Where are the deer

[gun nut]

Usually this time of year I'm getting around 500 pics a week and usually a couple decent bucks showing up regularly this year I've done nothing different and haven't had a pic in over a week of a deer no rubs nothing

 

[deerhunter10]

From what people are saying west tn is rough right now. Im in middle and its business as usual. It's hot and 90 percent nocturnal right now but lots of sign.

 

[TNTreeman]

Weather IMO.First couple days of a good cold snap will have them rolling most likely . Maybe next week if models hold out.

 

[UCStandSitter]

Been a lil sparse the last couple days here but cam pics have really picked up today

 

[DeerWhisperer]

Only 2 people out of the 10-12 that I talked to that hunted this weekend in Hickman County see a deer and nobody killed a deer. Nothing showing up on cameras, very little. If you were lucky enough to have some mast or food plots you will probably have a few younger deer.

 

[Boll Weevil]

We've stayed out of the woods; no point in stinking the place up until conditions improve.

 

[UCStandSitter]

Only 2 people out of the 10-12 that I talked to that hunted this weekend in Hickman County see a deer and nobody killed a deer. Nothing showing up on cameras, very little. If you were lucky enough to have some mast or food plots you will probably have a few younger deer.

My cams have been HOT the last two days here on the plateau. It's starting... And I'm not really seeing does. All mature bucks since yesterday morning including 2 bruisers I've never seen before. Hit list is growin. Now if I could just shake this stupid cough so I can get out there...

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Really hoping its just the weather. We haven't seen any shifting yet. It's baffling. Checked 11 cameras that had all does and fawns. A couple yearling bucks. Have yet to see a single rub OR a single scrape on our entire property. Plenty of does to be seen, but no bucks. I guess next week will "tell all"

 

[Bone Collector]

Usually this time of year I'm getting around 500 pics a week and usually a couple decent bucks showing up regularly this year I've done nothing different and haven't had a pic in over a week of a deer no rubs nothing

My deer in Mid Tn seem to be behind schedule a little bit. My land is a "pass through" and "range shifting" property. That is to say I hardly ever get pics anymore (development in the area) of bigger bucks through the summer, but it seems every year (until now) I have small ones and then at the end of Oct, I start getting new small ones, and then end of Oct - Early Nov. I'll get 1-3 3.5-5.5 year old deer that show up. This year the same little ones have been around until the last couple of days, I have now started to see new small ones show up. Had a 4-5 pt chase a small doe all over my place yesterday AM, but I have yet to get a picture of a bigger buck.

Again, it just seems a little behind schedule this year. Also not seeing any rubs or anything.

 

[WilcoKen]

Seems like every year its an odd twist related to weather. Drought this summer/fall and add in mid to upper 70s to start November.

The rub and scrape timing situation is a first for me. Usually I have scrapes on my home place but none yet. Plenty of bucks on camera so I know they are here. I have seen scrapes at my lease that's just 10 minutes away. But the food sources (acorns) are down in my best spots there. I can throw the textbook out for 2022. Nothing is following the script this year. All you can do is just hunt.

 

[DeerMan66]

I've been in Hickman County for the last 3 days. We saw only does and fawns in the woods. Between myself and 3 other guys we saw a handful of small rubs and no scrapes. As far as trail cam pics go we saw does, fawns, a few young bucks and 1 mature buck on 8 cameras. We normally see the chase start around the 10th of November. We are hopeful things pick up by this weekend with the historical chase start date and colder weather.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

I've been in Hickman County for the last 3 days. We saw only does and fawns in the woods. Between myself and 3 other guys we saw a handful of small rubs and no scrapes. As far as trail cam pics go we saw does, fawns, a few young bucks and 1 mature buck on 8 cameras. We normally see the chase start around the 10th of November. We are hopeful things pick up by this weekend with the historical chase start date and colder weather.

What part of Hickman?

 

[Carlos]

Here in Cumberland county, I've only been getting about 5-6 pictures per camera, each week.
There's been some fresh rubs and scrapes. I setup a camera over one scrape and caught an 8 pt using it 3x in one week.

As posted, the cooler weather coming this weekend will probably spur a major uptick in activity. Let's hope so anyways.

 

[DeerCamp]

Been seeing plenty of deer in Madison/Henderson Cty - just not mature bucks.

 

[DeerMan66]

What part of Hickman?

South Hickman between Hwy 100 and Hwy 48.

 

[Bgoodman30]

Saw a mature buck chasing today... Hopefully not locked down soon...

 

[Ski]

Really hoping its just the weather. We haven't seen any shifting yet. It's baffling. Checked 11 cameras that had all does and fawns. A couple yearling bucks. Have yet to see a single rub OR a single scrape on our entire property. Plenty of does to be seen, but no bucks. I guess next week will "tell all"

I finally found some scrapes and rubs but it's in the thickest stuff a deer can move through. Their trails are akin to tunnels, and every little opening, even if only as big as a walk in closet, had rubs and a scrape. It's a 20 acre field that has been fallow since 2007. I usually never go in there but I'm stumped trying to figure these deer out this year. All the activity is happening inside bedding, not on field edges or plots or staging areas.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

I finally found some scrapes and rubs but it's in the thickest stuff a deer can move through. Their trails are akin to tunnels, and every little opening, even if only as big as a walk in closet, had rubs and a scrape. It's a 20 acre field that has been fallow since 2007. I usually never go in there but I'm stumped trying to figure these deer out this year. All the activity is happening inside bedding, not on field edges or plots or staging areas.

I'm banking on that, Ski. I'm sure there is sign in some of those spots we have, but I'm staying out of there until the weekend / next week when everything is right. I have a pretty good idea where they'll travel - my main thing is just knowing which ones are there. Usually they'll venture out SOME and I'll at least know whose in the neighborhood. Not this year. There will be a lot of quick evaluations whenever a buck makes an appearance while on stand this year - that can be good or bad. Basically, not knowing my expectations is killing me

 

[kentuckylakebuck1]

Ask A Farmer! one day everyone will wake up!

 

[tellico4x4]

Way behind for us as well. Cams sitting on scrape locations that have been active for past 15-20 years, and no activity so far. We have a lot of bucks that never leave and they are being seen & pics on travel corridors, but the lack of rut sign is baffling. Whenever I see activity I put it in my phone calendar as a reoccurring event. The past week it has been blowing up with past years notifications of scrapes, rubs, cruising, daylight activity, etc...like BSK said," it is 2022"!

As an aside, I do think that we will have one of our best kill years ever. Rain finally got the plots going good & with no acorns they are flocking to them. They will be killing fields.