Shelby/ Fayette County Rut

[BuckMerker]

What's the consensus about where Shelby/Fayette counties are in the rut? I haven't seen very many scrapes or rubs and momma's still have their youngsters so it seems too early. Just wanted to see if my observations are consistent with others in the area.

So far this morning I've seen a momma with two yearlings at 7.

 

[spoon]

Things heat up last week of Nov to around Dec 10th

 

[FBS]

I've seen a decent amount of rut activity, but no big bucks on their feet. Seen bucks working scrapes and little bucks chasing a doe. Tomorrow morning looks pretty good though. Cold front w/ high winds today followed by cold temps and high pressure tomorrow...seems like a good combination.

 

[Dsmartin311]

I've seen a decent amount of rut activity, but no big bucks on their feet. Seen bucks working scrapes and little bucks chasing a doe. Tomorrow morning looks pretty good though. Cold front w/ high winds today followed by cold temps and high pressure tomorrow...seems like a good combination.

X2

 

[Crosshairy]

Chasing activity by younger bucks has already started, but the bigger boys are still biding their time.

I have similar experience with others in seeing bigger bucks on their feet the week after Thanksgiving and the first week of December.

It's TOUGH for me to save vacation time that far into the season when everyone else is hunting more, but I always regret it when I don't...

 

[Boll Weevil]

Take a look here for a rut date map the State of MS developed. If you live along the border, might be able to project a bit based upon their data.

 

[BuckMerker]

Thanks for the input! I feel the exact same way Crosshairy! All of these middle-tn guys get me so pumped up with their rut threads, so I abandon all reason. I tell myself every year that I'm gonna pace myself early on so I will be able to hit it hard when it's go time. But once again, here I am in mid-november almost running on fumes.

 

[W.Seay]

I don't go hard at it til the time is right. For fayette county, the "right time" is November 20th thru December 6th

 

[Crosshairy]

Thanks for the input! I feel the exact same way Crosshairy! All of these middle-tn guys get me so pumped up with their rut threads, so I abandon all reason. I tell myself every year that I'm gonna pace myself early on so I will be able to hit it hard when it's go time. But once again, here I am in mid-november almost running on fumes.

Yep. I always try to "scratch my itch" by burning 2 half-days of vacation during MZ season so that i can get out a good bit right as the season jumps off. I then do my best to bank some quality time with the family, so that I can hunt 3-4 Saturdays of gun season and hopefully use the 2-3 vacation days I have left on strategic dates during the rut.

It's all a balancing act, man. I just try to keep perspective about what's important. If my son ends up liking hunting as much as I do, that will be a great help in justifying more time afield over the next few years :)

 

[jbow]

Biggest bucks for Myself and friends are seen the last week November - first week of Dec. Last year in the city limits of Arlington a nice buck was laying in a neighbors yard and would not move because of the doe feeding near by on Dec 3rd.

 

[Boll Weevil]

One thing I forgot to mention about the map; these are mean conception dates vs. visible activity. The game department actually collected fetuses. Their recommendation is to count 7-10 days...maybe even 2 weeks or so. That's when hunters are actually SEEING the most activity. That's (arguably) when we need to be putting the time in if a grown buck is what you're after.

 

[Spurhunter]

I hunt in Fayette and we have seen only a few scrapes. The small bucks are active and everyone is seeing them but not the big boys. The big boys are still nocturnal. I'm reading all the reports here thinking I'm missing it at work, but in reality we haven't gotten started yet.

 

[Spurhunter]

Things heat up last week of Nov to around Dec 10th

This is how it seems to me.

 

[Mike Belt]

I've had a many as 17 scrapes in my back yard. I don't have any yet. I saw one of our neighborhood biggies a week ago in a pasture below the house with 2 does. He'll go in the 170's. Just around the corner I just passed a 130 bedded down right beside the road in an overgrown orchard. They're starting to get more visible but the rut is yet to come.

 

[Thirty-06]

Wish I had some land to hunt in Lakeland or arlington!!

 

[Mike Belt]

So do I. I have deer on my little piece of land but never see any of the bigger bucks even when they're chasing. A buck scoring in the 170's was seen across the road from my place 3 times a couple of years ago but off limits.

 

[creativomjh]

I'm in shelby county, north of Wolf River. so far this is what i've seen:

- bucks are split up for the most part, a couple of pairs are still lingering on cameras
- small 1.5/2.5 yr old bucks are checking scrapes,scent checking, and sparring
- does are getting roudy on camera, sparring kangaroo style!
- rubs are few and far between
- a couple small bucks are annoying some does on camera.. lurking and such
- 3.5 and up bucks are showing up on cameras more (still not alot)
- scrapes are small for the most part, but they are showing up more and more every time i go walking
- had some guys in the lease see a couple of 3.5 and up in early light hours, but nothing out the norm
- no real big sign of rut action, but pre-rut for sure
- had a 1.5 yr old come in a few minutes after some rattling, so pre-rut sounds and smells are in full force and will peak the interest of the young fellas at least.

 

[El Jagermeister]

I'm hunting near the Lakeland area on Friday afternoon, pending rain. I saw 2 large doe and a nice white antlered buck there on Monday, but no good shot to be had. I am literally a stones throw from the city limits and have limited safe areas to shoot. Good backstops are there, though it seems like the bucks like to always put themselves between you and civilization.
I saw 10 does yesterday from just driving around Collierville in the middle of the day. My buddy has seen some bucks chasing on the property.

 

[Thirty-06]

I'm in shelby county, north of Wolf River. so far this is what i've seen:

- bucks are split up for the most part, a couple of pairs are still lingering on cameras
- small 1.5/2.5 yr old bucks are checking scrapes,scent checking, and sparring
- does are getting roudy on camera, sparring kangaroo style!
- rubs are few and far between
- a couple small bucks are annoying some does on camera.. lurking and such
- 3.5 and up bucks are showing up on cameras more (still not alot)
- scrapes are small for the most part, but they are showing up more and more every time i go walking
- had some guys in the lease see a couple of 3.5 and up in early light hours, but nothing out the norm
- no real big sign of rut action, but pre-rut for sure
- had a 1.5 yr old come in a few minutes after some rattling, so pre-rut sounds and smells are in full force and will peak the interest of the young fellas at least.

Pretty much sums up my land in whiteville!! The small bucks are really active and the big boys aren't really on there feet yet!! My work is around the Lakeland bartlett area and drive all over the east part of the county and I live in arlington but it's crazy the number of monsters I see everyday!!

 

[Dsmartin311]

Hunted Rossville, Fayette County Weds morning. Younger bucks hitting scrapes. Saw a 4pt that I've seen everytime out and rattled in a 1.5 y/o spike. Peak activity was between 8 and 9am.

 

[shelbydeer]

Seen few small bucks chasing doe this week on way into work on 64

 

[Solo Hunter]

I'm seeing young bucks doing all the chasing. The bigger bucks I've seen are still running together as are the small ones. I don't think it's right but I don't think its to far off.

 

[Rob R.]

Yesterday (11/14/13) I was cutting a 5 acre field/lot in Shelby Co. Its located a mile or two east of Pisgah and Houston Levee Rd. When I pulled up to the field there were 8 or 9 doe mulling around. They watched me get out of my truck, unhook and unload tractor and only left the field when I entered it. As I made my first pass around the field a 6 point is standing there looking at me and looking around the field. I was only about 100' from him when he walked into the tree line. 10 or 15 minutes later a doe ran out in front of me and a 4 point was hot on her heels. Then a short time later a tall 6 or 7 point cam out of the treed ditch bank chasing a doe. I saw that buck 4 or 5 more times over an hour or so chasing the doe back and forth across the field. One time he had lost sight of the doe and had his nose to the ground (like a dog) searching for her scent. He finally located the doe and back to the races they went. The last time I saw him he came from behind me and passed on my left not 70' from me. He actually startled me as he passed me.

 

[Mike Belt]

It's not impossible for a few early does but more likely that it's just young bucks chasing does that aren't in heat yet. Yesterday my buddy had a small 6 chase a doe by his stand 3 times. Later a 3.5 year old 8 pointer came by and stopped to smell her trail before going on in a different direction. It still hasn't started yet. That being said, the normal happening is to start seeing dead deer on the road and I've been seeing more during the last week.

 

[BigM]

I've seen more dead deer on the side of the road in the last week than I ever remember. Was wondering what was going on...

 

[BAMA BOW MERKER]

Only room for one merker around here

 

[Solo Hunter]

I've seen more dead deer on the side of the road in the last week than I ever remember. Was wondering what was going on...

I noticed the same thing myself.

 

[Spurhunter]

Only room for one merker around here

I know what you mean. I've been Spurhunter 5 and a half years and some clown showed up a month ago calling himself "TheRealSpurhunter".

 

[BuckMerker]

Just got set up for the afternoon. Hope to give y'all some good info!

 

[BuckMerker]

I saw exactly 0 which is VERY rare in this spot.