Your 2013 Rut report ?

[dreaming bucks]

How was the rut for you guys this year as far as timing goes?

This is the first year in a long time that I have seen or heard about mature bucks in my area cruising daytimes late in the calendar year. The neighbors & I usually see some real good bucks around Nov 8-13th, & now this yearit seemed to be a good week later. Just wondering if anyone else had similar sightings this year? It already has my head spinning wondering about vacation days for next year.

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[Brad]

I had 3 very good days, October 29, October 30, and November 4th. Bucks were EVERYWHERE in daylight hours, and then as good as it was the days around them were a joke, like no rut at all. It was all or nothing, most days were terrible but the good days were among the best I've ever seen for buck movement.

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[uzi]

I spent 20 days in the woods from Oct 28 thru Nov. 22nd (only 8 all day sits). Worst rut activity I've ever experienced.. I probably had 30+ encounters with does and only had one being followed by a buck. For me the peak was Nov. 13/14th when that one hot doe brought 4 shooters thru within 2 hours,between noon-2pm, one being 170 class. Saw plenty of deer just a weird rut. Heard that from lots of guys that hunt sw wi also.

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[Bucky]

Nov 4th, 7th, 8th were good.... the rest was a head scratcher for me.

I hunted almost every day from Oct 28th-Nov 14th.... at least 7-8 all dayers

[utica19]

I wasn't out there a ton of days, but I had chasing going on around me on both November 6 & 7. 1.5 and 2.5 yo bucks.

Buddy also had a hot doe on the gun opener (Nov 23) with 3 bucks chasing. 2.5 yo and probably two 3.5 year olds.

[Zap]

Lots of rut activity here in Kansas, saw it thru all November.
The most cruising was around 7th.

Never saw a lot of end of rut cruising activity.

Maybe its not over?

[C&T Archery]

In the Crivitz area, we didn't see rutting activity ( rubs, scrapes, chasing) until November 16th. I don't know if that is due to the extended Winter up north or not. This is a private piece we lease. Once scrapes and stuff opened up, we had chasing during the day and at night captured by video. Weird it took that long to get going by us.

[Stanley]

I hunted and struggled seeing good bucks early on. November was predicable as usual. Killed a buck on November 13 peak of rut.

[Dewey]

My rut was a bust this year. Left southern WI just as it was starting and headed up to the UP, hunted and left before things got going up there. Poor planning on my part but I could only get that week off and had to make do with it.

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[matt1336]

I hunted pretty hard the first 2.5-3 weeks of November and saw the least amount of chasing that I've ever had while on stand in years. When I did see chasing it was young deer.

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[PLB]

Spent Nov. 3 to 10 on some private I leased this season. Saw a few bucks chasing. Very hit or miss. Biggest was a 115 8 pt. with a doe. Had a real cool palmated 7 pt. right under me snort wheezing at a doe. All and all I had fun but I've experienced much more intense rutting in past seasons. Still beats work....

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[OH nontypical]

Hunted a great farm in SW Ohio from Nov 7 through the 11 and saw zero shooters and weak movement by bucks in general. Went back and hunted the 14th through the 17th and only saw two shooters (no shots). Just to qualify we try to only shoot 3.5 year olds or older on this farm. I have killed a 130's buck there and the owner has two bucks off the property in the last 10 years that gross over 160, and a couple over 140 gross. We saw very little chasing until mid November and I was the only one to see a shooter in November??? His son did miss a huge buck in early October on a feeding pattern. Overall the worst rut I remember in a long time on that farm.

Hunted at home in between and experience was the same, weak.

[BassBoysLLP]

Nov 2, 3, 4 were my best days. Wish I was off for Oct 30, 31, and Nov 1. After Nov 4th it felt like peak rut lock down. Everything went quick this year.

On a side note, I'm glad I spent my time in the southern half of WI for the majority of my rut hunts. The rut was extra funky in Northern and Central WI this year based on all reports from my circle.

[NC Swamp Donkey]

Slow for me this year as well. I spent early Nov in SE Va, and saw very lttle cruising and no chasing. Then, I went to SE Ohio and hunted a friends small farm from Nov 11-16 and saw some cruising/chasing but only from young bucks. I definetly saw wayyy too many big mature does all alone, with nothing ever coming on their trail. On the 5th day, I did manage to take a 130 class main frame 10 with an extra brow sticker, that I had gotten pics of. Once I got the wind I needed, I set up in between a big ticket and creek botttom. Not sure if he was going to bed or cruising, but he came thru a 9:15 that morn. He was the best buck I saw all week on cam or otherwise, so I was happy with him.

But, it was a weird year. Charlie from DDH said we would have a trickle rut, based on the full moon phases (mid-Oct/mid Nov). My observations were close to what he predicted. Except, I never saw a peak in the later part of Nov. I think a lot of does probably got bred after that Oct full moon, and I was stuck at work for 2 weeks straight working 12's...

[NC Swamp Donkey]

Slow for me this year as well. I spent early Nov in SE Va, and saw very lttle cruising and no chasing. Then, I went to SE Ohio and hunted a friends small farm from Nov 11-16 and saw some cruising/chasing but only from young bucks. I definetly saw wayyy too many big mature does all alone, with nothing ever coming on their trail. On the 5th day, I did manage to take a 130 class main frame 10 with an extra brow sticker, that I had gotten pics of. Once I got the wind I needed, I set up in between a big ticket and creek botttom. Not sure if he was going to bed or cruising, but he came thru a 9:15 that morn. He was the best buck I saw all week on cam or otherwise, so I was happy with him.

But, it was a weird year. Charlie from DDH said we would have a trickle rut, based on the full moon phases (mid-Oct/mid Nov). My observations were close to what he predicted. Except, I never saw a peak in the later part of Nov. I think a lot of does probably got bred after that Oct full moon, and I was stuck at work for 2 weeks straight working 12's...