Last year was one of my roughest bow seasons ever here in nj and especialy on my trip to ohio...with the moon being on the 6th of nov this year I would think it should be an incredible year...when do you guys in ohio see the big boys the most before the moon around halloween usualy or the week after right before lockdown? Of course weather and hunting pressure pending but aside those when do you think itll be prime time to sit in sun up to sundown allday
2014 Rut expectations
- Thread starter higbee13
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yotehunter
Member
My preferred time is the last full week of October. I've killed a 156 and a 139 that week so I'm kinda partial. It seems to me this seems too be the time the bucks start cruising. They arnt locked down with a doe yet in the middle of a 400 acre corn field. The latest I've shot a buck besides gun season was the 11 the of November. And needless to say he was dogging a doe. Just seems for me the rut is only a two or three day deal anymore. And last year was the worst rut I've hunted in 20 years. This is just 2 cents.
Awesome yeh thats usualy my favorite that halloween week..they realy respond aggressively to calling but im from nj so I was curious when the locals in ohio have their best luck ...but passed 5yrs ive been traveling to ohio to hunt the rut andt yeh last year was brutal ive gotten that from alot of people hopefuly this year it should be kickin
Spencie
Senior Member
I've never had much luck in late October. My P&Y caliber bucks have come on November 2, 4, 12, 22 and 23. I have seen more mature buck activity November 9-13 even though my success during that time has been limited.
Fullbore
Senior Member
IMO, the last week of October is the best week of the year for seeing mature buck movement. The closest time of pre-rut activity, when the first does start to come in esterous. Most intense time anyway. My head is on a swivel so to speak! Lol
Strother23
Member
Yea I'd have to say for me it's normally the 1st week or two in November. But last year was rough for the rut.
Yeh that sounds about right alot depends on property too it seems to me...but usualy when we plan ohio trip we just try to get there around halloween n stay for 2weeks...last year was just a shit rut thats for sure my buddy shot buck and I wen to check the tarsals and they were straight white and it was nov 16th I never seen that
I think I seen more rutting activity during the youth gun weekend than the rest of the season combined. For the most part, I like the last few days of October and first couple of November.
Late October has never offered much luck for me. My wall bucks fell Nov. 5 and 28 (bow) and Dec. 1 (gun). I like the 3-4 days prior to Nov. 11 and the few days after. Veterans Day has consistently been my best day.
I saw no chasing,heard no grunting or courting at all last year during the 8-10 sits with my daughter. The 4 bucks we saw were just on there feet cruising paying no attention to any of the does along their path. It was the deadest rut I've ever witnessed. Didn't see anything on my travels that looked like rutting activity either and my head is on a swivel.
I hope this year is a LOT better!
Typically the last week in October and first week in November are my best times to be in a tree. I do believe any newbies showing up out of nowhere on our cameras from mid November on are signs that somewhere close by a doe just got bred and its time to hunt the pinch points and known doe bedding areas again. The mature shooter buck you're seeing at this time might be 2-4 miles or more from his core area and the hunters that have been hunting him the past month and a half are wondering where he went to....got to love/hate hunting the rut! Lol
I hope this year is a LOT better!
Typically the last week in October and first week in November are my best times to be in a tree. I do believe any newbies showing up out of nowhere on our cameras from mid November on are signs that somewhere close by a doe just got bred and its time to hunt the pinch points and known doe bedding areas again. The mature shooter buck you're seeing at this time might be 2-4 miles or more from his core area and the hunters that have been hunting him the past month and a half are wondering where he went to....got to love/hate hunting the rut! Lol
Absolutely...last year I was seeing mature does herded up 2nd n 3rd week of november with no bucks insight I was amazed
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My observations are typically the same about every year. Maybe it's just my frame of mind doesn't get right until the last few days of October, but that is when it kicks off for me. The first few days of November were awesome again, slowed down by the 6th, killed my deer on the 12th, I think. Traditionally, the only real monsters I see show up a day or two either side of Thanksgiving. Nice deer get shot earlier, but the few truely "world class" deer I've ever seen are late in the month.
Feel free to look up the little journal thing I did here the last couple of years and you'll quickly notice the spike in activity reflects my thoughts. Some of the others here that kept journals didn't see the same activity I did, but I do watch over a huge amount of open ground. Deer decide when the rut is, we just gotta be there when it happens.
Feel free to look up the little journal thing I did here the last couple of years and you'll quickly notice the spike in activity reflects my thoughts. Some of the others here that kept journals didn't see the same activity I did, but I do watch over a huge amount of open ground. Deer decide when the rut is, we just gotta be there when it happens.
Thanks Brock yeh I've seen some of my biggest bucks late November after most of the does are already bred n they search for that last one but usually it's a small window...it's pretty much same here in nj ..when I'm in ohio for my 2weeks I always get texts from buddies at home saying its insane bucks are everywhere blah blah but I just laugh I'd take the worst day of hunting in ohio over the best day here in nj that's for sure you never ever know what you will see in ohio but here I know I'll never see anything over 120 but all you guys def help with my planning for my ohio trip I only get basically 2weeks a year so I want my timing to be spot on is all...the woods and layout of hunting land as far as here and ohio goes is total opposite that's for sure when I retire in 15 yrs I'll without a doubt be moving to ohio or somewhere Midwest that's for sure
I enjoy late October to mid November. First week in November I have seen most "shooters" from the stand and on trail cameras in daylight. Ironically, all three of my mounts are post rut deer. November 21 was my 138" archery buck. December 3 2008 I shot my 139" with shotgun and 153" with muzzle loader Dec 3 last year. In my area it seems like the ratio is off. Those big boys either don't move much or you see them in the middle of a field running off smaller bucks in late October to mid November. Seems like they are forced to move more in late November to first week in December or so. Second rut? Straggler does from first rut? I don't know. Just seems the way it works around here.
Nice yeh if ratio is off there no need for them to fight or be aggressive itll be like walking into a strip club lol
I like it from the last week of Oct to the end of Nov.lol Any day out there is a good day but like Brock dome of the biggest bucks are seen or killed around Thanksgiving week.
With every deer I take in to mount I recored the harvest date. By far the first week of November is the best time to be in the woods. Now everybody idea of a shooter is in the eye of the hunter, but the deer a 140 or better show up at my place that week.