Signs of Illinois Rut
11-14-2008, 08:58 AM
#72
Fork Horn
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Woodford County Illinois
Posts: 250
RE: Signs of Illinois Rut
Well boys it was a wonderful wet chilly miserable morning, with almost no wind, and I didnt see S h i t , the scrape is full of tracks and the muddy path was full of tracks the size of a cell phone.
I heard bad news in Caseys when i was guying smokes and coffee that another hunter saw a pair already locked up and he said he thinks that this years rut has already happened when it was hot and they did it at night. I hope this is not the case, I have been told that I might be over hunting my spot, So should I just quit that spot until after shotgun season or try hunting the stand tree by the scrape insted of hunting the funnal.
I heard bad news in Caseys when i was guying smokes and coffee that another hunter saw a pair already locked up and he said he thinks that this years rut has already happened when it was hot and they did it at night. I hope this is not the case, I have been told that I might be over hunting my spot, So should I just quit that spot until after shotgun season or try hunting the stand tree by the scrape insted of hunting the funnal.
11-14-2008, 09:12 AM
#73
Fork Horn
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Woodford County Illinois
Posts: 250
RE: Signs of Illinois Rut
By the way, I hope that every body here does not think that Im the dumbest hick that every went to the woods. This is just my first year of real hunting, I have hunted all my life but it was small game.
also by the way, anybody who wants a hunting buddy in or near Marhshall, Woodford, or Tazwell county, or even Peoria County, let me know, I wont kill your big trophy I just want to fill my tags.
also by the way, anybody who wants a hunting buddy in or near Marhshall, Woodford, or Tazwell county, or even Peoria County, let me know, I wont kill your big trophy I just want to fill my tags.
11-14-2008, 09:14 AM
#74
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Cenral Illinois
Posts: 3,180
RE: Signs of Illinois Rut
Every year there are people that say the rut is either already over, or hasn't started yet. PAY NO ATTENTION!!! This is the time to be in the woods. I have no idea how big your spot is, so i can't say if you are overhunting it or not. If you have the ability to move around a little, do it. With the chase phase in full swing, setting up on scrapes can be disappointing.
11-14-2008, 10:05 AM
#75
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Morgan County, IL
Posts: 1,073
RE: Signs of Illinois Rut
I hunted hard all of last weekend, andpersonnally saw no signs of the rut. I was able to make it out all day yesterday(11/13) and for the first 3 hours of the day had deer crawling all over me. I lost count at the number I saw. Early on in the morning I spotted a large8trotting through the timber, too far away to really even get a good look. 7 AM had ahot doedragging a large 10 oh-so-close by my stand. They took the wrong(for me)fork in a trail the led them safely away from me, but hung around long enough to get a good look at the buck, just outside of arrow range.[:@]
There were 2 younger bucks that followed them in the next 30 min. that DID walk right by me, but both got a pass.
The rest of the morning I was catching glimpses of deer moving throught the timber, I was unable to ID most of them, but nothing to really speak about.
One of the younger bucks I passed earlier on would make an appearance every once in a while, he never really seemed to leave.
The last deer I saw in the day was a tall 5x4 at 10 AM. he came in by himself, on the same trail that the big 10 followed the doe away on. It was like he was trailing them backwards. He stayed in the same area that the doe and buck hung around in for awhile, upwind of me, and ended up going back out after 10 or so min. I was hoping that with him being by himself he would be more responsive to any calls I made, but he was deaf to them.
By far the most rut activity I'd seen all year. And it was most likely the last pre-gun season hunt I'll have this year, with work and what not.[:@]
There were 2 younger bucks that followed them in the next 30 min. that DID walk right by me, but both got a pass.
The rest of the morning I was catching glimpses of deer moving throught the timber, I was unable to ID most of them, but nothing to really speak about.
One of the younger bucks I passed earlier on would make an appearance every once in a while, he never really seemed to leave.
The last deer I saw in the day was a tall 5x4 at 10 AM. he came in by himself, on the same trail that the big 10 followed the doe away on. It was like he was trailing them backwards. He stayed in the same area that the doe and buck hung around in for awhile, upwind of me, and ended up going back out after 10 or so min. I was hoping that with him being by himself he would be more responsive to any calls I made, but he was deaf to them.
By far the most rut activity I'd seen all year. And it was most likely the last pre-gun season hunt I'll have this year, with work and what not.[:@]
11-14-2008, 05:08 PM
#76
Fork Horn
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Woodford County Illinois
Posts: 250
RE: Signs of Illinois Rut
For once I have a small bit of good news...
Firstly the bad news I found out that the other side of the timber to the north is owned by somebody else and has hunters in it, So I have moved my active scrape, and it also explains why the timber seemed stressed and a little presured.
So I was out in my stand and i moved my active scrape dripper to a mock scrape about 30 yards from a real scrape in the funnel, I set up my tinks 69 and trophy buck scent bombs, by my stand tree and faced the west. I started to rattle, about 10 minets after I got up the tree, shortly after my second set of rattling I see something moving to the south, Its a buck running like a bat out of hell out of the rail road ground, and coming around the outside the funnel headed west, I hit my bleat can a few times and it stopped him and he started looking around and I waited for a little bit and watched him and then he turn and run back around the outside of the funnel again headed north east and I saw him go in at the other scrape on the north end of the alphalpah. he did not snort or flag his tail So I do not know if he knew i was there. But If he had taken a few steps into the timber I could have taken a shot, but he was 50 yards from me and there was twigs in the way because it was not a shooting lain. it was a big bodied 6 point but small antlers. That buck crossed the west end of the field in day light at a run. So I take that to be a good sign. I think, and I hope that things will pick up like every body says, but now that I dont have the timber to myself I do not know how it will work, because the other hunters are set up in a perminant stand by what looked like a bedding area.
Firstly the bad news I found out that the other side of the timber to the north is owned by somebody else and has hunters in it, So I have moved my active scrape, and it also explains why the timber seemed stressed and a little presured.
So I was out in my stand and i moved my active scrape dripper to a mock scrape about 30 yards from a real scrape in the funnel, I set up my tinks 69 and trophy buck scent bombs, by my stand tree and faced the west. I started to rattle, about 10 minets after I got up the tree, shortly after my second set of rattling I see something moving to the south, Its a buck running like a bat out of hell out of the rail road ground, and coming around the outside the funnel headed west, I hit my bleat can a few times and it stopped him and he started looking around and I waited for a little bit and watched him and then he turn and run back around the outside of the funnel again headed north east and I saw him go in at the other scrape on the north end of the alphalpah. he did not snort or flag his tail So I do not know if he knew i was there. But If he had taken a few steps into the timber I could have taken a shot, but he was 50 yards from me and there was twigs in the way because it was not a shooting lain. it was a big bodied 6 point but small antlers. That buck crossed the west end of the field in day light at a run. So I take that to be a good sign. I think, and I hope that things will pick up like every body says, but now that I dont have the timber to myself I do not know how it will work, because the other hunters are set up in a perminant stand by what looked like a bedding area.
11-14-2008, 05:51 PM
#77
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,200
RE: Signs of Illinois Rut
Tried to hunt all day this morning, but it didn't work out to well as I was not properly dressed for the weather.
Got settled in an hour before first light with my decoy set up in a cut soybean field. Right at dawn I hit the antlers together, and while I was hanging them on the EZ Hanger, I looked up and saw an all to familiar buck headed my way (5th time I've seen him this year). He's a 3.5 yr. old 10 point going around 125-130.
He was in a dead sprint and then stopped out at 50 yards looking at the decoy. He didn't like something and walked off. This was the first buck I've ever had not like the decoy. He wasn't downwind or anything, just didn't want anything to do with it. Also saw a small 8 pointer chasing a doe across the field. Then my hands started to freeze and I went back in.
Things are really starting to pick up. 2 days in a row now I have had mature bucks out on their own answering to the horns
Best of luck to you all.
Got settled in an hour before first light with my decoy set up in a cut soybean field. Right at dawn I hit the antlers together, and while I was hanging them on the EZ Hanger, I looked up and saw an all to familiar buck headed my way (5th time I've seen him this year). He's a 3.5 yr. old 10 point going around 125-130.
He was in a dead sprint and then stopped out at 50 yards looking at the decoy. He didn't like something and walked off. This was the first buck I've ever had not like the decoy. He wasn't downwind or anything, just didn't want anything to do with it. Also saw a small 8 pointer chasing a doe across the field. Then my hands started to freeze and I went back in.
Things are really starting to pick up. 2 days in a row now I have had mature bucks out on their own answering to the horns
Best of luck to you all.
11-14-2008, 06:51 PM
#78
Fork Horn
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Woodford County Illinois
Posts: 250
RE: Signs of Illinois Rut
Well, they are still skittish I recon... like i said my buck hung up at 50 yards, I just hope that all the big ones are hidding in the rail road ground and have to come past me before they get to the other hunters.
I have to say even though I didnt have a shot oppertunity tonight I got my conficence back.
I have to say even though I didnt have a shot oppertunity tonight I got my conficence back.
11-14-2008, 07:53 PM
#80
Fork Horn
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Woodford County Illinois
Posts: 250
RE: Signs of Illinois Rut
Firstly Because I'm Stupid and its my first deer season, secondly He looked like he was going to head for the fence because he was at that time paralle with me, So I wanted to stop him and perhaps make him come investigate. If I had had a clear shot at his shoulder, 50yards or not i would have taken the shot... However in hind sight I should not have hit the call because He may have been going to the fence to turn in at a trail and come to the scent lures.