What are some of your tell tale signs???

[JRM6868]

Some of my tell tale signs that a buck is coming have been squirrels barking. I know all but one of my bucks have been given away by squirrels barking. The other one was actually given away by bluejays raising cane.

Anybody have any others?

[kenn1320]

Interesting obvservation, but Ive seen lots of bucks and never noticed any other animals bothered by their presence. Of course I dont see slobs, maybe the animals only get upset about the big ones? Sure would like to at least see one like in your avitar someday.......

Ken

[foltzy]

I always pay attention to the trees in the bedding area. on more than one occasion when my buck gets out of his bed he will go and work one of his rubs around the bed. when the trees start shaking, get ready.

[headgear]

Most of the time the bucks just kind of appear out of thin air, but I have notice the squirrels either get loud or silent when some deer start approaching. I was also tipped off once by a grouse taking off, it's good to know the deer get the crap scared out of them by those birds too.

Interesting you should mention that foltzy.
Last year my archery buck decided to let me know he was on his feet by working a tree 20 yards from his bed. It was too thick to see him but watching the top of that tree whip around as he was working it over was pretty cool. It was dead calm that night too, I think I could almost hear him making the rub but I am not sure.

Another time during the rut I heard a bunch of bleeting from one direction, about an hour later a 10 pointer stepped out in the same direction and I was able to take him down with a rifle.

I guess sometimes you don't have any sign, sometimes you get a subtle hint, other times the signs are unmistakable.

[headgear]

Most of the time the bucks just kind of appear out of thin air, but I have notice the squirrels either get loud or silent when some deer start approaching. I was also tipped off once by a grouse taking off, it's good to know the deer get the crap scared out of them by those birds too.

Interesting you should mention that foltzy.
Last year my archery buck decided to let me know he was on his feet by working a tree 20 yards from his bed. It was too thick to see him but watching the top of that tree whip around as he was working it over was pretty cool. It was dead calm that night too, I think I could almost hear him making the rub but I am not sure.

Another time during the rut I heard a bunch of bleeting from one direction, about an hour later a 10 pointer stepped out in the same direction and I was able to take him down with a rifle.

I guess sometimes you don't have any sign, sometimes you get a subtle hint, other times the signs are unmistakable.

[dan]

Occasionally a squirrel or jay... But more often for me its not what I hear, but rather what I don't... Seems everything gets quiet when the buck is coming.
I guess the most commen sound I do hear is the breaking of a branch under ther bucks feet.
Squirrels and jays sound the alarm falsly quite often and you can't be sure. But nothing catches your attention quite as well as hearing that "snap" from towards the bedding area...

[Singing Bridge]

here's part of one of my old posts:

...small bedding area, within sight of its edge. Stay on stand and glass and/or watch that edge for the buck getting up and moving over a ways, to relieve himself or browse a bit before he beds back down. Stay alert and let him have it at the first good opportunity. I’ve shot a buck as he stood up in his bed, and I’ve shot a buck that moved 18 feet from his bed before I put him down hard, amongst others. Stay alert while hunting, and watch for birds flying out when he stands up, or a blue jay screaming at his movement, or a red squirrel alarm chattering…. You get the idea. My number one signal is hearing a twig snap in the bedding area if the wind isn’t blowing too hard for me to hear it. It takes excellent woodsman ship to approach a buck that close when you set up...

[Buckfever]

I'll tell you one tell tale sign is if I'm tagged out. Because I swear when I'm tagged out every monster in the county, is going to walk by my set.

[Wrinkleneck]

My hearing SUCKS!!!! so most of what I see seems to appear out of thin air

[kenn1320]

Occasionally a squirrel or jay... But more often for me its not what I hear, but rather what I don't... Seems everything gets quiet when the buck is coming.

Dan this has been my experience as well. I didnt realise everything was getting quiet around me, just figured I was so focused on the deer that I was blocking out other sounds. Maybe its partially both. Heck Ive had blue jays in my yard going full blast for 15min about nothing. One thing I noticed more then a few times, but had times that it didnt correlate, was when those little brown birds come thru the woods. Seems they move at prime time and are just ahead of the deer. Ive nick named em deer birds, even though like I said, sometimes they come thru and the deer dont.

[Dewey]

I always pay attention to the trees in the bedding area. on more than one occasion when my buck gets out of his bed he will go and work one of his rubs around the bed. when the trees start shaking, get ready.

I have had this happen many times and it tipped me off the buck was on his feet in the staging area. Otherwise I have also noticed that everything becomes very quiet when a good buck is nearby.

[CatfishJack]

My observations is that for the most part there are no regular indications; I just see them. Other deer around me looking intently at the sound of another deer is usually the most prevalent action I notice. Sometimes I hear them running, sticks breaking etc and then will see them. But really, the squirrels barking, grouse flushing doesn't happen enough to be a regular indicator.

[dan]

bump

[Stanley]

I remember this like it was yesterday. In 1975 I was hunting a creek bottom after work. It was around the 20th of October. I was in a tree, no stand just climbed up into a tree (no Lone wolfs back then). I heard a red squirrel bark and a few second later a real good buck walks by. I had no shot because of the brush.

I was actually so glad to see a buck much less a good buck. Back then there were not many deer around. I am not sure how many squirrels I have heard bark to give up a bucks presence since then but not very many. I normally see a buck way before I hear anything. This is one thing I learned over the years, you have to be attentive of what is happening or you taken by surprise.

[Bigb]

I've had the squirrels tip me off a few times. I wouldn't say the barking means a deer all the time but it if I hear a squirrel barking it will bring my attention up a bit. Also if the squirrels have been running around a lot and all of sudden it goes quite, I try to focus in on where the next noise I hear is coming from. That has tipped me off to more than a few deer before I have hard or seen them.

This one is probably just coincidence, but I was talking to a neighbor early in the season last year and he mentioned that when you hear the owls start talking to each other, that is a good sign the deer movement should start to pick up. I'm not sure if its true, but the nights that I hear the owls a little earlier than normal, I seem to see a few more deer. I'm not saying its tell tale sign, but this guy shoots some real nice deer every year and his been hunting this land for 30 or so years so I tend to listen him. There was a Cubs announcer that used to say that if I can even get a 1% advantage over the next guy, I'll take it. Plus, anything to get my blood pumping in the stand is a good thing.