Originally Posted by
7.62NATO
With your report in mind and my experience this past Saturday, plus the other recent reports here, it makes for a very confusing analysis of the rut, indeed. I heard numerous times that the rut really started picking up the last weekend of bow season. That made sense to me because on opening day of muzzleloader, I tagged an 8 chasing a doe. Maybe he was a 7. I digress. On Saturday, I passed on a 6 and a spike that passed within 10 yards of my stand. I thought "bachelor groups". But then, posts by ADVWannabee (is that a semi-auto?) and cpljbuck seem to contradict the notion of "bachelor groups." Is this the second rut they are seeing??
Indeed 7.62NATO. I even reported bachelor groups on this past Friday when I shot that 9 pt that I posted. However, the very next day, it was hard to keep up with the chasing that was going on. Mind you that this is in Fauquier County and I can't speak for counties south of me. The rut report on F&S showed peak rut with the winter movement moving in. One thing I did notice on Saturday is the front moving in. It has always been productive for me to hunt on the front side of a front moving in. It was warmer in the early a.m. than it was at noon. As much information that we all gather and try to understand these great animals, I think the unpredictablity is what keeps me coming back for more. You NEVER know what you are going to come across in the woods!!!!