Fayette County Rut

[volsgo1]

What yall seeing?

 

[backwoods7]

The one i shot last week was chaseing. This week only seen a doe there. Drove to mcnary county yesterday but no rutting activity

 

[Cache]

Nothing in southwest fayette yet. Brother in law text me earlier 8 point was hit by a car in Germantown chasing after a doe this afternoon

 

[BuckMerker]

Yesterday afternoon I had a group of 4 (momma, two young doe, and a button)come in. They were running around in the woods chasing each other. I thought they were playing at first but then I realized that the mother was trying to get rid of the youngsters. She was continually checking their hind-sides and would chase them away from her when they would try to get close. With that said, I am assuming that either the momma or the young ones are about to come into estrous. However this is a total guess and could be way off

 

[WRbowhunter]

Saw several smaller bucks chasing does around this past weekend in SE Fayette county.My deer sightings have picked up a good bit lately but all bucks have been 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 years old. Hopefully some of the big boys will step up to the plate soon.

 

[garyb]

Nothing in Hardeman County this past weekend.

 

[BigAl]

I'm fortunate that I live in Fayette County and get to witness deer activity closeup in my backyard, so to speak, even at night. The last 5 days I've seen at least 6 shooter bucks in my backyard foodplot. All seem to be either tending or pestering does. They did stop to eat occasionally when the does were feeding also. One large buck actually chased 17 deer out of the food plot, and it appeared it was just out of meanness, as he didn't seem to be particularly interested in any one doe. I have floodlights on the plot, and its rare to see a shooter in the plot. So something has changed to see so many in a short time-frame. I actually saw 3 different shooters last night in a 2 hr stretch.

 

[Dsmartin311]

Small bucks everywhere, haven't seen much else

 

[jlineman]

I've hunted everyday since opening day of gun season . On the 19th I had 6 bucks in the field. All were small racks. Except one. He was only 2.5 yr old. The oldest was keeping the smaller ones away from the does. But there necks weren't swallin. Then since then I have only seen does. I don't think they have started here. That warm front messed them up .

 

[Andy S.]

I actually saw 3 different shooters last night in a 2 hr stretch.

Literally at night after legal shooting hours? What time? Reason I ask is my trail cams are picking some "shooters" up at night, but not so much during the daylight. Some, but nothing like at night. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[W.Seay]

We havent seen any mature bucks cruising yet in somerville

 

[Artemas]

Still nothing 3.5+ at our places in rossville. Couple 2.5's. Heard some big one were running around at night. Hopefully this cold upcoming morning temps will get them moving. Some fresh rubs found today but only small scrapes. Fingers crossed as I'm hunting the next 3 days.

 

[Boll Weevil]

I'm a several miles east of you folks in Fayette county but the last several days have seen quite a lot of chasing, and pestering by young bucks. They're still rubbing, working scrapes, and whipping branches (almost out of sheer frustration) so that's some of what makes me think it hasn't busted wide open just yet.

On the other hand, have heard of a few good bucks hit the ground here and there that were running does so feel we're darn close.

 

[Mike Belt]

I've had big bucks after does a couple of times around the Hardeman/Fayette County lines. I believe the first handful of does is entering estrous now. Several of them I've glassed have hocks that are beginning to darken. I'm still finding fresh scrapes though and watching bucks work them so I don't think the rut is really "the rut" yet. By this weekend and into next week everyone should be seeing some actin provided day time temps don't get crazy.

 

[BigAl]

I actually saw 3 different shooters last night in a 2 hr stretch.

Literally at night after legal shooting hours? What time? Reason I ask is my trail cams are picking some "shooters" up at night, but not so much during the daylight. Some, but nothing like at night. Thanks for the clarification.

I'm talking about at night. I don't have trail cameras, but I do have a foodplot withing 10 yards of my backdoor. While I'm up at night, I keep the backyard floodlights on and can see if deer come into the plot. We mostly get does. This time of year, the number of does increases. The buck sightings during daylight hours are rare. Even though I have only 5 acres, I'm surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of acres of undeveloped land.

 

[BigAl]

I should add that during this time of year I'm rarely home during daylight hours. During the week I'm at work and on the weekends I'm hunting, so I have no idea what comes around during the day. I have 2 trailcams and neither of them work worth a crap. I've gotten frustrated and have given up on them. The pic below was taken by my wife when I was out hunting on Saturday. Probably the smallest of the bucks that came by this weekend.

 

[Artemas]

Was out mon-wed. Saw several does and a spike and 8pt both Monday and tuesday. Wed I decided to hunt til 2 since I couldn't evening hunt. Saw spike and 4pt with nose to the ground. 8pt came by casually walking through but not checking. At 10:50 had my first real mature deer show up. Was a 7pt and he wasn't checking either and won't be checking since I laid him down. Probably the oldest deer I've every killed... Post pics later

 

[W.Seay]

Small bucks chasing a lone doe today, she wanted nothing to do with them. She was blowing at them during the chase.

 

[DaveB]

Last weekend Macon town area absolutely no chasing. Matter of fact, the does and yearlings/fawns were herded up. I set my boys up at an ambush point and then did a big loop and started pushing through everything I could find. Busted up 3 separate groups, one of 10 or 12, one of 8 or 9, another of 5. They lined out for the ambush point but never slowed down. My boys said they got a good view but NO bucks.

What I did find was scrapes. I mean, everywhere. 5 were over 4 feet across, dozens in the 2 feet size and the 12 inch to 18 inch ones were everywhere, seen 30 or 40 of them. All of this AFTER opening day.

What does that mean?

 

[Artemas]

Bucks marking their territory. Does not ready. Thats what I was always told growing up at least.

 

[TCounty Hunter]

I havent been able to hunt since 11/17, outta town for T'giving. I am going all weekend. I dont know what to make of all this, what do yall think is going on? Have they still just not really kicked in yet? This weather is terrible for the weekends hunt, just my luck.

 

[mrw]

A friend of mine had a small 8 pt run into the side of his truck last night in Somerville. I saw a 2.5 yo 8 pt chasing last weekend in Fayette.

 

[TCounty Hunter]

Still in the stand but so far only seen 2 does that were traveling together. Argggg

 

[Artemas]

12/4 rossville 8:30 basket 6pt roaming around, 8:47 8pt chasing doe hard, 8:57 4pt following the trail of the chasing fast.... Still hunting

 

[TCounty Hunter]

good luck..let us know how it turns out. I will be on stand thursday

 

[make them gobble]

i think hot weather has deer not moving much so we arent seeing much activity

 

[BigAl]

I killed a 9pt on Friday and a better 8 pt on Saturday. Both were chasing. The 9pt had 2 other small bucks in tow, and they were absolutely wearing the doe out. Occasionally the buck would stop and charge the others, grunt a little, and even did a few wheezes. Also saw a few on Saturday being chased by small bucks. Oh,this was all in Hardeman, not Fayette.

I'd say its on, but this warm weather probably has them screwed up a bit as far as daytime activity.

 

[TCounty Hunter]

12/4 rossville 8:30 basket 6pt roaming around, 8:47 8pt chasing doe hard, 8:57 4pt following the trail of the chasing fast.... Still hunting

What was the final verdict today?

 

[Dsmartin311]

Im thinking about getting out in the morning....Any updates from my fellow fayette county boys?

 

[Crosshairy]

I hunted just inside the Hardeman County line from Fayette this morning with my buddy. We set up in a long creek bed and did some rattle/grunt calling a few times for the first hour and a half. Saw nothing. At about 8:45 or so, we split up.

He stayed in the creek bottom, farther down, and I went up to a cutover area that usually has lots of buck sign and trails. He ended up jumping a small doe in the creek bed, and later had 2 mid-sized does cross the creek casually in front of him. I saw zero deer, and neither of us saw any bucks.

Needless to say, this didn't meet our expectations for this time of year...