hardwoodhank

Thats strange. I actually talked to an animal control officer who had to put down a nice 8 pt after it got stuck in a farm fence. It broke its leg, and once they tranquilized it they couldnt let it free because of it being in season. The supervisor, who is a biologist said the buck had yet to go into rut, but 2 weeks earlier I slayed a nice buck that stunk so bad I could smell it in the back of truck driving it home. I have had quite a few buddies harvest bucks towards the beginning of November that were well in rut, and at least in Hanover, it was full on from the last few days of October (bow season) until the 2nd week in November.

VA5326

I agree. All the rut activity I have seen happened in this time period however, the experts say we are going to experience a "trickle effect rut" this year...whatever that means.

7.62NATO

Saw a fresh ground scrape this Saturday on the property I hunt in Caroline County. Not sure what that means. No buck, though, but I only hunted the area until 1pm.

DROX

7.62 NATO,
I saw, this weekend, two new scrapes and small cherry tree just shredded up here in NoVa! What does this mean? Is there still a rut going on? Did someone not tell the buck(s) doing this that the rut was over? I'm going to try to hunt these sites this coming weekend.

flips2

Drox, I have noticed the last few years in NOVA that the "rut" goes on for awhile. I think it mainly has to do with so many does that the bucks can't breed them all during the traditional rut time frame. For example, I watched two 8 pointers last year fighting, scraping, and saw 5 bucks all with antlers still attached last year on the President's Day holiday in Feb. I couldn't shoot any of them because it was during the late urban season but still. I truly believe you can employ rut tatics anytime after the first doe comes into estrus in NOVA. I hope to get out this Thursday in NOVA and will be grunting and bleating some. Good luck.

crenshaw

I agree with Flips on NOVA. Granted i tend to think the Early and the Late part of the rut are the best times. I think your chances go up when less does are in heat, due to the searching factor. When those bucks dont have to search they will stay tied up, but when they do you never know what might walk by. Seen a lot of scrapes being updated in the last couple weeks, where during the peak of the rut they werent checking them. So i think you might find some cruising going on. Good luck if ya get out.

DROX

Thanks fellas! You have just given me new hope!

DROX

Well!!! I went out today and hunted the new scrapes! Zero! Nothing! Nada!

vadeer

Interestingly enough, I saw a buck yesterday that already dropped an antler and I got a report of another buck shedding an antler a few weeks back.

VAhuntr

I hunted yesterday and did not see anything but squirrels. I think a lot of the deer are now nocturnal.