outdoorsmen1 Posted September 22, 2009 Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 alright so ive been hunting for 12 years now. killed plenty of deer, but only 2-3 decent sized bucks but i know the big ones are around because i get pics of them all the time, even daytime pics at my corn feeder. We own 112 acres and have a trailer park and about 10-12 houses we rent, and our land joins game lands and they shoot pretty much anything. i hunt either over a food plot of mixed hamman farms with oats or a timed corn feeder and see plenty of deer but not the big ones. Im thinking they are just nocternal, but i dont even see the big ones during the rut. my corn feeder is in the middle of oak trees and the acorns are falling good now. What do i need to do? hunt ridge tops oak trees when its not windy? any advice would be helpful..THANKS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeaveragehunter Posted September 22, 2009 Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 The big guys are skittish around food during daylight especially when there is local hunting pressure. If I see a big one it is almost always right at dark and lots of times it is just too dark to shoot. My suggestion would be to move off of the food source 100 yards in the direction the bucks are coming from and re-evaluate. Keep moving back til you start seeing them in the daylight. Just watch you don't move into their bedroom or they will relocate real fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeinwalker Posted September 22, 2009 Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 (edited) NC hunters got it all wrong... I don't know who you are or exactly where you live either, but I'm in NC too. Lots of good ol' boys think our rut occurs the week of thanksgiving. Without getting too much into the dynamics of a deer herd, I can tell you that that information is completely wrong. Our rut happens from about Nov.1-Nov.12. By that I mean, some does in some places are in the rut around the first and in some places around the state as late as the 12th. Other than that, you're hunting pre & post-rut and tactics should be adjusted accordingly. Also, understand that because your buddy in New Hanover County saw 6 bucks chasing 2 does on Oct. 4th. doesn't mean the rut is happening a the same time in Sampson County. The dates are rough estimates of the extreme beginnings and ends of the rut for our area. Also, due to our mismanaged herd dynamics and huge doe to buck ratio, there will be lots of does in one day, then the next, then the next and so on through this period. There are so many does that they cannot all possibly come into estrous on the same day or even week. There might be a few does on your proprty in estrous today and the group of does that hang out in the bean field 3 miles away might not come in for 3 more days. The reason the good ol' boys think the rut is during Thanksgiving is because that is the time when they are all off of work for the week. This is when they get to spend the most time in the woods and therefore, this is the time of the hunting season when they see the most deer. So, they natually assume the rut is on, not to mention they refuse to read or believe anything about actual deer biology. They get most of thier deer biology by the woodstove at the corner store when they come out of the woods for breakfast an hour after sun up. The good news is that we have soooooooo many does in our state (o.k. I'm getting into the herd dynamics just a little) that not all the does can possibly be bred at the same time. The doe-to-buck ratio is so high that there simply aren't enough bucks to breed them all. So, about 22-28 days later-we're right back in a rut, though somewhat smaller. This keeps happening until most are bred. This maintains high testosterone levels in bucks through Jan. & Feb., which is exactly why we see bucks that still have antlers arond here on the first day of March! Their testosterone levels don't fall low enough to shed their antlers when they find another doe in heat and the levels spike again. When they haven't found receptive does in a couple of months, the levels drop deep enough for them to loose thier antlers. It's also the reason why some fawns still have spots in October. The daddy just didn't have time for the mommy until late winter. Hunt your big boys during the rut. Take care not to do anything to spook them. Remember, keep your bucks close, and keep your does closer. Keep the does happy on your hunting spot. Don't thin them until the last 2 or 3 weeks of the season. Keep the around, well fed and happy. Then, hunt as much as you can from Nov. 1-12th or 15th if you don't hunt at all the rest of the season. Stay on the stand longer in the mornings, until at least 11:00 or lunch. Go back early and get in the stand around 2:00. This is primetime monster buck time. During our rut, they will show up with the does, any time of day the does want to show up, and if they're red-hot in the chase, they will not let them rest all day! Keep up with your does on your property. Lots of times, if a doe is being harrassed by a buck, you'll see them during times you never saw deer there before because he keeps her moving. Keep a close eye on them during these 2 weeks and one day, you'll catch one or some of them in the rut, with their boyfriends in-tow during shooting hours. Edited September 22, 2009 by treeinwalker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeinwalker Posted September 22, 2009 Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 by the way, the wind down't make a dang bit of difference whe the rut is on. If the wind ever stopped us, we'd have lost opportunities at some dandy's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeinwalker Posted September 22, 2009 Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 woooohooo! I'm a spike now. Please give me a few more years before you shoot me...:bang: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly Posted September 23, 2009 Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 Congrats on your new head gear treeinwalker. I always play the wind when I can. Sometimes it changes on me and I have no option, but I do believe that a buck in rut may spook if it smells human odor. Best bet would be to figure out where they bed! Likely the thickest stuff on the property. Set up 100 yards from that spot and try grunting. If it's during the rut or post-rut try rattling and maybe a decoy. Just spray it down and wear gloves when handling it to avoid getting human scent on it. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outdoorsmen1 Posted September 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 thanks for the info.! but i was told to shoot the does with button bucks so they wont run them off, and that this should be done before the rut. whats everyones input on this? before or after the rut? i have a decent number of does, but not outrageous numbers. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeaveragehunter Posted September 23, 2009 Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 Depends on your buck to doe ratio. A more balanced ratio will produce a shorter more intense rut. In theory you should see more bucks because they have to move more to find hot does. If your ratio is out of whack the rut will be less intense and drawn out. In theory it takes longer to breed all the does and the bucks can leave one and find another to push into a secluded place to breed her. I would say take a few real early and then let it cool down and then take a few more real late in the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeaveragehunter Posted September 23, 2009 Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 Depends on your buck to doe ratio. A more balanced ratio will produce a shorter more intense rut. In theory you should see more bucks because they have to move more to find hot does. If your ratio is out of whack the rut will be less intense and drawn out. In theory it takes longer to breed all the does and the bucks can leave one and find another to push into a secluded place to breed her. I would say take a few real early and then let it cool down and then take a few more real late in the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stinger-Hunter Posted September 23, 2009 Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 Treeinwalker nailed that one. We've been missing his Wisdom all this time and didn't know it. Ok, I'll add one other thing here. Do not under any circumstances stop hunting in the middle of the day during the rut. Noon is a major time of day where bucks and does will move around. they've been hunkered down all morning, evading hunters and it is a good safe time. Most hunters get out of the woods around 10:30 or 11, so they are a little less tense having the woods to themselves. Do not be fooled. They know when hunters leave the woods. I smoked a dandy of a buck at 12 noon during the rut a few years back and plenty of other hunters have done the same. In December when everyone else is done hunting or inside watching football - you'll be out in the woods putting the smackdown on a bruiser - during the 2nd rut. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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