Virginia Mountain Rut...any suggestions?
 

I really don't know what to think about the rut. This past week, I've logged close to 60 hours in the field and have not seen any shooters at all. Saw plenty of does, spikes and forks and one 8 pt that didn't have the mass I was looking for. The sign doesn't seem to be there as it has in past years. Found some scrapes and rubs from mature deer, but that's it. This is a 1500 acre private parcel that is being managed for quality deer and has produced some nice bucks in the past. I think the parcel has 3 separate deer herds, the west herd, high east and lower east. I lower east herd is saturated with does, at least 100. I know this because they flock to one of the 15ac food plots loaded with barley, clover and various grasses. This field is not hunted over, but trails leading to and away are. While watching this field, I have yet to see a decent buck in it as I have in the past. This herd is also the hardest hunted with DMAP tags.

So, knowing the pressure on the lower east herd, I've spent most of my time up the mountain where the buck to doe ratio is slightly more in tune and that's the area I've seen most of the sign. Also, that's the area I saw the 8pt and most of the small bucks.

The only thing I can come up with is that the buck to doe ratio is so out of whack, that the big bucks don't have to travel for receptive does. In fact, around noon one day I was at the barn and watch a group of about 6 does in the middle of a field and about every 1/2 hour a 6 pt would come up from the creek bottom and check them, then go back to the creek. (this is an "off limits" area to hunt).

How would you hunt this property?