pbird74

Does anyone know what is going on with the rut in Virginia (especially SW VA)? I saw two 8-pointers walking together Saturday...the bigger one went home with me by the way. I thought bucks are at their most distant with each other by now??!!

Legacy357

I was going to sit all day yesterday and I sat from sun up til 1:00 pm. I saw 3 bucks and 2 does. All three bucks were cruising and searching for does....2 in the morning and 1 around 1015. The one from 1015 came back around 1:00 and I nailed him....they were all rubbing and scent checking every tree along the way....

MarinePride

I got on stand yesterday at 1115 and got down at 1735. Didn't see any deer activity at all[:'(]. I did hear some turkeys off in the distance, but the deer were no where to be seen. I'm thinking that the warm temps are shutting down most daytime movement. I'm gonna try another evening hunt today, hopefully the changing moon phase will make a difference.

ButchA

I agree.... The warm weather sure didn't help any. [&o]

One weekend out at the deer camp, it was 19* in the early morning and we froze our a$$es! [&:] Next weekend, it reached up to 72* by 2:00-3:00 that afternoon! Crazy weather!!!

Anyway, I only saw a small scrubby 4 pointer who was about 75 yards away - out of bow range and wouldn't come any closer. Man, if I had my Marlin 30-30 with me, I would have dropped him where he stood.

Butch A.

VA5326

The warm weather is definitely not helping things (especially rutting activity). In the mornings, I've been getting in the stand early about 1hr to30 minutesbefore daybreak to let the woods settle back down. IMO it's the best chance you have of seeing a good sized deer in warmer weather, that is, an hour or 2 after daybreak when the woods are still somewhat shaded. This past weekend the moon was still in the air at daybreak which, IMO,gives deer a false sense of security when,BANG!, all the sudden the sun is coming up and they haven't made it to their bedding areas yet. I see alot of deer activity when this occurs (first 2 hrs of daybreak when the moon is still high in the sky).I've had really good luck with this tactic in the past. Consider it another one for your toolbox unless you think it isFOS. Maybe it's just worked for me but I think I readit somewhere before, but, I was doing it long before I read about it. Hopefully the rest of this week will be a little cooler. I've fine tuned my stand to where I've been seeing the BIG BOY (HUNTING HIM FOR YEARS)close enough to hopefully get a shot either Thursday or Friday, because on Saturday, the woods will be corrupted and he will go incognitofor the rest of the Season. So it's either Friday or Saturday or wait unitl next year for him.

Take Care,
VA

rrviper40

im more in central virginiabut the rut is all messed up here IMO. i was seeing bucks running does all through bow season and opening day of bp. now,typically about the time of the rut to be really kicking in... i havent seen a single deer in the past 4 days i have hunted.im hoping its the warm weather or maybe all this rain has something to do with it?

eng40sqd

rrviper I have to agree with you.. I was seeing all kinds of heavy pre rut sign the later part of bow and the opening weekend of BP.. I have hunted every day except for two since the bp opener and the rut activity has stopped it seems.. in fact yesterday you figure there would be decent movement prior to the fron coming through.. well we say 5 does all day long. Harvested on of those and none of them was showing any signs of being "in" I am hoping this cooler snap will put them back into gear by turkey day

o2bebowhunting

i hunted 4 days (nov 14,15, 17,18). i hunted in fauquier co 14/15 and did not see a single deer(i did manage to take a bear)
i hunted 17/18 in fluvanna county at a hunt club and did nto see a single deer there. our club saw zero bucks on saturday the 18th. you cant blame the weather--it was cold and cloudy on saturday.
this week im hunting in loudoun(slumpbuster) and madison county over thanksgiving. hopefully i will at least get to see some deer. i think the rut is basically done.

nancy_hamilton2003

Im from sw va too and where i live theres all kinds of buckes on my land

pbird74

Thanks...My cousin got another 8 the following Saturday. Saw 15 deer on Turkey Day, came back the next day and there were dozens of turkeys...no deer. It's like they know or something.