I have been hunting since the opener Oct. 18 here in WV. I was not seeing any activity until yesterday. I moved in even closer today. I was confused because the areas that I was hunting had always produced. This evening I finally nailed their pattern. I tried an area that I had been looking over never thinking they would be there. I found myself sourrounded by deer this evening. They were just moving around me. They had came in a wave from the ridge opposite the one I was hunting and when I was moving out very slow towards the bottoms I found myself in the middle of them coming up on my side. I never got a shot and instead of blowing the setup I just stayed still till about 1 hour after dark and slowly moved out. As far as hearing and knowing anything, I didn' t seem to bump any on the way out and never was winded throughout the evening. One problem, the rut is getting ready to hit and I was wanting to know about how long I could expect the deer to continue in this present pattern. I need to know so I can get all the time in there I can put before they change up on me. Thanks

Sounds good - but there is no way we can predict the pattern for you - you just have to experience it. BUT........If its does mostly - and the food source holds up the pattern will not change much - hopefully for you they' ll attract a dominant buck or two.

If you found a major food source that will be there through the rut, i would say that you should just stay there, i imagine you saw a few does. you can be sure that there will be bucks there as well!!!

Were they headed too or from a feeding area? Was it a natural funnel that forced them in a certain direction? Just curious. If it' s a prime travel route they will likely continue using it.

I can only assume here. It was the evening hours and all the deer were headed in the same direction. They were coming up and old road that hasn' t been used in years and is grown up with tall grass and some brushy edges. On both sides of this road is laurel thickets. As this road ascends, it crosses a clear cut on a gas line. Then after the clear cut it tops out on the ridge top with a point leading off to the right . The top from the clear cut is about 100 yards and It is only about another 100 yards to the end of the point which flattens out. There was alot of sign on this point last year. Alot of droppings and alot of acorns. However, this year the acorns did not come in around this area. The only heavy food source on the ridges is Hickory nuts and they are plentiful. Lastly, the point leads off down to a green field that was planted about 4 years ago. In the past seasons it is common to see deer every night in this green field feeding.
I would assume the travel route is a natural funnel and also assume that they are heading to not only the hickory nuts but mostly the grassy clear cut and the grassy green field off the point. What do you all think? thanks