Is the pre-rut in affect in Illinois yet. I guess my main question is. Do you think its a good time to start throwin the rattles together. Im just afraid it is to early in the season and may end up hurting more than it will help.

I saw a 6 ptr. chasin does last weekend and a small 6 and a decent 8 sparing in the corner of a field 30 yds from my stand last sunday morning. So I' d say they' re starting to get excited. I' m bringing the antlers with me this weekend. Things are starting to get serious!!!

A buddy of mine was watching a big 8 or 10 (can' t remember) chasing some does the last 2 nights in the same spot. He shot a nice 10 pointer a week ago that he rattled and grunted in. So I would say it is deffinately started!!

I' m seeing lots a scrapes but haven' t witnessed any chasing activity yet. I' m worried the hot weather these past few days is going to slow it down for the weekend. Good luck.

Was over in Adams/Brown County hunting this past week and saw bucks chasing does consistently. Nothing huge though...little 8 & 6 ptrs. On a side-note; turned my Illinois Hunter' s Calendar over this morning and it reads: " Get in your stand today. Some of the biggest whitetails taken were harvested on Halloween." This guy will be leaving at noon today!

Won' t this warm weather and wind curtail activity? I have very few days off left and wonder if this afternoon is worth going......or should I break out the harley one last time?

My cousin rattled up two small bucks yeasterday and I killed this *basket* six Tuesday evening off a scrape line by call him in with a Bleat In Heat call. Carry the horns cuz the bucks are cranking up here in Southern Illinois.

http://groups.msn.com/Bowhuntin101/bowhuntinscave.msnw

I' m sure the warmer temps will damper things a little but from here till the end of Nov. I' m gonna be in the stand as much as possible. Ya never know what will be moving. A friend killed a 333lbs 15 ptr a week and half ago when it was in the low to mid 80s. That has completely changed my mind about deer not moving when it' s warm. If the bucks are starting to rut they will be moving. Carry the horns and make em think there is a doe in heat!

I' ve been seeing more and more movement the past week so I think the prerut is in full effect here. Scrapes and rubs popping up all over the place and a lot of small bucks running does. I rattled Weds morning with no results, but I' ll give it another try tomorrow!

FYI - I shot this buck on Halloween morning of 99.

I' ll be in the woods this weekend and i can gaurantee i' ll have my horn' s with me. Although, I will wait a while after first light and even then if I start a rattling sequence i will start out with light tinkling and maybe a few light grunt' s, then just kind of expirement over the next week or so. I try and save the real aggressive stuff for when I know the rut is really going...