Rutting activity during gun season?

[shedhunter]

I'm from WI and hunted the MN firearms season last year for the first time. I was hunting up north and really enjoyed the lack of other hunters (it can get a leetle crowded in WI)! Anyway, MN season opens the first weekend in Nov., which is 2 weeks before WI. Usually the bucks are rutting pretty good, chasing during the last week of Oct. and first week of Nov. in WI. Is that the case in northern MN too? Should I expect to see chasing during opening weekend, or will bucks be with does and laying low? Last year I saw several does but no bucks. Thanks for the input.

shedhunter

[brassman]

they say the first half of the week of opener is the tail end of the chase phase then it will go into the breeding phase. I would expect to see a lot of action saturday and sunday of opener if all other things fall into place like weather. that seems to be an ever changing thing on opener, never the same year to year.