Lots of deer but not rutting by me. there thinking about it, short chasing spurts but nothing serious. Saw 14 deer Saturday 5 bucks, the biggest an 120' 8 point and the other 4 were 2 six points a spike and cool half rack with 3 on one side and the otherside droped and wraped around the face, he will awesome in a year. The bucks came in with the does, and didnt pay all that much attention to them, watched them mill around forand hour at 16 yards, there starting to think about but not quite there, I give it 6 to 10 days and things might pick up big time.

Went out this morning up in nova and saw nothing. Might try to rattle some Tuesday morning.

Virginiashadow, you did so good with the last weeks weather pick. What is your thought for this Friday,looks to be the only day without the chance of rain.

Bush---I saw good action last Thursday and Friday. I sat for 5 hours on a primetime pine thicket and saw nothing today. I talked to other hunters on Quantico and they said they saw nothing as well. One of them sat all day. I will be back at it again tomorrow morning in the rain. I really hope this front brings colder weather. I think Friday should be decent and maybe even tomorrow morning in the light rain. My last weeks picks for the weather and days for action were on! Best of luck gentlemen. Typically I see more deer on the 6th-10th of November than any other time of the year.

you gonna be out wed morning brett? I know they're calling for rain the next few days. I will be out wed morning, but i can only sit til about 11. I dunno if this rain will get them moving, or just wasting time even going out.

what do you guys think?

I still think we are atleast a week away from primetime. Of course, every phase of the rut overlaps the other two. Still, we are a week and a half away from the rutting moon and three days or so, either side of this moon is when we will really begin to see the action heat up. Again, we are going to see rutting activity now, we have all stated this, but I cannot stress enough how important it is to be patient during this time. Herds are extremely vulnerable to pressure now being a month into the season becoming to aggressive to early can turn a big boy nocturnal in a heartbeat. Again, this is my strategy and am by no means trying to you all how to hunt. It's just with the rutting moon falling later this year than usual makes it easy to believe the hot to trot rut has begun, when it hasn't.

So to conclude my strategy, as I stated in an early post is going to be patient for the rest of this week and into early next week. However, the middle of the next week when I expect to the bucks to turn up the heat, as will I

missed a nice 10 yest eve. 3 does were feeding about 200 yards away from where he was feeding. they were there for atleast 45 minutes before the buck had enough to eat and started back to the woods(thats when i took the shot, 185 yards) but he never thought twice about the does.

"you gonna be out wed morning brett? I know they're calling for rain the next few days. I will be out wed morning, but i can only sit til about 11. I dunno if this rain will get them moving, or just wasting time even going out.

what do you guys think?"

I hunted til 11 today. Saw 3 bucks...a 3, 4 and nice 5 pointer that sure will be a nice buck next year. He came within 5 yards but I didn't shoot. He was scent checking a small pine thicket. Was neat to watch. Hoyt, I am going to take my kids in tomorrow to daycare then head out in the afternoon if the rain is a drizzle. Not gonna hunt in a full blow storm though. And YES, I do believe it is worth your time Hoyt if the rain is light.

I live in Albemarle County right at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains.Hunted in White Hall yesterday and only saw one small doe just to small to shoot.I saw no sign of rut activity just various rubs.I hunt mostly all mountains and river bottoms but have not seen any scrapes while out yet.Watching Deer and Deer Hunting on television Charlie Alshiemer said the rut will usually come in after the second full moon in the fall season.That will be onNovember 13.He said it then usually kicks in about the 3 days after that and will then go up to about 13 days until it slows down.If that is so it should start around the 16 up until to the 28.I think he might be right and I believe this warm week will be slow but I hope not.He has been raising deer for 20 years and charting his own deer and this is what he found out over the years.I will definitely be watching these date and most of all watching the woods.I guess I will be rattling and grunting when I go out Thursday.Good success to all you Virginia men this year! Mike

the rut definately isn't happening here. plenty of does, just no bucks with them

I hunted in Culpepper Co. yesterday afternoon. I spotted one small eight pointer and he was justheading out to the soybean field. Did not give me a good shot, so had to let him go. I have been hunting hard since the start of bow season and have three in the freezer so far. I have been seeing some nice scrapes recently, but the bucks are not acting very rutty. I agree with what everyone else is saying.The rut will probably be kicking in about the same time our gun season starts. That will be great for the dog hunters and I bet somereally nice bucks will go down that first week.