Tomorrow is the last day of Buck season. Does anyone have any suggestions that would be helpful?

I was out for 8 hours the other day and saw a big nothing. I've sat for hours at a time. In areas with nice trails and scrapes. I've gone into areas where most hunters wouldn't go. I've gone at times of the day when other hunters leave the woods. I've used cover up scents and lure scents that are common to the area. I've walked throughout the woods just trying to make some white flags go up. To name a few things I've tried. Nothing.

 

If there is lots of sign, the deer are there. If there is a lot of pressure in the area, the deer may have changed their patterns...i.e. feeding at night, moving at night, etc. Bucks will many times chase does during mid day and not in the early morning and late evening hours. You may have enough pressure that the patterns and location of the animals changed. Sometimes deer are really smart and move closer to area's that gets alot of traffic, etc., but that nobody hunts...only move from point A to point B.

If you aren't seeing does, you won't find the bucks, since the rut should be on....depending where you are at.

You may want to grab a pair of antlers and do some rattling. Simulate a buck fight, only rattle for about 15-20 seconds and then sit still and keep your eyes open for a couple of minutes and then rattle again and so on. That will usually bring in some bucks if there are does in heat....

dave

 

I think the deer pass through this area. They might be completely avoiding me. After the first day I felt like I was the only one in the woods. Tomorrow there will be a few more people in the woods so hopefully they'll be moving around more. I have a good idea where I need to be. I just need to figure out how to get there without being detected.

I have a couple deer calls but no antlers. Is there anything else that can be used that sounds like antlers?

 

They make fake antlers and they also make things called "rattle bags" which are a bag of rods that produce a pretty nice sound.

I've noticed that this year in my area that after the 2nd or 3rd day the deer were hanging very tight in cover. They would not move out of thickets or vegetation unless forced. They wouldn't use trails or go out into fields unless actually pushed. Now they are moving more at night, the bucks especially. Something else people overlook is small pieces of cover. A small clump of tall grass, an isolated island of vegetation around a tree in the middle of a field, a dense overgrown ditch. Small places that don't look like they would hold a deer. A spot where the buck can hide and watch the area around him. The big ones are that way because they are smart. This year I watched a buck on the neighbors property sit tight in cover (10'x10' clump of tall grass and brush around a dozer pile) while a group of hunters worked a drive within 100 yards of him. One of they guys looked like he dang near tripped over him. He had to be within 25 yards of him or less. I was hoping they would chase him across my fence. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] He sat tight in that cover until dark.

 

Man, you still got deer ruttin'? I think ours was over by the second week in Nov.. And I missed both weekends cause I was putting a trans in my friggin car! (No sunday hunting here). Think thats my biggest regret of the year.
Personally I try to avoid heavy cover and possible bedding areas. Travel routes from bedding to feeding areas have been succeccful to me in the past, but of course if the deer aint travelling in daylight your SOL there. If you're relying on other hunters pushing deer maybe find a funnel or even a fence/water crossing that could be an escape route...Good luck

 

Ratteling doesn't really work once the rut has started. At least nowhere near as well as the pre rut. The deer are going to be bedded down hard during the day so you have to keep moving. Find a good place to sit for the first and last 2 hours of the day.