Deer Rut 2018

[Retired Educator]

My experience over the weekend is quite a bit different than many on here. Can't say I saw a buck really following a doe. Others in my group saw a couple of small herds of does (4-5) with a small buck with them. None of the bucks I saw were with a doe of does. This was in mule deer country. Same thing for the few whitetails I saw. Not calling anyone a liar, just what I observed. Expect this to change by this weekend.

 

[Davey Crockett]

same here, Saw two bucks still running together but the smaller one was keeping his distance unlike a couple weeks ago when they were buddy buddy.

 

[Fishmission]

Damn! buck pee in the chew haha

 

[Kickemup]

My experience over the weekend is quite a bit different than many on here. Can't say I saw a buck really following a doe. Others in my group saw a couple of small herds of does (4-5) with a small buck with them. None of the bucks I saw were with a doe of does. This was in mule deer country. Same thing for the few whitetails I saw. Not calling anyone a liar, just what I observed. Expect this to change by this weekend.

I hope this will change by tomorrow I’m leaving for 4b in a couple hours get a couple hours sleep in the pickup then boots on the ground for the next 5 days.

 

[KDM]

Some light rut activity this weekend, but the bucks are still tolerating each other. My bow hunter took a tank 5 1/2 yo 9 pointer that was only a couple of feet from two smaller 8 pointers when he was shot. Very little posturing, chasing, or other peak rut activity observed, but he did hear some grunting and watched some light tending activity but nothing approaching lock down or frenzied tending behavior. This pic was taken less than a minute before the shot.

 

[pointer]

Holy he'll, the bucks we have seen this year are all rutting something fierce , necks are very swollen, noses to the ground, and wandering, the last two days I have seen an absolute tank of a buck right along the midway, pot belly short nose haven't seen the rack , don't much care as he will field dress at over 200 easy, but he goes in and out of the corn at about 500 yards, with no way to sneak on him, frustrating

 

[Davey Crockett]

I have a gratis tag and I see this guy almost on a daily basis , I just can't make myself do it. He is a young buck with some good blood in him.

 

[Yoby]

Down in SD here, things tend to be a bit weird. last weekend and a couple days before there were bucks running around mid day and watch a couple small bucks pushing 3-4 does around. Guessing they were checking. Since then I had to do a bit of traveling and everything has change. Nothing is in daylight. I haven't seen anything but a forkie on camera. A couple things I know changed were fields being harvested and the field to the south of me (along the path the deer tend to travel) the had harvested the corn prior to me leaving now they put their cattle in there. Sat in the stand last night only to have cattle watching me from the main travel path.

Tonight went out to check out a new spot and upon coming back home there was a couple deer standing under my stand....... What do you do? hunt another day I guess.

 

[bucksnbears]

Purdy good chance their won't be many older bucks alone now.

Best year ever for quality bucks seen. The have the girl's pinned down now and when done banging her, they know where to go for the next piece

 

[Mort]

Sounds like the rut activity is all over the place....some places its game on...others not so much...hmmm interesting.

For me, I'll be out in full force come sat...all the way till the sunday ofthe last day, thats when I"m on vacation boys. Waiting to see if I gain access to private land, but that won't be till Monday. Gonna get another plan in motion

 

[5575]

Western ND rut activity was nuts today, but it always pretty much is the 12-19 of nov!:;:rockit

 

[1804]

I had the same thing happen up my way, Bucks galore and does after Friday all have disappeared, did see small fork horn chasing last night maybe the wind had an effect on the heard.

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why is the camera date from 2008?

Some light rut activity this weekend, but the bucks are still tolerating each other. My bow hunter took a tank 5 1/2 yo 9 pointer that was only a couple of feet from two smaller 8 pointers when he was shot. Very little posturing, chasing, or other peak rut activity observed, but he did hear some grunting and watched some light tending activity but nothing approaching lock down or frenzied tending behavior. This pic was taken less than a minute before the shot.

 

[Taylorman55]

I hope this will change by tomorrow I’m leaving for 4b in a couple hours get a couple hours sleep in the pickup then boots on the ground for the next 5 days.

Smaller guys sniffing and slightly chasing out west. I talked to probably a dozen people hunting Muleys opener, and none of them found a mature buck over 140 rutting. All forkys and smaller bucks. Our family hunted 4C for about my first 15 years on a family friends private ranch. We rarely hunted opener, was always second and third weekend. My opinion is that the rut out west is always best last weekend.

 

[LBrandt]

The path they have made to my apple trees that are 30ft from the house looks like a sheep yard. They only come in when its dark and have shreaded some of my little trees in the shelter belt, and of course I have a doe tag this year. The 22-250 is propped up on the kitchen counter next to the kitchen window. Somebody will make a mistake and then I will mark off one more item on my bucket-list.

 

[Yoby]

I did a decent amount of driving around this morning and saw quite a few deer. Maybe it was the weather that changed their pattern, but this morning was calm and a little nip in the air, but still 30. Saw 15 or so does out moving and only 1 buck. The buck was a decent sized 3x3 cruising a shelter belt line. Nothing pushing the does this morning.

 

[LBrandt]

The path they have made to my apple trees that are 30ft from the house looks like a sheep yard. They only come in when its dark and have shreaded some of my little trees in the shelter belt, and of course I have a doe tag this year. The 22-250 is propped up on the kitchen counter next to the kitchen window. Somebody will make a mistake and then I will mark off one more item on my bucket-list.

Just had a nice 5x5 come through the back yard, stopped to check his scrape and moved on in a hurry.

 

[KDM]

I had the same thing happen up my way, Bucks galore and does after Friday all have disappeared, did see small fork horn chasing last night maybe the wind had an effect on the heard.

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why is the camera date from 2008?

The Damn camera resets to the manufacture date whenever the batteries run out so I just let it go. That and it's my techno camouflage. LOL!!

 

[Mort]

Been seeing guys poppin the little ones, forkies and such, some are in hurry to end their hunt because they don't have time to hunt after opener, which is each is own I guess. I don't like shooting forkies, hoping to see at least a 4 x 4

 

[Kurtr]

I did a decent amount of driving around this morning and saw quite a few deer. Maybe it was the weather that changed their pattern, but this morning was calm and a little nip in the air, but still 30. Saw 15 or so does out moving and only 1 buck. The buck was a decent sized 3x3 cruising a shelter belt line. Nothing pushing the does this morning.

Out west has been going wild. The deer i shot was fighting with another deer and seen lots chasing

 

[Whisky]

That deer is pretty damn awesome by the way Kurt. Those inlines are awesome. I would have no clue how to score that deer.