Rut activity??

[TN Larry]

So far, just a bunch of 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 year-old 8-pointers.

My family farm is just for "entertainment" hunting for the family. They come in from all over the country (and even other countries) for 5-6 days at the start of MZ season and that's it for most of them for the year. Any buck not a yearling is fair game. We shoot a lot of 2 1/2 year-old 8-pointers, which we can "grow" with abundance.

And there's not a thing wrong with that either. It should be all about having fun.

 

[BSK]

And there's not a thing wrong with that either. It should be all about having fun.

Honestly, best year we've ever had. Every hunter either killed or had the opportunity to kill opening weekend.

 

[Bgoodman30]

I'm on the border between Middle TN and West TN. Chasing has been insane this year (started in late September). Bucks were cranked to 11 over the weekend. Very little sign of actual estrus, but bucks didn't care. We saw multiple chases from the stand Saturday through Wednesday, and a crazy number of chases on camera.

Also noticed around the 5th that does suddenly switched their attention from the overhanging limb at scrapes to the ground scrapes themselves. In the past, this has been a very predictable harbinger of actual estrus in 5 days. So looks like estrus should kick off in mass around the 10th, which is right on schedule for a peak breeding of the 10th to 20th.

Dead on. Pretty sure some does came in today. This afternoon was on fiyah..

 

[Kirk]

I am SE Tennessee and the bucks were trolling around all afternoon. This rain and cool down must have set them off. I saw 6 different bucks this afternoon between 430 and dark.

 

[Ski]

Pretty rutty already in late October.

And this was yesterday.

 

[30-06 type of guy]

Pretty rutty already in late October.

View attachment 202607

And this was yesterday.

View attachment 202608

That 2nd one on your list?

 

[Bgoodman30]

Dead so far this morning… Think they partied all night.

 

[tntrkkllr]

Pretty rutty already in late October.

View attachment 202607

And this was yesterday.

View attachment 202608

Oh my gosh that first buck mad about it lol

 

[Ski]

That 2nd one on your list?

Eh I haven't decided if I'd shoot or not. I killed the buck I wanted this season during archery so unless he just gives me a ridiculous easy shot I probably won't target him. I'm fine filling only one buck tag and I'd like to see what the rest of the season presents.

 

[Ski]

Oh my gosh that first buck mad about it lol

Hahaha yeah it was fun watching. I got about 6 30sec videos of him destroying everything he could. He'd made a scrape there the day before and earlier in the morning before he got mad, about three other bucks hit the scrape. When he came back in he was visibly angry lol

 

[cbhunter]

WAY too early for west TN breeding activity. Another 2 weeks and you will be seeing some prerut action.

Maybe southwest. That isn't true for my area and north of me

 

[Seabee]

So far, just a bunch of 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 year-old 8-pointers.

My family farm is just for "entertainment" hunting for the family. They come in from all over the country (and even other countries) for 5-6 days at the start of MZ season and that's it for most of them for the year. Any buck not a yearling is fair game. We shoot a lot of 2 1/2 year-old 8-pointers, which we can "grow" with abundance.

I can be a long lost cousin….lol