pattern deer better. If I just wouldn't have blown two perfect opportunities this season, I wouldn't be in this situation
MGH, as Schultzy pointed out, the rut is really a crap shoot. I happen to be blessed that my family owns a little over 600 acres of well managed property. We manage for big bucks all year long here and there typically is no shortage of nice deer here. However, I can sit in one stand, see a ton of rut activity and chasing and the next day...nothing. I might move to a completely different area of the property and the same thing, nothing. Then move somewhere else and be right in the thick of things for a day or two, then nothing. I still go back to just hunting the does to find the bucks. Some issues here, and this really goes on our property, is there is food everywhere and it really disperses the deer. Combined with a big acorn drop like most of us our seeing and its easy to see that how deer can spread out.
