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Is Rut REALLY on?

I seen 15 different bucks this morning. None of them were above 140", but it made for a good morning in the stand. Monroe county
 
jjclausen said:
I seen 15 different bucks this morning. None of them were above 140", but it made for a good morning in the stand. Monroe county
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I saw ten bucks today (morn and eve), only one topped 80" but he wouldn't have made Pope. Johnson County.
 
Dead for me in Dallas....a few dinks sniffing around, occasional 2 1/2 year old chasing, but giving up shortly after....all does still with fawns. Looks like October 25th in my timber.
 
I believed in the shoot does theory in the beginning, but it has went way too far. We have about a 4 to 1 Buck doe ratio on three farms we are hunting. Consistently not seeing hardly any does anywhere. Therefore, rut is essentially nil in our area. I believe until we quit shooting does this isn't going to change. I have noticed the slow decline over the last 3-4 years in the amount of deer seen per season. Just my $.02
 
Jake said:
I believed in the shoot does theory in the beginning, but it has went way too far. We have about a 4 to 1 Buck doe ratio on three farms we are hunting. Consistently not seeing hardly any does anywhere. Therefore, rut is essentially nil in our area. I believe until we quit shooting does this isn't going to change. I have noticed the slow decline over the last 3-4 years in the amount of deer seen per season. Just my $.02
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In my area, I think we have had two back to back EHD seasons, which have really hurt the population. Combined with the liberal doe tags, I'm not seeing the numbers I have in the past. I haven't shot a doe this year and might not.
 
bkcrrtnps said:
Right now the moon is rising in the afternoon sky so mornings will not be near as good as evenings...
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I've been putting in all day sits and have seen good movement all morning into midday. Evenings are insanely slow. If its November I will take mornings over evening no matter what the moon says.

On a side note mature buck sightings have been nil. I'm seeing does here and there and 100" or less bucks galore. Did rattle in a 5 yr old this morning that didn't offer a shot. He ended up bedding up at 10 am with 3 does. Passed a 150" 4 yr old on the 7th at 9:30 cruising.

At least 75% of the corn is standing in Allamakee county. I'll blame that for now...
 
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Clinton Co. Hunted the last three mornings. Saw first signs of rut today and that was just young bucks nosing does around and cruising. Of course it could all be happening in the 100s of acres of corn I'm surrounded by.
 
Jake said:
I believed in the shoot does theory in the beginning, but it has went way too far. We have about a 4 to 1 Buck doe ratio on three farms we are hunting. Consistently not seeing hardly any does anywhere. Therefore, rut is essentially nil in our area. I believe until we quit shooting does this isn't going to change. I have noticed the slow decline over the last 3-4 years in the amount of deer seen per season. Just my $.02
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Bingo - couldn't have stated it any better for the areas that I hunt.
 
Thats what I've been hearing, I took last week off hoping to fill a tag but seen nothin that assures that its rut, had a small basket, thats a regular and a few does, but thats it, looks like evening hunts after work will have to do for now, hopefully it picks up
 
For the most part I think the later rut predictions are correct. But I think most people's expectations are more in line with the herd we had 5years ago. On average I would guess our population is half of that from 5 years ago. Most of my time is spent in Monroe and appanoose co. Some in Wayne and Decatur . The late doe season is part of the problem when you go to the locker and see all the shed and button bucks the answer is simple to me. The strange part of this is a low doe population should make a intense rut that hasn't been the case in most areas. The other variable is ehd which was very scattered this year .
 
hans1 said:
For the most part I think the later rut predictions are correct. But I think most people's expectations are more in line with the herd we had 5years ago. On average I would guess our population is half of that from 5 years ago. Most of my time is spent in Monroe and appanoose co. Some in Wayne and Decatur . The late doe season is part of the problem when you go to the locker and see all the shed and button bucks the answer is simple to me. The strange part of this is a low doe population should make a intense rut that hasn't been the case in most areas. The other variable is ehd which was very scattered this year .
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Your Exactly Right..
 
Saw a lot of activity yesterday in Western Iowa but it wasn't full on rut activity. A lot of bucks just out cruising looking for something in heat. did see 2 hot does out of the 30 or so I saw.
 
Was out yesterday all day. Movement from first light to 8:30, then nothing until 3:00. Saw a 3.5 yr old buck bedded with a doe eating on the beans, who then followed the doe to cover. He came back out when more does were on the beans being harrassed by a spike, but then went back the way the first doe went. Dad saw a nice buck bedded in the middle of a large CRP field with a doe hanging around. Saw a buck and doe in a cut hay field this morning, just standing there when I went by. Then saw a small buck cruising with tail up and nose low.
 
This is my 7th year owning and hunting this farm Appanoose County between trail cameras in hours log on the stand deer numbers are way down especially doe population I think between ehd and the continued doe harvest things are going to continue to get worse to where you may only see a deer or two. I don't care what d_n_r says the number of antlerless tags has got to stop. My .02
 
Out in SW WI this morning. Snowing...close to an inch on ground. Seen 14 deer, 7 bucks so far...3-3.5 y.o. and 4 basket racks. Bucks have mainly been cruising. Only saw 1 basket chasing a doe around.
 
electrician145 said:
This is my 7th year owning and hunting this farm Appanoose County between trail cameras in hours log on the stand deer numbers are way down especially doe population I think between ehd and the continued doe harvest things are going to continue to get worse to where you may only see a deer or two. I don't care what d_n_r says the number of antlerless tags has got to stop. My .02
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Remember as hunters we are the last line of conservation, just because we can get extra tags doesn't mean they need to be filled. I'd also say the state gets as much if not more pressure from farmers (farm lobby) than it does the auto insurance industry to thin the heard.

Hunted hard mornings and evenings Friday-Sunday. No shooters seen from the stand. Seen some very nice bucks at night chasing hard. Thinking some of the mature deer are on lockdown.
 
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