Houston Co - No Rut

[SJS]

Is it just in my area of Houston Co,but rutting activity has been almost nonexistent. Have put in 12 days on the stand and have yet to see a buck chasing. A few scrapes here and there but that's it. Have killed 3 does, but have seen them just feeding through. What's your experience in Houston?

 

[chris1976]

I'm a couple miles from the county line in Montgomery. Most of the daylight rut that I witnessed was the first 2.5 weeks of November. Although there will be sporadic breeding for the rest of the month, the main breeding has well past.


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[buckslayer85]

I️ hunt a few miles up the road from Houston county in Palmyra. All the rut activity with scrapes and rubs occurred the last week of October for me. Saw the first shooter chasing on November 6, and lots of cruising for about a week after that. Killed a good buck on the 24th but since then, haven't seen any new scrapes or rubs, or chasing. Al the does are bunching back up.

 

[double browtine]

:!:

I️ hunt a few miles up the road from Houston county in Palmyra. All the rut activity with scrapes and rubs occurred the last week of October for me. Saw the first shooter chasing on November 6, and lots of cruising for about a week after that. Killed a good buck on the 24th but since then, haven't seen any new scrapes or rubs, or chasing. Al the does are bunching back up.

I hunt in Palmyra too. Haven't seen much of a rut in our area this year at all, compared to past years. Areas where there are always rubs and scrapes, are non existent this year. All the shooters we had on cam in late summer have vanished. The 3 of us that hunt the farm have only been seeing 1.5 yr olds chasing does. Did jump up a couple of 2.5 yr old bucks bedded with does the second week of muzzleloader, but that's it.
I'm hoping that a hot doe will come by tomorrow morning with a shooter behind her. It will be all luck if it happens.
All the farms around us practice QDM, so it's kinda off this year. We didn't find any dead deer, so don't think we had an EHD problem.

 

[Bigmonts]

We hunt Houston county and have saw very few scrapes on our place.

 

[Smo]

Guys I'm just South of the Houston line in Humphreys Co.
I didn't have much of a mask crop this year and the deer have vanished.
The week ML season opened I found a few scrapes, the deer worked them a day or two and quit.
I've found a couple more in the last week or so and a few new rubs in the last couple of days.
I'm not seeing any Does on my place at all. When I do see a deer it's a spike or a young non shooter. We practice QDM as well....at least some of us do.

I'm just not seeing the numbers of deer I've seen in the past.
I haven't found any dead deer on the place.
And only seen one Buck chasing on my place.
I've probably got 60 to 80 hours in the woods and they just ain't here like before.
I seen several Bucks chasing in my area just not on my place.
The majority of the chasing was the first week of gun season.
I'm hoping for activity to peak again in the next week.
The weathers just now getting right,the moon will be right next week as well.
And I hoping some Does come by my way!

Here's one of the Boys in the Hood...

I had this Guy at 30 yards the 1st week of ML season.

Yes that's a leg to a feeder , its just not loaded during season.

Sorry about the lack of quality in the pics they're off my cell phone.

And I saw two racked Bucks together feeding on a green field this past Tuesday morning.Again not on my place.

It's been a strange season so far...

 

[AT Hiker]

We are across the county line in Dickson, Vanleer. This is the worse year for buck sightings since the late 90's. Actually only seen three bucks and the oldest was a 1.5yr old. Not sure what the issues is, maybe acorns produced great this year or maybe EHD, idk. Either way, the only chasing we seen this year was after Thanksgiving...usually it's muzzleloader opener.

Here is what I do know, I found sheds from a 3.5 yr old last year and a few 2.5 and younger. Not sure why we haven't found them this year, possibly aliens, but whatever it is it is slow going.
Regardless, it's hunting.


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[@fulldraw]

My personal opinion is that the lack of acorns have them feeding away from the normal areas. I've seen deer in places this time of year I don't usually see them and they are browsing heavily. Might want to change your normal hunting strategies.

 

[Smo]

My personal opinion is that the lack of acorns have them feeding away from the normal areas. I've seen deer in places this time of year I don't usually see them and they are browsing heavily. Might want to change your normal hunting strategies.

I agree , some areas had acorns some didn't . My place only had a few chessnut oak acorns and what white acorns i found were rotten when they fell.

10 miles away at my SIL place he had a few white oaks that had acorns.

The majority of deer I've seen have been in pastures or planted Winter wheat fields.

 

[poorhunter]

Another victim of three doe a day?

 

[HuntingDicksonDTC]

AT,

Same at my spot in Charlotte. It was my 4th hunt in November before seeing a doe on stand. Saw a 2 year old basket 8 grunting running thru the woods but no doe in sight on Halloween evening. Total of 2 does and 2 small bucks seen since Oct 31. Trail cams went from 700+ plus pics in Sept early Oct to less then 50 overy a monto period. Hunted this place for 5 years now and to say it's slow is an understatement.

We are across the county line in Dickson, Vanleer. This is the worse year for buck sightings since the late 90's. Actually only seen three bucks and the oldest was a 1.5yr old. Not sure what the issues is, maybe acorns produced great this year or maybe EHD, idk. Either way, the only chasing we seen this year was after Thanksgiving...usually it's muzzleloader opener.

Here is what I do know, I found sheds from a 3.5 yr old last year and a few 2.5 and younger. Not sure why we haven't found them this year, possibly aliens, but whatever it is it is slow going.
Regardless, it's hunting.


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[Smo]

Another victim of three doe a day?

I'm not sure , like others the deer were here early on in the Fall.... then notta! .

I'm only running two cameras but they might have a 1/2 dozen pics a week on them.

Most are just a blank shot of the woods .

I went from my best year for bucks to my worst year for deer period since 2009.

 

[RS]

I've only got to hunt my farm in Humphreys Co a couple of times this year. Cameras aren't showing near the number of 3.5+ year old bucks as in years past. However, we have tons of 1.5, 2.5, and way too many does. Brought my daughter down today for some doe management. We ended up seeing 29 in one plot...had 17 come out in one group. She killed 2 does and my brother killed 2 does this morning.

 

[Smo]

I've only got to hunt my farm in Humphreys Co a couple of times this year. Cameras aren't showing near the number of 3.5+ year old bucks as in years past. However, we have tons of 1.5, 2.5, and way too many does. Brought my daughter down today for some doe management. We ended up seeing 29 in one plot...had 17 come out in one group. She killed 2 does and my brother killed 2 does this morning.

It sounds like y'all had a great day! Congrats too all.

I'm seeing several deer in pastures and fields , just not my pasture or fields.

 

[Bigmonts]

We had lots of acorns.

 

[SJS]

Guys thanks for the reply's as it sounds like I'm not alone in my frustration. Ended up taking another doe last night so ended the season taking 5 does and one spike ( buddies first deer ever at age 56) from the property. Worse year ever for seeing bucks.