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Movement update...

Central Iowa:
Yesterday morning (11/15) my dad shot a nice 10 point that was grunting and chasing hard. Then this morning (11/16) I was able to get out and saw two bucks chasing. It was a neat morning to be on stand with the fog rolling in. Tonight on my way home I say a STUD in a field with quite a few does and then I saw a smaller buck chasing two does right by my house.
 
It finally got on fire this weekend...a buddy and I both saw more bucks without does on Sunday and Monday than we had seen all year. I wasn't able to get out this morning, but these weather patterns have had to have made for some great morning hunts!!!
 
Hunted most of Monday and sat dark to dark in a funnel between bedding areas today in Central Iowa. Saw one that I would shoot the last 2 or 3 days of first bow (140ish) today at 2:00. Couple does this morning and 3 dinks. Then 3 young bucks between 90-120 inches up to 2:00. Couple more dinks and does last hour. I think the dandies are locked down, hope to keep wearing out the seat in some of my areas and catch a big one between does. Good luck everyone, it's getting close to that time when the really big reclusive boys start surfacing!
 
Saw zero deer this morning, pretty odd.

Got back in the stand at 3:15. Had a big fella run a hot doe right to me. Made a bad shot (forward and high) and going looking tomorrow morning. 5 minutes after those deer came through, I had a 145ish 10 point come through on the same trail. He stood at 15 yards from a minute or 2 before catching my scent as he was downwind. Had I known I wasn't going to find the buck I shot, I would have tried to tag the 2nd bruiser. The first one that came through that I got an arrow in was bigger.....I am SICK about it.
 
Deer Activity SE Iowa

I hunt in Van Buren County and the sightings of mature deer has been hit or miss. They are definitely anchored down with does now. Hopefully by next week the big boys will start searching for different does and be on the move again. I think its a pretty tough time to hunt unless a does drags a buck by you. Saw some nice bucks yesterday morning and everyone of them were locked on a doe. This morning was dead.
 
I had 12 does come within 15 yds of my stand this morning. NW wind at about 8mph. The first 3 came at about 6:45, and they continued to come through for 1 1/2 hrs. Only 1 yearling out of the 12. At about 8:30 a very high racked 10 pointer in the 165-170 range came through to my right at 30 yds. I had a fleeting shot, but didn't take it because i couldn't stop him. I bleated loud twice, but he didn't even look my direction. An hour later a small 6 pointer came through on the same trail as the does did at about 10 to 15 yds. I got out of the tree at 11:00. Not much chasing for the last 4 days, and the movement is more towards first and last light again.
 
i hunted winterset tonight and it was awesome. i had some special golden estrous out and had pretty good looking 10 pt come through about a half hour after i got in the stand, which was 3:00. i didnt get a good look at him but he was big enough to get the heart beating! shortly after that a dink came though then a 120" 8pt came through fresh off a timber fight his eye was all busted up and still bleeding, didnt stop him from making a scrape right in front of me. about 30 min before shooting light a doe brought in a nice 10, i stopped him of course he stood with his vitals right behind a tree and couldnt get a shot they made their way up in to a CRP field when a bigger buck pushed them back in to the timber, the doe walked right by where she needed to she went by i drew back and of course the buck stopped by that point she had made me i couldnt hold the bow any longer and had to let down and that was then end of that story, back out tomorrow!
 
There has definately been some "lock down" going on. I have seen good bucks in the daylight all week...some of them with does, and some of them hoping she falls back in love. I think Thanksgiving week is going to be a classical rut week where most of the does have been bred, and the weather is cool enough to keep bucks searching for those last few does.
 
They're back

While the deer aren't running as thick as last week I saw 4 today. One was a nice buck bedded down by a field all alone. I didn't have any shots so I moved. Put my wife on a new stand and she ran an estrus trail and had a buck under her right as shooting hours ended, Again no shot but she was pumped. I encourage everyone to stick with it. The bucks are still searching.:drink2:
 
I finally got back out last night (11-19) after being laid up for a week and was pretty disappointed.
Kicked up 2 does on the way in, saw one little broken off buck around dusk just milling around, one doe by herself way off in the distance and kicked a few does on my way out.
By far the slowest sit I've had all year at this spot. DOH!!!!
 
The woods were rockin this morning. Saw almost 20 deer and 5 bucks, 3 were pretty nice. They were chasing does all over the place.
 
I predict that in the next 4 or 5 days there will be a lot of nice bucks killed.I saw more big bucks today that I have total all year.
 
ok i need some input, i was sitting on a ridge tonight between a corn and CRP feild, thursday night this stand was awesome so i was anxious to get back there. i got in the stand at 1:15 and had a spike in the area right away so i was looking forward to another good night of action. I didnt see another thing until 4:30 i looked out in to the CRP feild and saw a nice 10pt going for a walk, i grunted at hime once quick that stopped him he looked my way for about 30 sec, he started to walk again i hit him with another longer grunt and that turned him right to me. he did exactly what i needed him to i stopped him at about 15yds i settled my pin and let it fly! Well my first thought after i released was i gave him a buzz cut, i herd the " thwack" but he jumped the string pretty good so i thought i just buzzed him. he took off kind not running but walking, he looked kind of funny walking away i couldnt see real well when i could get my binocs on him i saw his opposite side with no blood or holes arrows or anything like that. then he took off down the edge of the timber in the CRP feild. I got down about 15 min later to get my arrow to confirm that i had not hit him, but i looked in the area for about 45 min and couldnt find the arrow anywhere. i started walking down the path he took out of the timber in to the CRP feild looking for obvious sign like the arrow or blood, he could have taken 1,000 paths down the edge of that CRP. I didnt want to walk too far incase i did get him i didnt want to jump him, well as soon as i decided that i looked up with the flashlight and saw a set of eyes looking at me, i couldnt see a rack but i could tell it was a big bodied deer, the deer then slowly started walking to my left probably only about 40-50 yds away from me. wouldnt you think most deer would head for the next county after getting the flaslight in their eyes? is it possible he layed down there and i did kick him up? either way im obviously going back in the morning but your guys thoughts would be great. I didnt find any blood but he could have taken any path in that CRP feild. Im thinking (hoping) i burried the arrow in him and he had not started to bleed yet?
 
I haven't been out since Friday afternoon. Walked around and looked for a deer I put an arrow into for a while and then hunted the last few hours of light. Saw 2 does, 2 different 4 pointers and a basket rack 6. That was all. A buddy of mine shot a big 10 pointer that same evening, he taped it out at 172. Followed a doe past him at 30 yards and he drilled him. I'm heading out in the morning for a few hours. I need some luck.
 
Went out sat morning and night and had little action. Seen 4 does and 2 small bucks all the does were traveling alone. Took next week off of work, so im hoping it will pick up. Got some good bucks on the trail cam from last week, but most of them were taken early morning or just after dark. Gonna do a few all day sits this week hoping to catch a big boy searching for his last doe.
 
Anyone who was out this past weekend or is going to be hunting this week, please let us know how the hunting action is going, if it seems like buck movement/chasing/seeking is picking up at all or staying the same or starting to dwindle down. I will be getting back to bowhunting after Thanksgiving and I would appreciate any updates from anyone this week about how things are going:) thanks, this is a great thread:D keep it up!
 
My son was out both Sat. and Sun. evening. Sat. had a NE wind, and Sun. a south wind, so hunted two different stands. He said the movement on Sat. evening looked like it did almost before the rut, but then Sun. evening there was chasing going on, and smaller bucks still in search. I'm still guessing this week is going to have the bucks on their feet searching...as long as you've kept a few does around for them to have something to sort through.
 
Our, my son and I, action this past weekend was quite slow at our farm. But the wind directions were our worst case scenario, so we did not hunt our better spots. Saw some deer, no real chasing, but I think it will be a good weekend coming up.
 
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