Need help its supposed to be rut and Im not seeing anything.
 

In the last 2 weeks I have hunted probably 20 times at 7 different stands and have seen deer only once and that was a group of 5-6 does and a small 4 pointer. Its been over a week since I saw them and havent seen a thing since then.

I hunt over food in the morning...nothing
I hunt over food before sunset...nothing
I hunt places I know they bed down morning and afternoon...nothing
I hunt place my cameras show good doe traffic morning and afternoon...nothing
I hunt mid day from 11-3...nothing.
I hunt close to rub lines and scrapes...nothing

Im not even seeing so much as a fawn. Hell Im not even spooking anything either going to my stands or coming down. Then I check my game cams and each one 200 pics after being out only 4 days. Also when I either check them or move them I wear full rubber gear to mask my scent. Im talking my rubber wadders and gloves that come up to my elbows. But every deer shows up around midnight-3am.

The exact same thing happened last year as well. I know deer cant tell time but they just disappear after the time change. I didnt shoot a single deer last year or even see a buck for the last 2 months of the season(November-January 1st). For example most of the deer I see came out around 30-45 minutes before dark before the time change but they still come out now as if the time never changed because the time stamp on my cameras shows it. I figured maybe they will move more in the mornings now that it gets light earlier. So I hunt places I know they bed down hoping to catch them walking into the woods to feed on acorns but nothing.

My season doesnt end till January 1st but Im starting to think its already over. Im hunting everywhere the deer should be but they arent there. Also it pisses me off even more that its supposed to be peak rut and I still see nothing.

It could be that the deer are in lock down.
The bucks are tending the does, and won't be around until they are finished.
Just keep looking they will be back.

could vary greatly


could have WAY too many does perhaps? any idea? plug a doe...

That would mean I would actually have to see a doe first. I have 3 doe tags and Id love to fill them all if I could. But kinda need to have one in your sights before you can pull the trigger and thats my problem. Im not seeing anything thats brown and has 4 legs. Its seriously been so long since I have shot a deer I was actually scoping out my neighbor's goats thinking about dropping one to see how they taste.

Get out of your stands and do some still hunting. If the deer are not coming to you, you need to go find them.

Just spent the last week on the farm. Me and another hunter over 1000 acres. I S.A. classic rut action all week. Seen deer bucks chasing fighting and screwing all week. Other hunter not so much.

I pulled the trigger on a great 8.


You are in the wrong spot.

Last time I tried that I got lost in my swamp. Guess I can try it again and take some orange marking tape this time. Been raining very hard all night and cold. If that doesnt get the deer moving when it finally stops I give up.

Either you have a scent issue ( I am not a scent-o-holic, so I think it would have to be a really bad scent issue) or you are in an area that deer are passing through but not living in. A farm I sometimes hunt is not really large enough to hold deer but they pass through going from one woods to another. Could be any number of things but I am guessing scent or over crowding/hunting. I know some of the smaller locations I hunt after about the first week of firearms season you won't see a deer, once they hear all the shooting in the area they lock down and won't come out during the day.

Somehow all my stands are always downwind so they cant be smelling me. Also I use cover scent and always leave my clothes outside since I live on my farm so the only odors they would pick up a deer would be used to. Before everything disappeared I had deer walk like 5 feet from my stand stand many times, look up at me, and keep walking.

Also I have 400 acres so my deer are usually here year round and not just passigng through and Im the only one hunting it.

I had a year like that last year. No idea why I wasn't seeing them. It gets old, especially when you know they are around. I saw 15 deer over the entire season last year on my land, and 8 of them in one group. This year I've seen 5 times that many already. Sounds like you are doing alot right, don't give up. Maybe try some different tactics to see if that works. Hang in there.