I'm Missing Seeing The Rut

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Mike Belt

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Lakeland, Tn.
There are others that have been seeing some heavy chasing but I can't buy a sighting. Every buck I've seen just seems to be just browsing his way from one point to the next. Every doe I've seen is with her fawns and almost none of them have darkened hocks. When buck meets doe they just casually walk right by each other. This is the second year in a row I've missed seeing any action. Of course one hot doe coming by could change all that and it could very well happen at any time. I just wish they'd tease me a little anyway, lol.
 
Mike Belt":vhdzvzhm said:
There are others that have been seeing some heavy chasing but I can't buy a sighting. Every buck I've seen just seems to be just browsing his way from one point to the next. Every doe I've seen is with her fawns and almost none of them have darkened hocks. When buck meets doe they just casually walk right by each other. This is the second year in a row I've missed seeing any action. Of course one hot doe coming by could change all that and it could very well happen at any time. I just wish they'd tease me a little anyway, lol.
Click to expand...
Same here in East TN. Nothing but does with fawns. The last buck I seen was early October during bow season.

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Mike, I've only seen one morning of chasing and that was over a week ago. I'm not sure whether it's over or hadn't started but it's concerning.
 
I haven't seen a buck, in person, since early November. We had several taken around Thanksgiving, but nothing much on cams since. I did find a couple rubs the other day and had a small 6 working a rub on cam, but otherwise it's business at usual for them around our place. Which is right by Ames so it's weird for sure.

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I have been hunting for at least 25 years and still haven't seen any chasing. I have killed a few bucks that were a few mins behind some does but no chasing or grunting. But until the last 5 years all I had to hunt was the Cherokee national forest in northeast tn.
 
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I seen 4 chases on the way home from work mid Nov never seen a chase from the tree this year.


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Same here. ZERO chasing, very little buck sign (and I've covered a ton of ground doing leather work), pretty much all the does I have seen have been grouped up. And still, seeing bucks together. Been a very unusual year. Now, on camera - I have had more buck fights caught on camera than all the rest of the years I have used cameras (15 years) combined. Just been a very strange season.
 

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I've seen one chase while hunting this season. Very odd because I usually see tons of action out of one particular tree I climb. I don't know what it is about the area but in the past I knew I would see chasing in that tree. This year is an exception. I've only seen it once. I honestly don't understand either. It's killing me because I have a huge buck on camera and I haven't seen him all season. I'm still getting pics of him consistently but none during the day. I've tried several different stand locations.
 
The rut here has been strung out so to speak, but we did have some spikes with really good activity and chasing in late Nov. We are still actually seeing the occasional chase or a buck tending a doe. Odd year for sure.
 
I haven't seen any rutting action in person the last two years, well kinda. I had trail cam pics of bucks chasing does. doe runs by, 1 minute later buck runs by sorta thing. and other pics of bucks standing in the background watching a doe.

I did see a spike and 4 pt chase a doe last year in Dec. That was the only chase I saw last year and the last chase I have seen while on stand.
 
Bone Collector":3rvnq3ep said:
I haven't seen any rutting action in person the last two years, well kinda. I had trail cam pics of bucks chasing does. doe runs by, 1 minute later buck runs by sorta thing. and other pics of bucks standing in the background watching a doe.

I did see a spike and 4 pt chase a doe last year in Dec. That was the only chase I saw last year and the last chase I have seen while on stand.
Click to expand...

I saw plenty of action last year and the year prior. I am hunting new ground this year but so far this Oct proved to be more productive to me than Nov. conditions are getting perfect for me to hit it hard one more time and see if something happens...


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It's strange for sure. The farm where I live I've seen more chasing than I ever have and 6 miles down the road on a farm we lease to hunt there has been zero rut activity
 
judging by some of the fawns i see in archery some are bred after hunting season.I kind of think that happens when a trickle type rut is taking place.I have seen a few small bucks on the hunt for doe's nothing to crazy here in east tn.
 
I agree with that.I live in east tn.A few county' around here have a pretty good deer herd.But there is a majority that don't.I consider just seeing a deer a successful hunt.I would like them to increase the herd.I'm all for whatever it takes to increase the county's that need it deer herd.Why can't they lease or buy more public land for us that cant afford to buy our own.I'm not talking about NF land.I am pleased with the TWRA and they do great things.Just do what need's to be done I'll till buy license i'm not scared.
 
I don't know how to check, but a friend told me yesterday that KY is down 30,000 on total deer kill this year. I know the area I hunt, most say they have seen very little or no rutting activity. I haven't seen much in middle Tennessee either, actually close to none. Seen plenty of deer but basically no rut.
 
Everyone in East tn I know has witnessed rut action in november and December. I was in Ohio when the rut hit here in East tn the hardest. I had buddies texting me left and right about bucks chasing while I sat in Ohio seeing a small buck here and there with no action. So I timed the 2nd rut based off 28 days later when all the chasing action took place and I hunted that roundabout time frame of December and killed my personal best with the most rut sign on a buck I've seen. His tarsal glands were the smelliest I've ever seen and his glands left orange trails in the snow. The rut has been taking place fellas I promise. Fawns will be on the ground next year just like always. I've grunted in bucks every year the past 4 or 5 years. But I spend every second I'm not working or with family in the woods. And I hunt probably 10 to 15 different spots, mostly national forest land. I give my spots a break and I let the young guys walk and it pays off.
 
May want to switch things up, try something new. The deer may have u figured out bettwr than u have them figured out and thats why u arent seeing what u are after.
 
Not hunted since Thanksgiving morning. Walking in lots of fresh rubs and scrapes. Gonna put a camera on a big scrape on way out. Gotta be 5x8 feet and 3 trees with branches torn off over it.
 
they rut on and off from now till after the end of season.there is always some doe"s that don"t get knocked up.
 
Finally saw a good bit of activity this past Saturday and Sunday in KY. Saw a couple of nice bucks and they were in easy range, nothing I would shoot.

Unless I get a chance to bow hunt though before the end of the season and get lucky, I will "eat" my KY tag, which is just fine.
 

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