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Interesting Article

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,721
248
Ohio
How has the fat looked on deer people have taken?

Average to below average on the doe I killed at the end off October. I don't know that I buy into what this guy typed. It is a theory. It could be accurate. It could be inaccurate. I don't doubt he has more experience than me. He has a unique situation with pen deer and wild deer to observe. I do not.

Acorns? Apples? Both were horrible crops this year in my area. Rut activity? Diminished? Or more condensed? In my area, I saw crazy rut activity but it was condensed into a 3-5 day window according to what I saw driving and what the cameras showed. I think it was just a short/intense/condensed rut around here. And why not? With less does it is possible all the factors Mother Nature has to work with coincided in a short time period. Just my theories. I am sure I missed some of the factors. I am limited to a few small areas to hunt. 2 miles in any direction from my properties could have seen something much different. 2 counties away or 2 states away I have no doubt they could have seen something different.
 

"J"

Git Off My Lawn
Supporting Member
56,743
274
North Carolina
I've hunted harder this year the month of November and saw more deer (does) then previous years and less buck activity as well.... Like a lot have stated, it could be going on a mile away or a half mile away from where I chose to sit but with the amount of doe that was seen, there wasn't any shooters anywhere close by hat was seen following....


 

brock ratcliff

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
24,834
247
If he is correct, we are going to have some great late season hunting! WOO HOO. It's been a few years since we have had really nasty weather to get the big rascals on their feet regularly.

BTW, I saw less buck movement in November than I normally do. I just blamed the exceptionally warm weather we enjoyed for the first two weeks of November, and I wasn't about to complain about it as I hate cold weather these days. I'd much rather have my tag in my pocket than to have endured a bitter cold November.
 

Fluteman

Senior Member
Supporting Member
7,094
146
Southeast Ohio
I honestly have thought and wondered how much baiting and cameras have played a role in deer sightings during the rut. Let's think about this for a minute. How many times have you seen a hot doe (or one coming in) doing everything she can to get rid of a buck that is harassing her? Now think about what you typically see at a bait site, say corn? Multiple deer! If a doe is being harassed, the last thing she's gonna want to do IMO is stand at a giant pile of corn. That's just asking for more attention because every deer in the area knows of the local buffet. With more people sitting over bait piles, or using them without really knowing how to use them effectively, I believe many hunters are missing the rut.

I know when I first started using cameras, they were like crack, and I was totally addicted. I will admit that I hunted and over hunted spots that I had pics of good bucks just because I had pics. I didn't take into account that they were all at 1am or that I wasn't really in a great spot. I got complacent and relied too much on this crutch rather than hunting the sign. Looking back, during those years, I missed out on the rut too, and it's because I was waiting for big bucks I would never see instead of hunting where I knew the deer would be.

Now combine the two together and consider all the time we spend checking cams and replenishing our bait. Deer get wise, hunters get lazy. Lazy hunters + wise deer = less sightings during the rut? Maybe, maybe not


Now, don't get me wrong. I think there are other factors that contribute to the type and intensity of rutting activity we see, but sometimes I wonder just how big our affect is on what we actually see...
 

giles

Cull buck specialist
Supporting Member
I honestly have thought and wondered how much baiting and cameras have played a role in deer sightings during the rut. Let's think about this for a minute. How many times have you seen a hot doe (or one coming in) doing everything she can to get rid of a buck that is harassing her? Now think about what you typically see at a bait site, say corn? Multiple deer! If a doe is being harassed, the last thing she's gonna want to do IMO is stand at a giant pile of corn. That's just asking for more attention because every deer in the area knows of the local buffet. With more people sitting over bait piles, or using them without really knowing how to use them effectively, I believe many hunters are missing the rut.

I know when I first started using cameras, they were like crack, and I was totally addicted. I will admit that I hunted and over hunted spots that I had pics of good bucks just because I had pics. I didn't take into account that they were all at 1am or that I wasn't really in a great spot. I got complacent and relied too much on this crutch rather than hunting the sign. Looking back, during those years, I missed out on the rut too, and it's because I was waiting for big bucks I would never see instead of hunting where I knew the deer would be.

Now combine the two together and consider all the time we spend checking cams and replenishing our bait. Deer get wise, hunters get lazy. Lazy hunters + wise deer = less sightings during the rut? Maybe, maybe not


Now, don't get me wrong. I think there are other factors that contribute to the type and intensity of rutting activity we see, but sometimes I wonder just how big our affect is on what we actually see...

Pressure...it's all pressure. Deer have learned. Love me some late season! You guys can have the early months.
 

Gordo

Senior Member
5,515
121
Athens County
I'd say full moon with absolutely no overcast over night slowed things down during the 'normal' hunting hours. That along with warm temps.

I had my best sits coincide with 'dark' nights this year
 
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Clay Showalter

Southern member northern landowner
6,401
145
Guilford County
I honestly have thought and wondered how much baiting and cameras have played a role in deer sightings during the rut. Let's think about this for a minute. How many times have you seen a hot doe (or one coming in) doing everything she can to get rid of a buck that is harassing her? Now think about what you typically see at a bait site, say corn? Multiple deer! If a doe is being harassed, the last thing she's gonna want to do IMO is stand at a giant pile of corn. That's just asking for more attention because every deer in the area knows of the local buffet. With more people sitting over bait piles, or using them without really knowing how to use them effectively, I believe many hunters are missing the rut.

I know when I first started using cameras, they were like crack, and I was totally addicted. I will admit that I hunted and over hunted spots that I had pics of good bucks just because I had pics. I didn't take into account that they were all at 1am or that I wasn't really in a great spot. I got complacent and relied too much on this crutch rather than hunting the sign. Looking back, during those years, I missed out on the rut too, and it's because I was waiting for big bucks I would never see instead of hunting where I knew the deer would be.

Now combine the two together and consider all the time we spend checking cams and replenishing our bait. Deer get wise, hunters get lazy. Lazy hunters + wise deer = less sightings during the rut? Maybe, maybe not


Now, don't get me wrong. I think there are other factors that contribute to the type and intensity of rutting activity we see, but sometimes I wonder just how big our affect is on what we actually see...

Good points, I have one feeder in a creek bottom that normally has consistent activity but this year not much at all. I think the raccoons have run off the deer.