The Pre-Rifle Season

Well, Steph and I sat last night in the same tree I killed my buck last year. With hardly any light left we heard grunting and a few deer milling around. I grunted back at him and eventually he turned and came towards us. I could only see a silhouette it was so dark. He stopped at about 40 yards and would not come any closer. He started making a scrape and raking a branch overhead. It was pretty frustrating to be able to hear that and not even see the buck. The real bummer is that Rifle Season opens in four days and there's no chance to get back in there and hunt before the chaos unfolds. Oh well. I guess we'll have to wait.

As far as patterning deer, the day after my last post, I checked my one trail camera I put over a scrape and got some immediate results. Seven different bucks were using it. We found the scrape on the 4th of October (six days after the new moon) and at that point, it was already fairly well used. The majority of the pictures went until the 10th or so (almost two weeks after the new moon). Then there was a big lull in getting photos. The nights of the 27th, 28th, and 29th brought two of the three bigger bucks around again. The October new moon was also the 28th, so that could have something to do with it, but the other bucks did not come back through the 3rd of November when I took the camera down. I need to spend Monday over there walking and scouting for the newest sign.

Bucks were out last night nudging the does around in the fields, which means there are a few about to come into heat. The first bucks I saw nudging does was on the night of the 27th and the morning of the 28th. Both were young bucks, but it was promising that we were about two weeks away. Now, one week away in most places. November 11th is usually the peak by our hunting land, but more like the 13-16 at the refuge.

I've only seen a couple new rubs as most are made in pursuit of does not ready to be bred yet. So Im guessing they're making some right now, but this next week will be the beginning of a lot.

I need to piece together some the bucks at the hill. their range seems so irratic.

Rifle Season is at our doorstep. I'm anticpating a lot of young buck activity, but I think I can change that.