Lockdown

[megalomaniac]

Yesterday on stand I saw FOUR different single does searching for their family groups. Two met in the middle of the plot and started fighting before going their separate ways.

usually single does acting like this are those who have just completed estrus and are looking to find their fawns or family units.

I think we are just entering full lockdown on my farms.

Rut will be completely over by rifle this year on my places.... but that's ok, I have the food.

 

[Bone Collector]

On my place yesterday, i witnessed personally from the stand a 2.5 yr old 8 pt that I had passed on ML opener come in by himself, drink out of my makeshift tub/watering holes, lick my trophy rock and head towards the powerline via my shooting lane. On the other side of the easement there was a doe and a fawn. He crossed out of sight, but when I saw the fawn run I knew he was over there. He went over to where they were standing, sniffed around, spun in their direction and ran after them. Later I had a different young 8-9 pt buck (smaller than the 2.5 yr old) come in following a doe. He followed her and came to my side I passed him, and followed her off. Came back that afternoon, and saw him in the same shooting lane with the doe. Had to wait for them to leave to climb. They went across the easement and I got up. They went onto my neighbors property. An hour later here comes the 2.5 yr old 8 in tow of a doe, I guess he found her. He followed her off. Then another 1.5 year old 8 I had been seeing on camera came through cruising. Then the 8-9 pt buck came back with the doe and followed her out again. It got dark and I left. these bucks were within 30 feet or less of these does at all times.

This morning I get up and come to work. See I have 80 pictures. Think it is them. I haven't had more than 5 antlerless deer but one or two times on camera all year. It is 2 does and 3 fawns. This morning 5 grown does together, one doe with two fawns, BUT those other deer... they are on my neighbors place and it is a big cedar thicket back there. I'll bet dollars to doughnuts they ain't coming out for a little while. Bucks are locked down on does right now. Are there others that are not in heat? yep. Will they go in and bucks will show up looking for them? Also yep, but both things can be true at the same time.

 

[tree_ghost]

Yesterday on stand I saw FOUR different single does searching for their family groups. Two met in the middle of the plot and started fighting before going their separate ways.

usually single does acting like this are those who have just completed estrus and are looking to find their fawns or family units.

I think we are just entering full lockdown on my farms.

Rut will be completely over by rifle this year on my places.... but that's ok, I have the food.

I'm seeing the same thing just north of you

 

[Kevin]

It would be extraordinarily rare for the rut to have been this early. It would take something like a catastrophic drought and maybe not even that.

I'm only 30 miles from you and scrapes are just starting to heat up. We are still 10 days away from breeding really kicking off.

I'm not saying you are wrong, just saying it would be extremely unlikely that the rut is over for you

I saw a lock down yesterday. I had to go in late due to my daughter turning 10 and wanting to see her for breakfast and take her to school and such.

WHen i got to our farm there was a buck with a doe locked down in our big field. I was able to hunt from about 8:30-11:30. when I came out they were still in the same spot in the middle of the field.

I also noticed 3 fresh scrapes in the woods that were freshly covered in leaves from the stiff winds all day monday and monday night.

Had a spike chasing a deer that looked like it had been born in May run by me Monday morning when I was out changing cameras.

 

[megalomaniac]

'lockdown' is the term used to refer to the absolute peak of the rut, when the majority of does are all in at the same time (just before and just after the peak of the bell shaped curve for conception). Because of that, mature bucks don't have to search far to find their next mate after finishing up with their current one.

Because they don't have to search far checking scrapes or open fields actively seeking does, they aren't visible to hunters, as they prefer to herd their does and spend the next 24 hours with them safely in a thicket breeding, so the ability to kill mature bucks tanks.

Once the 'lockdown' phase ends, there are still a handful of does coming into estrus, and that spurs the mature bucks to constantly search (often miles) to find the next hot doe and they become easier to kill.

 

[tree_ghost]

Slowest day for pics for me in well over a month

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Slowest day for pics for me in well over a month

Ours died 11/2. It's been completely dead, even for the does. We have 38 cameras out - it's like nothing I've ever seen running cameras 20 years on our place. Usually bucks are cruising all over the place right now and cameras are popping off (but we saw all this 10/15 - 11/2). I'm guessing mid-end of November will get interesting here

 

[lol]

Ours died 11/2. It's been completely dead, even for the does. We have 38 cameras out - it's like nothing I've ever seen running cameras 20 years on our place. Usually bucks are cruising all over the place right now and cameras are popping off (but we saw all this 10/15 - 11/2). I'm guessing mid-end of November will get interesting here

I had pics from my food plots all day long but no bucks. My builder was working today and saw two bucks walk right past where we're building.

 

[MidTN97]

Our trail cams went dead last week. Haven't had a single buck cruising at our place in broad daylight since the last week of October. Last year, we had tons of photos of bucks cruising during the day at this time. A lot of our does are still in groups and some are alone with no bucks. Can't figure it out. Hearing of places 30 min south of us are in peak rut right now... Can't say the same. We have 120+ acres of ag land and a great water + acorn sources. Just not sure.

 

[megalomaniac]

Got 1 mature buck working a scrape last night. All the other mature buck pics (2 in past 48h) were on does.

Young bucks are working scrapes and chasing unreceptive does still.

Surprising little feeding activity on many plots... but I still have a TON of red oak acorns and they are probably feeding on those

 

[Ski]

Ours died 11/2. It's been completely dead, even for the does. We have 38 cameras out - it's like nothing I've ever seen running cameras 20 years on our place. Usually bucks are cruising all over the place right now and cameras are popping off (but we saw all this 10/15 - 11/2). I'm guessing mid-end of November will get interesting here

My Ohio place shut down like a switch. No mature bucks or does. Went from having a forest full of giants to a ghost town over night starting Nov 2nd. They're still gone. I'm perplexed.

 

[deerhunter10]

It's early here. By i would guess around 7 days maybe 10. I killed my target deer Monday evening. Ive never seen a mature deer so frantically looking for a doe. We dont have a ton of does here in would think ours are around 50 to 60 percent bred. Scrapes have been dead for 7ish days. Besides some does and a random small buck. Been the best rut I've ever experienced in my life. Also the earliest I've ever seen. I would love to know why it so early then normal.

 

[lol]

I've got random does showing up today. Just had one with two yearlings I've never seen before. I've had 9 today and normally we have no more than three. Not sure what that means.

 

[tree_ghost]

Watched 2 different doe family groups relocate each other yesterday after being bred I assume.

 

[rifle02]

Yesterday I noticed three different bucks who were on "patrol." I saw seven or eight does over the morning. What was noticeable was the lack of mature does. I saw mostly fawns and what appeared to be yearling does.

 

[Shikari75]

No mature bucks or doe on my cameras. Saw a buck that had doe cornered in a small field on my way home two evenings in a row. This morning on my way to the Drs office I saw four 2.5 year olds cruising at different locations. Seems like the rut is cranking up.

 

[BSK]

Looks like we're just coming off lockdown at my place. However, it was a weird "lockdown" (peak breeding). We did not see a bunch of "orphaned" fawns running around. The scrapes did not go completely dead (were getting worked once every few days).

Our normal lockdown is clear as a bell on the data, and usually falls (in a good acorn year) Nov 6-15. Scrapes will all go dead, Oldest bucks are not seen or photographed "cruising." This year, during lockdown (which appeared to be a few days early), we saw some cruising. Scrapes got worked a little bit. I just hope the traditional explosion of chasing that usually occurs right after lockdown happens this year. Chasing has been almost non-existent after Nov. 4 through when I checked the cameras last (Nov 11).

 

[Ski]

Our normal lockdown is clear as a bell on the data, and usually falls (in a good acorn year) Nov 6-15. Scrapes will all go dead, Oldest bucks are not seen or photographed "cruising." This year, during lockdown (which appeared to be a few days early), we saw some cruising. Scrapes got worked a little bit. I just hope the traditional explosion of chasing that usually occurs right after lockdown happens this year. Chasing has been almost non-existent after Nov. 4 through when I checked the cameras last (Nov 11).

I have a suspicion that more than usual does were bred earlier, making lock down a little less pointed as it usually is. I think when you process the data at the end of the year the curve you're going to see is less bell and more gong.

 

[backyardtndeer]

I have a suspicion that more than usual does were bred earlier, making lock down a little less pointed as it usually is. I think when you process the data at the end of the year the curve you're going to see is less bell and more gong.

Yes sir, this. Most here seem to be paired back up with their fawns now. Going to be an interesting fawning season next year.

 

[Iroquois]

I saw 2 does this morning and 2 more does this evening. No bucks with any of them. Im hoping it starts happening next week.

 

[megalomaniac]

Yes sir, this. Most here seem to be paired back up with their fawns now. Going to be an interesting fawning season next year.

Im seeing doe family groups getting back together as well starting today. I think lockdown is about to wind down and mature bucks will start cruising again (I have had no mature bucks on scrapes or plots past 3 days)...

If I am right, everything timing rut wise is looking like 11 days early compared to years past.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

We started seeing quite a bit of chasing today on cell cameras. Actually it's been the first real activity, even with does, since the first few days of November. They are beginning to show again

 

[Deck78]

It's wild to hear everyone's different observations of what's going on in their area. I have seen 0 chases here in Williamson and only 1 chase on our farm in Hickman (Lyles).

Contrary to others, our cams have shown does in large groups that haven't seemed to break apart yet. Buck sightings both on cam and from the woods have been super limited. BUT, the amount of sign we have witnessed on the farm is insane. Best year of acorns and sign we have ever seen.

Sat on the end of a ridge looking down over a wooded bottom yesterday afternoon and saw a 2.5 yo cruising with his nose down. Didn't see but one buck between 3 hunters over the entire muzzle season. I am betting we'll have a very interesting second half of season. Im blaming on these stupid South winds

 

[lol]

I know nearly every one here is west of us but some might be hunting gun this weekend in South Cherokee. Yesterday we had a couple new young bucks show up but last night we had a bigger fella chasing a running doe around one of our fields. My resident doe/yearling are still together as of last night but not sure how long that will be the case.