Where are they??

[dennishoddy]

The deer are in lock down mode.
The absolute worst time to deer hunt is at peak rut.
The bucks have all the does sequestered in the woods or brush, and nothing is moving.
Prime time for the rut is the pre rut or post rut. Both times bucks are cruising for does.

 

[big-triple-d]

Dennis, I was thinking the same thing hopefully by next weekend they will be looking for food instead of love.

 

[okieshooter777]

Hmm I was thinking lockdown was opening weekend. But not seeing a lot this weekend. Decided to go ahead and take a doe this morning.

 

[Deer Slayer]

Dennis you are right on target. The deer are breeding now. The bucks are not moving because they are with the does and have no need to move. If people will think what is going on right now and relate it to what date the moon was full then next year they can accurately predict the breeding time again. Just think and relate. The entire breeding cycle starts with the full moon in September and ends initially with the full moon in November. The unbred does will cycle in on the full moon in December and breed a couple days after that.

 

[dennishoddy]

Dennis you are right on target. The deer are breeding now. The bucks are not moving because they are with the does and have no need to move. If people will think what is going on right now and relate it to what date the moon was full then next year they can accurately predict the breeding time again. Just think and relate. The entire breeding cycle starts with the full moon in September and ends initially with the full moon in November. The unbred does will cycle in on the full moon in December and breed a couple days after that.

Absolutly! The second rut occurs in late Dec., early Jan.
Just some info for those that don't know.

Prior to rut, the does kick out the button bucks, and yearlings.
Ok, here is the difference.
When rut is on and does get bred, the following year, you will see spikes and fork horns.
The button bucks are the ones bred during the Jan/Feb cycle.
The forks and spikes are the ones bred during norman cycle in November.

 

[ez bake]

Struck out this morning (just got back). Had one on the camera yesterday at 5:27AM and didn't see anything today at all (we went out at 4:45AM just to see if we could see anything - sat in the dark until about 7AM and didn't see anything but heard what I think was a coyote walking around behind me).

They're in real irregular patterns out here - I'm seeing them eating corn under my feeder at 5:27AM one day, and 7:05PM a few days later (on my cameras). Other than that, its all nocturnal - I've got zero daytime pics.

The weird thing is that I thought I was spooking them by tromping through the area where my feeder is to get to a couple of my other spots - then I noticed that almost every time, as soon as I walk through, they're there that night or the next morning/evening.

Getting tired of barely missing them, but we've got to keep at it.

 

[r00s7a]

Me and my buddy hunted with our fathers this weekend, and after not seein much yesterday, and since it would be the last time to hunt the property this year, we decided to go for broke. The center of the property is about a 50 acre slough used for bedding, we set our fathers up on the down wind sides and me and buddy circled upwind to start marching through. It was thick in the middle and we made as much noise as possible. Jumped a bunch of does repeatedly, then finally got something up with a decent set of horns, right towards my bud's dad. BAM!... BAM!......BAM! My hopes dwindled after the third shot. If you can't get it done in two shots, well... He said a decent 8 had come out at a fast walk, 50 yds away. He was shootin an ol lever action with no scope and just flat out missed, all three times, so he didn't bother with the 4th. Buck stopped after first shot and never flinched on the 2nd or 3rd, then just walked off. No one cared whether or not he got the deer, we got good laughs and stories out of it anyway. One of the only times I've ever hunted with my father, so just getting to take him out was fun.

 

[TerryD]

I hunted today from 1 pm until dark, didnt see a thing but a couple of squirrels in Pawnee county. We saw deer all last weekend. dont know if the wind was a problem today or if they just werent moving.

 

[dennishoddy]

I went out this morning feeling like hell, and didn't see anything, but with the 45mph winds, I didn't expect to. Kept getting sicker as the day went along, so did some farm chores, and came home early. I'm thinking I've got a cold. Had tuesday off, to hunt, but its not looking like its gonna happen.

 

[ez bake]

I went out this morning feeling like hell, and didn't see anything, but with the 45mph winds, I didn't expect to. Kept getting sicker as the day went along, so did some farm chores, and came home early. I'm thinking I've got a cold. Had tuesday off, to hunt, but its not looking like its gonna happen.

I stayed home today because of the same thing - only for me it was allergies. That stiff wind sure makes for some good ole Oklahoma ragweed to end up in my nostrils.

I always start out with a little bit of itchy eyes and runny nose, and before I know it, I've got a sore throat and am getting close to a sinus-infection.

Be careful and make sure to treat that stuff before it gets too nasty, there's supposedly an epidemic of Whooping Cough going around OK according to the news.