Most are probably on WVSportsman.net website...I have been in the woods a lot here in the past few weeks. Rutting activity hasn't really gotten started here in Fayette County. Found our first scrape this past Saturday, but I sat in my stand all day and didn't see a deer one!!! This was a first since bow season opened. I have at least seen 3 to 5 deer each time I have been out. Went Monday the 12th and saw 7 deer, 5 does a button buck and one that I couldn't tell what it was...it was sneaking around my stand at 6:45 in the morning at about 50 yards. Was still to dark to make out if it was a buck or not, but by looking at the neck I think it was a buck.
I hope next week is better! The one problem it looks like mid October in the woods with all the leaves still on. Don't know if the weather has anything to do with the rutting activity or what.
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WVHunter129
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like you WVhunter I am now having problems seeing them I know that there are 5 different bucks using the field I have been watching but the past week I havent saw them and I have worked the woods around the field and have found no scrapes and very little horning at all. I have saw the bucks in the field at least 5 diferent times but not much activity yet. A friend of mine did hear two fighting and got to within 20yds but by the time he got there it was too dark to shoot. He said they didnt pay him any mind he was in the open right in front of them for at least 3 minutes.
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Take a child hunting,for they are not only our future but also the future of hunting. Roy
I saw rubbed trees this year earlier than ever before, but hardly any deer sign after mid October. One thing is for sure, the Altzheimer prediction of an EARLY rut this year is off the mark. Deer are just now full into it in Maryland, and WV should be shortly behind. I am also surprised at the leaves holding on. I figured with the drought, they would have been shed by now, but I guess frost is the driving force, not water...
Rubs and scrapes everywhere around here (Jefferson County). Activity has really heated up in the past week and a half as far as sign goes and I have seen some bucks that were chasing does, but I've also seen a lot of single does wondering around. I grunted an 8 point in last saturday (but had equipment failure--arrow shattered upon release--don't know what happened exactly[:@]). He came running in like lightning. I'd actually like to have another week or so of bowhunting, but won't mind picking up the ol' equalizer.
My current bookkeeping gig ends the second Monday of Buck season, so after that I'll be in the woods everyday with one weapon or another as I will be totally flexible until tax season. I've got opening monday, tuesday morning, Thanksgiving and Saturday of the 1st week too. YAHOOO!!!
Everyone have a safe and successful season.
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Looney tunes deductive reasoning:
--Me smell Mohican burning
--Me last Mohican
--Must be me!!!
--EEEOOOWWW!!!!!
This has been a really strange year so far. I saw chasing as early as Nov 1st and a lot of chasing last week. However over the last 3 days, I haven't seen much deer at all. I'm afraid that the chasing phase is over and we have now entered the lock down stage. I hope not.
The strange thing is that I haven't seen much scrape activity as in previous years. The bucks are there andI am still getting some nice bucks on game camera.But I am not finding as many scrape lines this year. Even the amount of rubs seems less this year.
We have had only 3 bucks taken off our lease thus far which is kind of low considering we have 35 members.
I really don't think it's kicked in yet. WV is usually behind Maryland, which itself peaks around Nov. 10 for bucks running around. I have hunted WV many times during rifle and had bucks running around chasing does, AND MOSTLY THAT IS LATER IN NOVEMBER. This year is an EARLY Thanksgiving week, so we should be dead smack in the action!
Doug I think you are absolutely right!! We have at least 8 to 9 different bucks on our game cameras and anywhere from 7 to 8 different does (from what we can tell) just in the small area we are hunting on our 8,000 acre club lease in Fayette County. I have spent 10 days in the woods since season opened on the 13th of October and haven't seen the first chase whatsoever. About a week or so ago I did see a 3 point buck following a doe. She kept him about 75 to 100 yards away from her. But he wasn't really chasing her, just following. Last Saturday like I mentioned earlier we found our very first scrape.
As for rubs, well we didn't see any until last week and then not that many. I know there are bucks there, some nice ones for our area and there are probably even nicer but just haven't come in front of our game cameras. We have three of them out.
I sure hope Saturday there is some activity...I would love to get a nice 8 or bigger with the bow, but if it doesn't get started until next week I guess I will have to take him with the old Model 700 30-06 with 150 grain ballistic tips!!
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WVHunter129
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Good luck WVhunter! This year more than any, I doubt the Charles Alsheimer people who thought it would be an EARLY rut. In Maryland, it is just underway the past week or so, and as I said, WV is usually a week or two behind Maryland. GREAT WEATHER FORECAST FOR THE OPENING WEEK!!!!
WV hunters
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