anybody seeing any sign of the rut yet... Im just not seeing anything...

I think last week was so Hot, and it really hasn' t gotten going fully... I talked to a few guys that have seen the bucks chasing does, but nothing major yet... I think this week it' s going to turn on big time, especially with this cooler weather blowing in on Sat... I' m Excited already...

My buddy reports a little pre rut activity. as hvyhitter says, it should pick up this next week.

Yup, they' re just tearing some places up. I have this one area that I have to go through about 150 yards of brambles and bushes in the understory. When I found two or three trees I could use all in the same vicinity I cleared out a path through the thicket to help me find my way in the dark. Well, the first time coming out of the area I could see deer were walking my trail. The other day I came out and there were 2 scrapes in it. I got back closer to my truck at the mouth of my trail and hit a scrape line running at 90 degrees to it. This one buck has 3 or 4 trees tore up and 4 two and a half foot scrapes in a 50 yard stretch. I walked another 30 yards and hit a smaller scrape. I looked to my left and saw another. I went that way for 50 yards and found another. The two major scrape lines(one big scrapes...one smaller scrapes) run parallel to each other about 30 or 40 yards apart. I located 2 or 3 good trees and I was going to hunt between the two scrape lines yesterday but the wind was wrong. Went out this morning and it was still wrong so I went somewhere else. Maybe Friday after the rain passes and the cold front moves in. I really believe it' s a better afternoon deal, but I' m going to hunt it a AM and PM back to back. Maybe PM Friday...leave my climber on the tree and do it Sat AM. The buck I shot last week was follow a doe, not chasing but watching and mirroring her every move. I saw 3 more bucks that day and they were all doing the same thing. I saw two small ones Sat all by themselves and the 6 or 7 does I saw were all alone. Give them another week and they' ll be going nuts.... just about the time I leave for NY.[:' (]

And the time I start a weeks vacation .

The sign I was seeing slowed significantly during the heat wave. I only saw 2 or 3 deer in the last week and took two of them. My apple tree has been getting a new scrape under it every week--it' s got 3 now! After the rain clears out thursday, it should start getting good quick--and I' ve still got over a week left of my leave!