wis_bow_huntr

Havent seen any yet, but its early in Wi yet, give them 3-4 weeks and then we may start seeing some, but usually not till October here.

quiksilver

Nice pics mauser! I saw my first clean rack on Monday night. Little forkhorn - clean and dry.

I think I saw between 30-40 bucks, and all but that one were still sporting velvet. I'd expect almost all of our bucks to shed within the next 10 days or so.

frocb

Nice pics. All the bucks I have been seeing are still fuzzed over.

GMMAT

I went in Sunday......to a part of my new hunting land....and put some tacks on a treeI may hunt some mornings. When I was there....there were no rubs.

It's raining cats and dogs here, right now, so I went through this area to go to my evening spot to look for another tree to climb (went during lunch and just go tback). I couldn't believe it. There must have been a dozen rubs not 15yds from the tree I picked out, Sunday. I guess I picked a good one. It was uncanny.....nearly every tree was rubbed in a 30' circle.

Ben / PA

For me last year it was right around Sept. 6th that everyone was losing their velvet.

mauser06

jeff, thats awesome!!! that gotta have you a weee bit pumped!! i know im VERY pumped over my findings...i feel like that spot is going to teach me ALOT about DEER hunting, and is going to be a spot i should consistantly be on deer...early season, mornings and evenings and into the seeking and chasing phases of the rutt....its THE food source...got the bedding areas in the thicker woods all around the oak ridge...i feel i FINALLY put the pieces of the puzzle together...and past expiriences tell me theres some NICE bucks in that immediate area...(we used to fall turkey hunt about 100 yds east and 200yds north(down off the ridge) and see alot of nice bucks cruising...at the time it was a nice hardwood flat next to a real thick edge....the thick edge matured a good bit and the canopy closed ALOT...forest floor is now covered in waist high ferns, though i still may hunt that spot just to SEE what i see...i hate the ferns though...and know past years another bow hunter hunted that spot...i always found his scent bombs hanging...


quik, id agree within about the next 10 days or so most all of them aughta be hard horned and rubs will be showing up quick...

im pumped...i cant wait...

GMMAT

Mauser:

Not trying to rain on yours OR my parade.....but I discussed this with someone I trust....and he's not REALLY "pumped" I'm seeing these rubs, now. Just means there WAS a buck, there.

I hope we get to see the ones making them. I wish us both luck.

mauser06

understood Jeff....but, i know my area pretttty well...i know the deer dont have many other dinner options and im on an oak ridge if i dont see atleast 1 deer there all season, well...i guess i'll hafta look for another deer dining room...ive bowhunted that SGLs the past 2 seasons and early flintlock doe hunted it for 2 or 3 seasons prior....never on this oak ridge, except last year in poor weather conditions and i still saw 2 deer...1 1.5yo buck for sure..the other i still believe to be a buck of some sort but never seen the head..just body and body language...

i read alot about mixed opinions on early season rubline hunting...though im not only on a rubline...im on a food source surrounded by thicker bedding areas...and know in the past we seen many GOOD bucks not very far from that spot...

the only thing that worries me is all the stomping around i did in there yesterday.....and it is BIG woods...litterally 10k+ acres....no REAL defined funnels...thats why i been struggling to see deer...now that the cuts are maturing, the browse is almost nonexsistant...they are depending on the oaks HARD...

im just excited over the area and how it hopefully pans out...i'll put it this way, had those rubs not been there, and no beds found, i would STILL be hunting that SAME area...it has all the makings of a DEER hunting area...my hard part is going to be closing the distance...which could be as difficult as to finding WHAT oak tree is dropping the best that day and the deer prefer that day...no REAL defined trails which makes it TOUGH

BigDaddy12t

I havnt seen a single buck period all summer, so I dont have any idea if they are still in velvet or not, but if I would have to guess, I would have to say they are still in velvet.