kcheimer

I was in the stand in NE KS (Western Doniphan County) Friday afternoon through Sunday morning. I haven't seen much rub activity to speak of. There some small older rubs, but nothing like I saw last year in gun season. Two weekends ago I had very fresh scrapes all around the perimeter of the timber, in the field, the grass off the field and even in waterways kind of out in no-mans land. This weekend they were dry and hadn't been revisited.

Saturday morning I was greeted by the racket of a little buck chasing does around 35 yards up the hill from me in a thicket. WHen i finally got the binocs on him through the thicket, he stood still long enough to show me his short little six or eight points. Then he saw two more does coming through 35 yards down the hill from me and he took off after them. After that I saw two bobcats and a coyote and didn't have a visitor again until around 4:30 or 5:00 when a forkhorn came through. I happened to turn around and catch him nosing through the cornfield where the does ran when they coyote spooked them. I grunted at him once and he came right by the stand after hitting the community scrape and licking branch they all hit. The next morning I had a little six point come by but he was just browsing and not really chasing anything. Then I didn't see anything until 11:25am when I saw a nice 8pt chase a doe out onto the shoulder of 635 right after crossing the MO river on my way back to KC. This guy had nice brown stained antlers, good tine length and was evidently willing to battle the southbound traffic to get at that doe. I was a bit ticked off that I haven't seen him cruising by my stand(s) yet.

All the bucks I've seen up in NE KS have had real small racks. No tine length to speak of, no mass and no length. I know from the rubs last year, and some of the tracks in the scrapes I'm seeing that there are good sized deer making the rounds but are they all going to have small racks? I'm pretty new at this, so I'm learning oodles every time I go out. Is it just genetics? I honestly don't think I've seen a deer that has approached 70 inches. Is what I'm seeing normal? B/c I can go out to the park here in KC and see bigger racks any day of the week. I'll be after again this weekend regardless, I'm hooked.

triggerhappy

I hunted the evening both Sat & Sun and did not see a deer. My partner saw a nice buck on Sat and nothing on Sun. It was a full moon and really was not expecting much.

What I did see was a lot and I mean a lot of fresh rubs fromthe weekend before to last.

We are getting very very close and am going to spend all of next week in the field.

Good luck to all!

Noleball

Although I am sorry for you guys waiting on the hot part of the rut,I certainaly hope it waits a little longer. I will be up from Florida with my grandfather and two others and we will be trying to fill some very expensive out of state tags during gun season.

I killed a nice 8-poit a few years ago that was chasing during gun season and I am looking forward to doing it again. That said, up in the Northeast part of the stae, you guys could make sure you save us a few of the big boys.

granitesun

kcheimer, I've been hunting Doniphan county also and have not seen a lot of rutting activity yet. You are right the smaller bucks are moving around. Haven't seen bruisers in the daytime yet. Maybe next week!

arkiebass

I got a place in Butler Co. and killed a 202 during m.l. seaon, so I am done, but a client shot a 160 Sat that was chaseing a doe.... Only thing, he did not let it stop, and shot it far back.... He got it on video, but never found the deer. I guess the coyotes ate good [:@]....

kcheimer

Anyone have any luck over the weekend? The wind was miserable. A neighbor told me he saw a "monster" so I deviated from my plan and wasted an afternoon and most of a morning sitting on a tiny thicket patch in the middle of a crp plot. Then I decided as windy as it was that it'd be a good time to get back in the timber where I normally hunt and see about moving my second stand to a more productive location and see if I could see any activity. After about fortyfive minutes I was immensely frustrated and decided to head out. I chose the shortest route to the field and after about five steps guess what stood up right in front of me? The prettiest 8 pointer I've seen all season. I had never really considered what I'd do if that happened. Chalk that one up to experience. He was facing right at me and I just froze. We stared at each other for about fifteen seconds and then he beat it. The doe he was bedded down with sat there looking at me for another minute before she bounded off. Needless to say I'm not real happy with my weekend.

triggerhappy

I phesant hunted in NW Kansas all weekend and it drove me mad watching all the chasing going on. I thought maybe it had just started up north until coming home yesterday and seeing a buck tending a estrus doe at Salina and another buck chasing a doe across a green wheat field on the north side of wichita.

I am leaving tommorrow to hunt through the weekend. It is here!