Rut bed vs Summer bed

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Tree_ghost
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Rut bed vs Summer bed

Unread postby Tree_ghost » Sat Oct 17, 2015 2:57 am

. I have my target bucks bed and his travel route nailed down pretty solid. (trail camera photos back this intel up). I have hunted him on one occasion opening evening and had him pass directly under the tree i set uo in 2 hours past dark. I decided to abandon the approach on this buck because the more intel I gathered on him the more clear it became that since the season has started hes becoming nocturnal. We are about 5 days away from when the cruising really took off in my area last year (Oct 22-27) i have pictures of multiple bucks crusing field edges in the morning an hour after sunrise. I looked back at the weather pattern for that time period last year and it seems that the movement coincided with a high pressure cold front out of the North that hit our area at that time. I have an almost identical weather system that is moving in this evening and will be here through Monday. Now I know that the deer are no where near the rut but they are starting to have some pre rut behavior. Scraping, rubbing, bachelor groups of mature bucks have split up. My question is when do the bucks transistion into there "rut" beds vs. the summer bed? I feel that with the timing and the weather pattern thats coming in my chances are really good for this buck moving in the daylight hours, however if hes not in that bed id probably be better off in a funnel.

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JoeRE
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Re: Rut bed vs Summer bed

Unread postby JoeRE » Sat Oct 17, 2015 3:09 am

I don't think there is a simple answer to that. I see bedding change through the fall based on leaf drop, crop harvest, food sources, hunting pressure as well as the rut heating up. Leaf drop is sort of just starting around here, has a big impact. Crops are coming out like mad. In Iowa this weekend early muzzle loader season starts this weekend which adds quite a bit of pressure to field edges and such. I am seeing more rubs and scrapes but its not quite what I would call the first good surge in pre-rut activity....that might happen this weekend though. Still, I would go off what you saw last year, annual patterns can be killer.

I would prepare for that time period of the 22nd-27th....maybe toward the front end of that or a day or two earlier if the moon has anything to do with it. We are supposed to get another cold late next week. Things are going to explode then if the weather is right. Mark my words :D
BuckyHunter13
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Re: Rut bed vs Summer bed

Unread postby BuckyHunter13 » Sat Oct 17, 2015 5:03 am

JoeRE wrote: I would prepare for that time period of the 22nd-27th....maybe toward the front end of that or a day or two earlier if the moon has anything to do with it. We are supposed to get another cold late next week. Things are going to explode then if the weather is right. Mark my words :D


I second this. The pre-rut activity is at a murmur by me. It's showing up now if you look closely... This weekend's cold snap will bring it further to the surface, but a 3-5 day lull in the weather next week will build the tension and a cold front late next week is going to make that tension snap. I'm traveling Monday-Friday next week, but my flight lands at 8AM Friday... :dance: :D
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Stanley
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Re: Rut bed vs Summer bed

Unread postby Stanley » Sat Oct 17, 2015 5:19 am

Buck movement gets a little better every day the closer you get to November. A buck is more likely to leave the bed early now than he was 2 weeks ago. That also holds true 2 weeks from now (should be better than now). A good cold front is a super help also. We are getting close to the good time of year. When the bucks are on their feet more.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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DaveT1963
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Re: Rut bed vs Summer bed

Unread postby DaveT1963 » Sat Oct 17, 2015 7:58 am

Mid October to me is the time where older bucks vacate bachelor groups and spend a lot of time alone and preparing (actually a lot of mature bucks don't really socialize much). I think their home range actually shrinks during mid Oct until the last week of Oct. But that is what I have witnesses where I've hunted it is not always the case. This is the time when those scrapes start appearing at night also - and I think most of those are made by 3 1/2 year old bucks that are like teenagers waiting for the prom. The big boys have been down this road a few times and I think they take their time and prepare for what is coming. They may not be the first to the dance but they know they can walk in and get the girl when its time :)


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