RE: The 2008 Rut That Wasn't?
 

Ive had a different situation than that. This morning I saw 8 different bucks, 4 of them right on the heels of does. It started slow, but their ruttin now in SE Indiana. Hopefully things pick up for ya

RE: The 2008 Rut That Wasn't?
 

Havnt hunted much lately since ive olny got doe tags, but it does seem slow by all accounts that ive heard from my buddies that are hunting.

RE: The 2008 Rut That Wasn't?
 

no different on my side of the state...

some guys are seeing it....

i finally had 1 im 90% sure RAN down my dragline right before decint light this morning..another one in the brush made me think maybe he chased a doe in(assuming it was a buck by actions and body size...) had a small half rack i think responded to my rattling and grunting..then hit my scent trail and hound dogged it to about 40-50yds away then went back up in the woods...tail was half way up the whole time like he was intimidated maybe...probably afraid to come in and get his butt whooped and his other half busted off lol...


driving in i had a mom and 2 little ones in the field in the headlights...no buck chasing them...VERY odd year...i thought with this later season, we would had it made.......:eek:

went to see the buddy before i headed home...he jumped outta the combine and yelled LOOK AT THIS BOY!! pointed down...BIG ole buck track...size of my hand! thats the one im hunting..they jumped hm last weekend small game hunting in the corner i was hunting and he got the place TRASHED with rubs on big trees all over...he was 1/4-1/2 mile up the ditch from me...that area recieves a fair amount of bowhunting pressure so maybe saturday if i hunt there, he will come by me....he is also seen 1/4-1/2 mile in the other direction...so he practically HAS to come by me...i just gotta be there...wish i found that spot earlier in the season...perfect funnel in a nasty swamp brush creek bottom...

RE: The 2008 Rut That Wasn't?
 

I know, I live in Pa too.

RE: The 2008 Rut That Wasn't?
 

Things in NY are starting to heat up, finally. All the gun hunters can feel better this year as it looks like the rutit just in time for gun season. I will be out there with a gunalso, but love bow hunting better.

RE: The 2008 Rut That Wasn't?
 

I believe for whatever reason, some people just don’t see the stereotypical activity that usually occurs. Last year it was me. This season I hunted all during that warm spell. Heard a little bit of chasing, and had bucks cruising morning & evening, very little midday. I had one buck with a hot doe at that time. This Saturday I killed a buck trailing a doe, but had no swelled neck or dark tarsals. Every year some guys see it & some don’t. The highways around here certainly tell an active rutting story.

RE: The 2008 Rut That Wasn't?
 

I hunted NE Indiana last week. It was warm when we arrived but I actually filled my buck tag 6 minutes after legal shooting light on the first morning of the hunt. WhatI saw after that was one of the best days I ever spent in the woods. In a span of about 2 hours I saw approximately 40 deer including 11 different bucks. All of the bucks were either bumping or chasing does. I had another buck, which was bigger than the one that I killed, bump every doe in the wood lot I was in. Two days later the hunting buddy that I went up with had a similar experience on another property. He had 7 does bedded and 23 feeding around him when a 130" ten point came in and bred a doe. He shot the buckbut apparently didn't make the shot that he thought he did as we never found him. While waiting on his buck to hopefully expire he had a 10 in the mid 140's and another 10 in the mid 150's come in and chase does under him. I doe hunted a little more in the latter part of the week but didn't see any more chasing but despite the warm weather, we all saw quite a bit of chasing on the 5, 6, and 7th. By the latter part of the week the only big bucks we were seeing were out in the middle of the fields standing over does in lock down. While I was gone I got several reports from my buddies back home in Arkansas that were seeing quite a bit of chasing and rut activity there as well.

RE: The 2008 Rut That Wasn't?
 

I have to see if I can find the article in D&DH but they were talking a REAL late rut this year. If I remember right it was like late Nov., I could be wrong but this moon is the rutting moon and the deer "come in" like 2 weeks or more after this moon. I'll see if I can Google it later and see.

RE: The 2008 Rut That Wasn't?
 

Jeff, I'm not far from you at all and I can tell you I have seen or have reports of activity all the way down in Chadds Ford to all the way up in Exeter. It is definitely on, but the fact that you are not even seeing does tells me that there may be something that have the deer not using the area you are in. If they were in there I would think you'd be seeing them.

I know this ain't your first rodeo, so if you're not seeing deer something is wrong.

RE: The 2008 Rut That Wasn't?
 

Aint' that the truth. I drive 79 to washington everyday for work, and every day there are new deer rugs on the highway. I've kept notice though........not one nice buck has gotten wacked yet, at least none that me or my work buddy have seen. When the big boys start biting the pavement, you know it's on.

Rut is spotty this year, but we usually see these types of posts every season. Weather and location play into it. A lot of guys are complaining of no activity, some are having the time of their life. For the guys not seeing any activity, I'd venture to say the deer in your area just aren't ready yet. This can be due to hunting pressure, horrible buck to doe ratio etc. Either that, or you're just not in the right places if you're not seeing deer period. The does WILL be coming in heat in the next week and a half to 2 weeks. You just have to find them. And if you've found them, then be patient.