What rut stage

[birdswacker]

What stage of the rut do you feel the deer are at? I'm in north metro and have'nt seen much chasing yet. Am I missing somthing here?

[gurkster]

I am also in the Wyoming area and am not seeing the action I have in the past. Maybe the warm weather? I am seeing fewer deer, less rubs, scrapes, etc. and virtually no chasing. I am seeing deer on the camera though, a nice one always late at night.

[LuciandTim]

I am hunting in columbus. I would have to say that rut went on as scheduled but I do believe that the deer did not move as much during the day just because of the weather. Last tear the most active day I witnessed was the 6th of Nov. This year I think it was the 7th or 8th. In a hal hour I saw 12 deer and they were all on the move. 3 bucks all chasing or following does. I had to take a few days off and the days after that I hunted in the eve and didn't see anything. I will begin to hit it hard Thursday am through the weekend, I plan to fill doe tags and hopefully get a glimpse or even a shot at one of my big boys. Two days ago I saw a small buck moving with his nose to the ground through a neighbors yard.

[harvey lee]

From what I have noticed in my trips to North Dakota, the rut is just getting going. Last week we had guys up for the week and the first part was very slow. On Friday, every thing was moving and the bucks were really chasing the does. Seems most of the fawns have been pushed off from mom and the breeding is soon to begin.

On saturday and Sunday the temps were warmer and the deer movement slowed.

Overall from what I noticed from last weekend with increased scraping activity and the does kicking the fawns off and the bucks chasing, the rut should be in full swing very shortly if the cooler temps prevail. The glands on the deer that we harvested seem to show signs of rutting activity also and their necks are very swollen.

I'm leaving for ND this friday morning and do believe that the rut should be going fairly well.

[bigbucks]

I think it's going pretty much full bore here right now. The buck sign in there. I've seen bucks after does. Saw a nice buck in a field last night, there were a couple of does or fawns about 50 yards away. He was in a place I've never seen a buck before. They go there, but normally in the dark. This was with about 15 minutes of legal shooting left.

[lawdog]

Ya I'd say its hot and heavy around here too. Every adult buck seen by anyone in our party this weekend was working a doe...

[TrophyEyes]

I am getting ready now for muzzleloader hunting down in Houston County. What do you think next week will bring for the rut? What tactics would you employ? The weather is supposed to be rainy and windy all week, with a chance of snow on the friday before opener Muzzleloader. I am just wondering if that bad weather will hold off the rutting activity at all, and maybe let me catch the tail end of the peak activity. Any thoughts?

[so haaad]

I've seen two nice bucks in the past week in the north metro. Both were paired up with an individual girlfriend. There was no chasing, just pairing. This makes me believe that the rut is going on, but is also still ahead of us. I think we'll see lots of activity this weekend with the cold front.

[CommonSense Guy]

According to a deer processor/taxidermy guy I talked to in Emily the Rut kicked off between the 6th and 7th up there. But it has still been warm. This weekend should be good with colder temps and maybe some snow.

[Shack]

I would say the rut is on right now in the Princeton/Zimmerman area. Been seeing more and more deer in ditch's (in am) than normal and I saw my first buck of the year running like mad in the field next to my house this morning (during day light). Running for what, I do not know. There was no does around, that I could see. I have not seen a buck around here running during the day since last years rut (they move at night and not to many of them). It was not big, but a 6 or 8 pointer.

[Wanderer]

Well I hope things kick up in Emily this weekend....I'll be there!

We took 3 on opener, 1 - 7 pointer. They took 4 last weekend, no bucks. 5+ this weekend? At least 2 bucks???

Last weekend in Benson didn't tell me much but we did jump a decent dark racked 8 and a doe while bird hunting. They ran the CRP until we couldn't see them anymore. The buck WOULD NOT pass the doe even when she stopped to look back. I'm thinking he was biding his time.

Oct. 27/28 in SE MN sure seemed fired up though! It might have just been pre-rut. Eager bucks and non-receptive does. But the fawns were run off.

As has been mentioned, the warm weather might have stalled things a bit? Regardless, Rule #1: YOU GOTTA BE THERE.

Good luck everyone. Have fun in ND Harvey Lee!

[TrophyEyes]

Wanderer, I am curious where you hunt in Benson Streets/crossroads. I think we hunt very close to each other because a guy in our group saw a similar deer in our CRP field as well. We are straight north of the city.

[Wanderer]

Yeah, we are too, but I can't name the crossroads and for whatever reason, I don't want to name the landowner. We lease about 400 acres. The best reference I can give you is: we are east of 9(?) a couple miles and right on the north side of the county line, Swift, I believe.

The property was hunted by one of our members since he was a kid and his grandma actually sold her 40 to this guy. He was getting tired of so many people stopping in to ask permission to hunt, he decided to lease. He didn't expect us to be the leasee's, but we didn't want to lose the right to hunt there forever.

The first year we leased it, we actually got flipped off by a couple people on the road passing by. I know how they felt, but what where we to do?

We still never know how long we'll have it, so we try to enjoy it as much as possible.

How about you?

[TrophyEyes]

Just east of 9 as well. We have 340 acres that we just started leasing this year. It is all CRP, but it is broken into sections throughout Benson. We have a 40 by the river, 80 by one of the big lakes, and 200 by some of the Corn and bean fields more north and east. We had such success duck and pheasant that we have leased it for the next 10 years. I just had a son 6 weeks ago, so hopefully we will have it for years to come so he can enjoy it.

Opener pheasant my father in law and his brother went to the 80 to start off the day, they were met by 5 guys already hunting the posted field, CO and Cops had to get involved. I guess it is what happens when no one has monitored it for about 7 years. We have seen some big deer on the property too, but I ended up hunting opener down in Houston, MN. Next year, I will be there for Bow, Slug and Muzzleloader. We didn't get the property until August, so we didn't have much time to set it up properly.