Rut Reports

[sticknstring]

That's the type of action we all hope for this time of year! Hope you had the video camera!

[FishingWebGuy]

I sat for 7 hours yesterday until last light on a freshly plowed corn field adjacent to a swampy bedding area. No activity until 5:30 when one doe slowly worked her way out of her bed. By 6:00 three does in the field but no bucks anywhere to be seen.

This is area 349

[96trigger]

Area 342, bucks on the move. Land Ihunt, land owner saw 2 shooter bucks tonight. Couldn't make it to the stand. Bummer. Orange army tomorrow. Hope to get my shot.

[engfish]

I had a friend of mine hunt all day Monday and Tuesday on one of my stands in the Cannon Falls area. He saw does both mornings and does right before dark but not one buck made an appearance during all day sits on the south end of the property.

On Wednesday evening I hunted the north end of the property and had does on a picked corn field almost as soon as I was into the stand. A large single doe came out of the CRP to the north at 6 PM and within minutes the large 8 point I've been waiting to see all fall came racing across the picked bean field and chased the doe into the CRP. I could hear him grunting and he worked three quarter sections of land in no time looking for a willing doe.

I hunted all morning on Thursday from a different stand and hit the can twice right at first light. Within 10 minutes, a small 4 point came right down the trail following my scent drag and looked right up into my stand at 15 yards. Later that afternoon, I went back to the same stand I sat on Wednesday evening, and the does were on the picked corn even earlier than the night before. I hit the can a few times, and the little 4 point made his second appearance of the day and chased the 5 does and fawns for almost 45 minutes to keep me entertained.

At 6:15, I noticed movement about 200 yards to the north in the CRP and out popped a decent 8 point who immediately headed to the east away from my stand. I grunted twice and he stopped and turned both times, but continued on to the east to finish my last day in the woods before the shotgun season tomorrow morning.

The chase phase is definitely on in my area, and it's only going to get better during the next 5-7 days. It was amazing to go from zero to 3 bucks sighted in less than 24 hours.

[PropsterII]

I too am somewhat surprised by the seeming lack of movement in the area I am hunting in Pierce Co WI. Yesterday I never saw a deer from stand, the day before 3 smaller bucks all intent on eating. Just not seeing the normal travel and covering ground looking type of movement we normally do at this time. It's going to happen just a little later looks like. It helps to have a doe that's near estrus - my buddy hunting in neighboring Pepin Co just texted saying a nice 11 pt is trying to keep 3 other bucks away from a doe that's holed up in a brush pile near his stand. He sat there yesterday and saw nothing.

[MUSKY18]

I hunted a lot this week as well. One doe is about all I have to say for it. Went out to some state land yesterday afternoon to sit before it gets hammered by the orange army and totally drives the deer nocturnal. I have two different spots where I usually sit. Both were tore up. I have never seen so many big scrapes and rubs in an area. Sat up in my usual tree, where I ALWAYS have seen does coming through. Figuring that this time of the year, does come buck will follow! Saw absolutely nothing. Finally too dark to see in the woods, climb down and get on the road to go to my truck, two big does standing there looking at me like to say HA HA! So I stood on the road and gave them a double finger salute!

[james_walleye]

I have some permission here in Rochester.....and there is no gun hunting....so I sat this morning. Big zero. Last evening with the spotting scope I could see deer running circles around my stand. I pulled the camera card and since last weekend I have pics of 5 bucks I have never seen. Nothing huge.....a couple 2 year olds. One of them is a 10 pointer that is going to be a beast. A lot of buck action from 230-430 pm. So I'll be heading back out shortly with the decoy and the go pro. So at the very least maybe I'll get some neat video.

[MattL]

The bean field last night did not pan out. Saw a doe and fawn. Waited for a buck to show, but nothing came out. It felt amazing to sleep in after 7 days of hard hunting, but I woke up at 8 to a barrage of gun fire and couldn't fall asleep again. I am now set up in a pinch point between 2 cattail sloughs and have the muzzleloader so I can reach out a ways.

So far this has been the toughest season I recall. Hoping they get chasing hard soon.

[nbadger23]

I head to the stand at 6:40 this morning and 30 yards from the stand I hear movement. I have raked a clear path to my stand so I can move in pretty quietly and that's what I did. I'd move when the deer moved and i got to my stand and waited until it left so I could climb up. The deer had different ideas. It snort wheezed at something, pawed up the ground and then nothing. I waited a couple of minutes and took a chance to get in the stand. I get up there and I heard antlers crashing together. Why does it have to be too dark to see this!!! By the time it gets light, all deer have left the area. Torn as to if I should have grunted or something but it seemed useless when I couldn't see.

No deer spotted until 9:10 when a decent 8 point comes through. I stick the oak tree in front of him rather than him :-( At 10:15 a doe comes through with "that look" and 2 minutes later a small buck comes through on her trail. A nubbin comes in at 11:00 and beds down about 50 yards away. I successfully climb down quietly and get out w/o spooking it.

I know better than this, but sure enough, my sights seemed to have gotten knocked off. 6 arrows in the target all tightly grouped, about 3 inches left. All that traveling to the stand and bringing the bow up on a rope and such. It's just hard to remember to get shots in when hunting this much but it's necessary.

Not many shots from the gun hunters around me.

[Laska]

Area 345 notta thing moving, had 10 different gun hunters on the land I hunt today and no one gotta shot, really slow day around the whole area. Taken a couple days off then hanging a new lone wolf I just picked up. Hopefully the lighter stand will get me in where I need to be.

[PropsterII]

Seeing a few things start to happen. Yesterday aft stand a little 6 was nosing around, stood on his hind legs to work the licking branch. Then rattled in a basket 8, who proceeded to work a rub with his forehead not antlers, for about ten minutes. Then at dark a small buck was pushing one of the does around out in the corn. So this morning, and deer hunting mornings don't get much better - 27 deg calm mostly clear - I rattled in a decent 8, maybe 130. He wouldn't commit all the way. Acted like he'd been beat on before but was interested. After today's sit I won't be back until Friday with my daughter, but I have a feeling this next week or so will be pretty good, at least where I am.

[wannafish2]

Friday evening had 12 deer in the field, 4 bucks, 3 does and several fawns....the bucks would feed, check a doe, and then chase her, at one point all 4 bucks were chasing one doe, at other times they would each be hounding one...on the field, off the field, back onto the field. Even got to see some sparring between the bucks, and one of the smaller bucks groomed the one big one...never got a shot but got to watch for over an hour and a half. I'd say the boys are ready.

Yesterday saw does that still had their fawns with them, and had a fawn come wandering around my sit bleating looking all over for mom (i figure she had just kicked her off). I love it when you get to see that kind of deer behavior!

[james_walleye]

I haven't seen a lone doe yet. It's just weird. Between last evening and this evening I had a total of 10 does/dawns in front of me for a looong time, and not a buck checked them out.

[hockeybc69]

Area 240

Saw 1 deer in 18 hours on stand this weekend. And that one was not looking to hot about anything...

5 guys in our group and nobody witnessed anything remotely "hot".

I can only surmise nothing has started yet, or very little, because we have spent a lot of time in the trees over the last 10 days off and on....

[tipup]

Shot a buck at 2 PM today. The weird thing is, he was not trailing does, they were trailing him??? He walked thru with two does in tow behind him! I have never seen this. None of the scrapes in my area look to have been touched in days. Also no rubs to speak of??

[Jeff13]

Seen a lot of does the last few days, a 8 pointer also who had no interest in the does. Scrapes around have been dry as a bone also. Zone 246

[96trigger]

Plenty of rut activity in zone 342. My brother shot a real nice buck while it was hot after a doe. My brother in law and I both shot bucks that were cruising looking for does. Took my 5 year old out tonight with my dad and watched a buck chase a doe around the bluff 200 yards away. The doe came out in the field but the buck disappeared. The bucks are definitely in heat seeking mode right now in my area.

[maddowg1192000]

Areas 242 and 247 have had very little sign of a rut even starting ( at least in the areas i know ppl hunting in)

[Bear55]

I saw/heard some chasing this weekend but never got a look at the bucks, I suspect it was just a couple dinks running them around. The does didn't seem interested and the chase didn't last long.

[FISHINGURU]

Bucks droppin all over around here in the Cannon Falls, Sogn, Welch area. I got that big 10 last Monday, buddy of mine shot a real nice 9, another buddy shot a big 10, alot of sightings in between during hunts and on cams.

[dave12341234]

Not much for northern WI where im at. 2 does came in at last light last night, no bucks following, seemed pretty sketched out and on guard for somethin though. Heading out right now, we'll see i guess...

[CANOPY SAM]

Scrape lines all over our area of NW Minnesota. The young 8 my daughter shot on Sunday night was hot on the heels of a lovely young doe. He also wreaked of "rutting" behavior.

It's on up here.

[FishingWebGuy]

5 does tonight. No bucks. Metro area

[hugonian1]

The switch went on this morning on my property in the north metro.

Too bad work got in the way today.

No sign of the rut this weekend, very little deer movement.

This morning I watched a buck chase a doe just north of the house. Then I saw several other deer moving about.

The wife and son said they saw deer chasing out in the field several times during the day.

Funny how quickly things can change.

Now I need to get work out of the way and get back in the stand.

[hunter322]

I checked out a new property tonight and there was a fresh scrape line and when i say fresh i mean today fresh. we also jumped a buck with 2 does. I think its close to popin!