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No interest in rut?

For the past 2 weeks I've seen hard rut activity. Scrapes everywhere, bucks chasing, had a nice 8pt come right to my tree behind me do a180 went up the road and off in a ditch, nose to the ground like a dog the whole time very sporadic. He got about 10 yards from me when I seen him, I heard him but thought it was a squirrel. I'm bow hunting the whole year so no shot on that one. I'm on the plateau.
 
Northern middle TN ( Wilson Co.); saw cruising bucks, bucks staged with does, multiple chases-one with six bucks chasing one doe- and several bucks just following does around. Was good rut hunting. This was Monday-yesterday. Strange thing was that neither of the bucks eventually killed by me and my partner had any staining on their hocks. Had just a little smell but not much. Normally they would reek by now. Some of the ones we saw did have stained hocks but a lot didn't. Seemed odd to me.
 
Madbowh said:
For the past 2 weeks I've seen hard rut activity. Scrapes everywhere, bucks chasing, had a nice 8pt come right to my tree behind me do a180 went up the road and off in a ditch, nose to the ground like a dog the whole time very sporadic. He got about 10 yards from me when I seen him, I heard him but thought it was a squirrel. I'm bow hunting the whole year so no shot on that one. I'm on the plateau.
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Do you have an acorn crop?
 
BSK said:
Do you have an acorn crop?
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Tons everywhere I go, 1 public spot, 2 private.

1 private 15 acres hardwood
2 private 5 acre thick bedding area. Rarely go in here to be cautious.

All have lots this year.

Looks to me they were just wandering eating all through October but the past 2 weeks I'm seeing them stay on 1 tree eating for 2 or 3 days then moving to another(white oak).

3 weeks ago I had 3 does come do a50 yard loop around me eating and never stopped once, now they hit a tree for a day or 2 then gone for a few days
 
Madbowh said:
Tons everywhere I go, 1 public spot, 2 private.

1 private 15 acres hardwood
2 private 5 acre thick bedding area. Rarely go in here to be cautious.

All have lots this year.

Looks to me they were just wandering eating all through October but the past 2 weeks I'm seeing them stay on 1 tree eating for 2 or 3 days then moving to another(white oak).

3 weeks ago I had 3 does come do a50 yard loop around me eating and never stopped once, now they hit a tree for a day or 2 then gone for a few days
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That's what I expected from your rut report. What you are seeing is our normal timing in a decent acorn year. But this year, almost no acorns, and the ones we had were either shriveled inside or full of weevils.
 
I have always believed that most does go through a false or practice estrous cycle possibly two weeks to 30 days prior to actually entering their true estrous. This brings out the younger bucks chasing them and occasionally older buck classes may be trying to tend these does but no actual breeding takes place.

With that being said, I believe there are several contributing factors to making this year so odd (drought/low mast in areas and some with huge mast crops within same counties or general areas). This will lead to a long drawn out rut in a lot of places. Instead of that intense week or two of a heavy rut, it will be spread out and the "2nd rut" could overlap making it just seem like one long rut.

This may not be the case in a lot of higher density areas in middle and west Tennessee, but thats usually what I see in East Tn. I have already seen young bucks harassing does but no interest from does. When I start seeing large rubs or getting pics of good bucks with shavings on their antlers I will get excited about possibly seeing them during daylight hours. But we are still a few weeks off from that.
 
BSK said:
That's what I expected from your rut report. What you are seeing is our normal timing in a decent acorn year. But this year, almost no acorns, and the ones we had were either shriveled inside or full of weevils.
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Interesting how different it can be in the same state. You think elevation alone makes the difference. I'm hunting from 17-1900 fas between 3 counties.

Oh I did have a doe make a scrape and pee on it last week. That was the day before I had the 8pt with his nose to the ground. And a week before she did that she was bedded under that oak and never moved as I went past her at 30 yards 1hr before daylight.
 
Switch is flipping. First 2 does coming in this morning, tended by 4.5 y/o bucks observed. Cameras going nuts all morning long, deer still out and about right now (11 am). 3.5y/o on camera following a doe
 
10 of the last 13 days up a tree and only 1 small 4pter chasing a couple does 2 weeks ago.
A few small bucks cruzin.
Scrapes? I don't know. I walk straight to my stand and don't wander around scouting. All farmland. Fencerows and small 40 0r 50 acre patches of woods.
Seeing a few in the green fields but no rutting.
Yeah it's been warm but upper 40s at night ought to move some bucks around early.
Small 5pter this morning about 8am.Thats been it all day.

Acorns? The few reds on my fence rows are void and that's on 4 different farms.
Next year I may back Mt rutvacation back 2 weeks to late November.
Good luck guys!
 

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