Wisconsin Rut Reports

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Re: Wisconsin Rut Reports

Unread postby RookieBeast2019 » Fri Nov 08, 2019 4:58 am

Bump


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SidewayZ
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Re: Wisconsin Rut Reports

Unread postby SidewayZ » Fri Nov 08, 2019 7:39 am

Cold morning, saw deer in fields, no action in stand. I have not seen a fresh rub or scrap since Monday in Sauk County.

One old timer got a buck Tuesday night, didnt see it. Talked to another hunter, said lots of deer movement last week but hadn't seen anything in last 5 days.
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Dewey
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Re: Wisconsin Rut Reports

Unread postby Dewey » Fri Nov 08, 2019 4:07 pm

Just got back from shining. Plenty of does/fawns together feeding on soybeans adjacent to cornfields. Not a single buck in sight anywhere. Very odd.

No doubt deer are bedding in corn fields all day. All of the heavy trails coming and going since yesterdays snow is pretty incredible. It’s almost like a late season situation where the deer are keying in heavily on standing corn. It’s usually a big factor during the rut but even more so with this real cold weather.
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greenhorndave
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Re: Wisconsin Rut Reports

Unread postby greenhorndave » Fri Nov 08, 2019 4:54 pm

Dewey, you setting up and sitting one spot or moving around? I know this isn’t directly related to visible rut activity, but more rut strategy.
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Dewey
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Re: Wisconsin Rut Reports

Unread postby Dewey » Fri Nov 08, 2019 5:16 pm

greenhorndave wrote:Dewey, you setting up and sitting one spot or moving around? I know this isn’t directly related to visible rut activity, but more rut strategy.

I haven’t hunted the same spot twice this season. Closest I have been to a previous hunted spot is 3-400 yards. I stay mobile and jump all over with way more spots than I could ever hunt in a season. Most often I’m 5-10 miles away in opposite directions each day. It helps greatly having thousands upon thousands of acres to work with. I have a pretty good handle of what’s going on at an given time. Having snow on the ground greatly increases visible sign. Pretty easy to see in the tracks when a buck or even multiple bucks are dogging a doe. Seen a few that were pretty obvious so I know it’s going on just haven’t witnessed it from stand yet.

I drove 40 miles tonight while shining. Not a single buck seen anywhere. Likely many locked down with does in thick bedding areas. Does back with fawns tells me they were likely bred already and are back in the family groups again.

Been a strange rut for me. Figured it would be real intense with the cold weather but it seems especially the last few days with the cold temps the focus is now on feeding. Pretty rare to have single digits in early November.
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Re: Wisconsin Rut Reports

Unread postby wdog » Fri Nov 08, 2019 5:47 pm

Missed a decent 130s tonight. I hope it picks up it’s been a slow rut for me
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Re: Wisconsin Rut Reports

Unread postby greenhorndave » Fri Nov 08, 2019 6:46 pm

Dewey wrote:
greenhorndave wrote:Dewey, you setting up and sitting one spot or moving around? I know this isn’t directly related to visible rut activity, but more rut strategy.

I haven’t hunted the same spot twice this season. Closest I have been to a previous hunted spot is 3-400 yards. I stay mobile and jump all over with way more spots than I could ever hunt in a season. Most often I’m 5-10 miles away in opposite directions each day. It helps greatly having thousands upon thousands of acres to work with. I have a pretty good handle of what’s going on at an given time. Having snow on the ground greatly increases visible sign. Pretty easy to see in the tracks when a buck or even multiple bucks are dogging a doe. Seen a few that were pretty obvious so I know it’s going on just haven’t witnessed it from stand yet.

I drove 40 miles tonight while shining. Not a single buck seen anywhere. Likely many locked down with does in thick bedding areas. Does back with fawns tells me they were likely bred already and are back in the family groups again.

Been a strange rut for me. Figured it would be real intense with the cold weather but it seems especially the last few days with the cold temps the focus is now on feeding. Pretty rare to have single digits in early November.

I didn’t see a whole lot of crazy rut activity last week/ weekend either. Odd.

Anyway, I realize that I wasn’t specific enough. I meant on a single day, i.e. setting up in the AM and sitting that spot all day.
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Dewey
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Re: Wisconsin Rut Reports

Unread postby Dewey » Fri Nov 08, 2019 7:25 pm

greenhorndave wrote:
Dewey wrote:
greenhorndave wrote:Dewey, you setting up and sitting one spot or moving around? I know this isn’t directly related to visible rut activity, but more rut strategy.

I haven’t hunted the same spot twice this season. Closest I have been to a previous hunted spot is 3-400 yards. I stay mobile and jump all over with way more spots than I could ever hunt in a season. Most often I’m 5-10 miles away in opposite directions each day. It helps greatly having thousands upon thousands of acres to work with. I have a pretty good handle of what’s going on at an given time. Having snow on the ground greatly increases visible sign. Pretty easy to see in the tracks when a buck or even multiple bucks are dogging a doe. Seen a few that were pretty obvious so I know it’s going on just haven’t witnessed it from stand yet.

I drove 40 miles tonight while shining. Not a single buck seen anywhere. Likely many locked down with does in thick bedding areas. Does back with fawns tells me they were likely bred already and are back in the family groups again.

Been a strange rut for me. Figured it would be real intense with the cold weather but it seems especially the last few days with the cold temps the focus is now on feeding. Pretty rare to have single digits in early November.

I didn’t see a whole lot of crazy rut activity last week/ weekend either. Odd.

Anyway, I realize that I wasn’t specific enough. I meant on a single day, i.e. setting up in the AM and sitting that spot all day.

I haven't done an all day sit yet this year. 9 am-dark is the best I have done. I hunted 13 out of the last 15 days in my rut areas that have historically always done very well. Most have always been better evening spots for whatever reason so that's usually my main focus.
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Re: Wisconsin Rut Reports

Unread postby matt1336 » Sat Nov 09, 2019 12:30 am

I haven’t seen much rutting behavior either. I’ve seen tracks that tell me a buck as been checking does out and chasing them around, but not a lot of that sign. I haven’t seen bucks dead on the side of the road near my hunting spots either. Most importantly, I haven’t seen one cruising buck all year. Very strange. I thought that with this cold weather they’d be up and moving...and they probably are, just not past me.
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Re: Wisconsin Rut Reports

Unread postby mag1 » Sat Nov 09, 2019 12:59 am

For those in NE wis, how froze is the swamp ground so far? Is it just crusted over or is it more solid? Just trying to gauge boot selection.
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Re: Wisconsin Rut Reports

Unread postby Net Guy » Sat Nov 09, 2019 1:16 am

mag1 wrote:For those in NE wis, how froze is the swamp ground so far? Is it just crusted over or is it more solid? Just trying to gauge boot selection.


From guys I talked to this past weekend, there was only 1/4" of ice in the swamps and was terrible walking around. Not enough to support you, however, with the continued cold, I wouldn't be surprised if you can walk across the ice now in the swamps.
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Re: Wisconsin Rut Reports

Unread postby SidewayZ » Sat Nov 09, 2019 2:40 am

Dewey wrote:
greenhorndave wrote:
Dewey wrote:
greenhorndave wrote:Dewey, you setting up and sitting one spot or moving around? I know this isn’t directly related to visible rut activity, but more rut strategy.

I haven’t hunted the same spot twice this season. Closest I have been to a previous hunted spot is 3-400 yards. I stay mobile and jump all over with way more spots than I could ever hunt in a season. Most often I’m 5-10 miles away in opposite directions each day. It helps greatly having thousands upon thousands of acres to work with. I have a pretty good handle of what’s going on at an given time. Having snow on the ground greatly increases visible sign. Pretty easy to see in the tracks when a buck or even multiple bucks are dogging a doe. Seen a few that were pretty obvious so I know it’s going on just haven’t witnessed it from stand yet.

I drove 40 miles tonight while shining. Not a single buck seen anywhere. Likely many locked down with does in thick bedding areas. Does back with fawns tells me they were likely bred already and are back in the family groups again.

Been a strange rut for me. Figured it would be real intense with the cold weather but it seems especially the last few days with the cold temps the focus is now on feeding. Pretty rare to have single digits in early November.

I didn’t see a whole lot of crazy rut activity last week/ weekend either. Odd.

Anyway, I realize that I wasn’t specific enough. I meant on a single day, i.e. setting up in the AM and sitting that spot all day.

I haven't done an all day sit yet this year. 9 am-dark is the best I have done. I hunted 13 out of the last 15 days in my rut areas that have historically always done very well. Most have always been better evening spots for whatever reason so that's usually my main focus.


I was seeing the same things you guys were. Very slow activity. I also thought between Rut / cold temps it would have been high movement. Aside from find a lot of rut sign, the movement has been almost non existent in the Dells Creek Area. Confirmed with the snow, I was very surprised at the lack of tracks seen in public land areas. I did see a lot of tracks through fields on private and around fields with standing corn.
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Re: Wisconsin Rut Reports

Unread postby peteherbst » Sat Nov 09, 2019 3:19 am

I’ve been out a couple times this week and haven’t seen a whole lot. Two does in one sit with no bucks. Tracked a very large set of doe tracks yesterday and kicked it up without a buck around.
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Re: Wisconsin Rut Reports

Unread postby whitetail_addict » Sat Nov 09, 2019 3:57 am

I seen decent rut activity last weekend but haven’t been able to get out since due to work and the earlier closing times now. Based on what I’ve read here though I have to think all the standing corn is playing into the lack of activity being reported now. It’s got to be going on, but I’m not seeing it.

I drive all day for work and have seen two young bucks total running around in the last week and a half. Nothing like I expected to see for rut action given these temps.
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Re: Wisconsin Rut Reports

Unread postby I8Venison2 » Sat Nov 09, 2019 4:19 am

Just seen two shooter bucks about to go and it over a doe at the top of an open field at 9:54 am in East Madison. I wish I was hunting!

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