thephatchef
PMA Member
Have you been reading on here lately? It's all over the place. Where I hunt in Boone County, I things are picking up, but not there yet. Almost had a shot at a cruising buck tonight, but he winded me. Lots and lots of new scrapes and rubs showing up. Other places in the state its probably time to be in the stand all day.
LANDROBBER13
Member
Say Junior, what is peek rut? Is that where the bucks hide behind trees and take a sly little look at the does? That' a new one on me.
CurtisWalker
Well-Known Member
Bucks stop scraping and checking scrapes about 10 days before peak rut. So of bucks are still checking scrapes then you still have time before the peak rut is here.
MNbuckhunter
Member
Like has been said prior...it's all area specific. Hunting Vernon County, WI now. Some farms will be nuts and some farms dead. I had a group of 7 d&f come by last night without looking over their shoulder or being on edge at all. I would say where I am at it will be a couple days before things get nuts. That's not to say a bruiser won't be out cruising this today...because I will be out waiting all day for him.
One key indicator I use is amount of ROADKILL. Driving down I did not see the amount of roadkill indicative of major chasing...however, one stretch of about a mile had 5 dead deer in the ditch leading me to believe there was a hot doe in the area and this major chasing. AREA SPECIFIC at this point. Good news is that it should get better everywhere each day from here! Good hunting!
One key indicator I use is amount of ROADKILL. Driving down I did not see the amount of roadkill indicative of major chasing...however, one stretch of about a mile had 5 dead deer in the ditch leading me to believe there was a hot doe in the area and this major chasing. AREA SPECIFIC at this point. Good news is that it should get better everywhere each day from here! Good hunting!
Last edited:
Hello, new member here, I am glad it's all over the place, because here in Indiana, it's the same way, The farm I hunt, It's just starting, but very slowly, hunted Wed and did an all day sit from reading other post, like its on, get to the stand, stuff like that. I took a set of horns and thought I would rattle some. Well right at 1st light I rattled in a 8 pointer, and he came in like he was shot out of a canon! Il new I was'nt going to shoot this deer, So I reached for the IPhone to video. Got about 40 sec of this buck looking for the fight, I had also put out some estrus scent? Going on what I had heard from other fourm's. well if I knew how to upload it from my phone to here, I would show you. Any. How ever it was a long day, I saw 3 doe's the entire rest of my hunt. So it's not happening in my area, now Indiana is no where close to the status of Iowa.
Here in North Central Iowa (25 miles from MN), for decades I have banked on these dates for "The Rut". November 5th through November 19th with it peaking the 12th-14th. Week to ten days prior the 5th..."Pre-Rut". After the 19th..."Post Rut". I have heard and read about a secondary rut where the does who were not bred go into estrous again. I believe the science is there to support it but personally have not experienced it.