Can we start this thread for 2025? I like reading up on what people are seeing in regards to the rut activity. Hearing of several nice deer that hit the dirt this week. Couple guys at around 1:30 - 2:00 Wednesday for whatever reason. Assuming they happened to be right on top of them. No doubt the older bucks are starting to move more.
I think it was better 5 days ago than right now but thats about to change again.
booneriverbucks
PMA Member
Hope you are good now! My wife works at a hospital so we were pretty much the first of our friends/family to get covid in the area back in 2020 when everybody was scared to death of it. It was awesome. Luckily very few symptoms and nobody wanted me to show up to work. Gladly skipped showing up the last week of october and first week of November.. Didn’t ever feel sick until I started dragging! Still my longest and best rutcation yet!
JNRBRONC
Well-Known Member
My commute to work is spent observing. Early last week I saw a decent buck trying to get back into timber after being out in ag. Little opportunity there as I can't hunt that timber and it was barely legal shooting.
Thursday saw two roadkill bucks, both 2.5 yr old in my estimation. The first was killed on Highway 1 about a mile north of I80. It was dead right on the shoulder, the SUV that hit it made it another quarter mile at best and was parked on the shoulder with hazards on. Someone drug the deer into the ditch, not sure if the head was still on it.
Later Thursday afternoon, coming east on I80 and saw a dead buck down in the south ditch just before the highway 1 exit. Still there this afternoon.
I take road kills as an indication of rut phase. Young deer being the first stupid deer to play in traffic.
I'm hoping to climb in a tree for my first sit tomorrow. The action I see will be telling as well.
Thursday saw two roadkill bucks, both 2.5 yr old in my estimation. The first was killed on Highway 1 about a mile north of I80. It was dead right on the shoulder, the SUV that hit it made it another quarter mile at best and was parked on the shoulder with hazards on. Someone drug the deer into the ditch, not sure if the head was still on it.
Later Thursday afternoon, coming east on I80 and saw a dead buck down in the south ditch just before the highway 1 exit. Still there this afternoon.
I take road kills as an indication of rut phase. Young deer being the first stupid deer to play in traffic.
I'm hoping to climb in a tree for my first sit tomorrow. The action I see will be telling as well.
Bucksnbears
Well-Known Member
Same here. Normal morning/ evening time have been dismally but noon/ 4p.m. have been outstanding.
As for rutting activity, samo_ samo. Young bucks chasing/ harassing. No real activity from older bucks chasing.
deerhunter93
Well-Known Member
Thursday morning I had four 1.5 year old bucks moving. I got down around 10:30am and at 1:30pm a big one was moving on camera. Next week is when I can get out next.
Marty Edwards
PMA Member
100% agree. Last 2 days oddly slow. This am cams are showing better movement again.
203ntyp
PMA Member
Mature bucks are locked down for a few days now and I've not seen anything but young buck. I did notice a doe or two that were back with their fawns. Took my wife out for dinner last night and there was a big buck locked up on a doe almost in town. Time to hunt mid-day to catch mature buck between does.
Wapsi Tree Rat
Well-Known Member
Quite a bit of lawlessness in the Eastern Iowa timber this morning. Almost felt like a mostly peaceful antifa demonstration.
Let's see, there was definitely violence, sexual harassment, indecent exposure, and all around inappropriate behavior.
Crazy active this morning predawn through about 8 am. Not exactly great for punching a tag, but super fun watching the show!
Let's see, there was definitely violence, sexual harassment, indecent exposure, and all around inappropriate behavior.
Crazy active this morning predawn through about 8 am. Not exactly great for punching a tag, but super fun watching the show!
2-bucks
Well-Known Member
No. Time of year and weather dictate my hunting choices.
Ishi
PMA Member
Absolutely not! I hunt when I can and let the chips fall where they may.
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Darrin
Active Member
There was a recent wired to hunt podcast that replayed interviews from some researchers. Moon phase for deer doesn't make a lot of biological sense. Breeding time is tuned to put fawns on the ground early enough so that they have the most chance of making it through that first fall/winter and late enough that they don't get taken out by the cold early spring. It's all driven by how much light there is during the day. They can't find any evidence that weather plays a major factor either. When nature says it's time to breed, it's time to breed. Pretty fascinating.
However, if a red moon or a purple moon or the man in the moon gives you more confidence then I'd say go for it. Confirmation bias can be a strategy too.
sep0667
Land of the Whitetail
Saturday 11/1, central IA- sat from dark to 1230pm. Very slow. Didnt see a deer until about 1050. Ended up seeing 2 does and a small 8pt.
Sunday 11/2, southern IA-all day sit. Very good sit! Probably say 15-20 deer, some may have been the same ones. Had good movement until about 1030, then nothing until about 4pm. Saw probably a dozen deer in the morning and 7 or so in the last hour. Really fun sit in the morning as the trees around me where raining down leaves and hedge balls were dropping. Passed up a mature half rack buck I'm sure was 4+. Also passed a really nice 8pt, but think he was just 3. The 8pt did chase after a doe in the morning. He came back by in the evening when I passed him. Bucks seemed to be on their feet roaming around, but I think its a touch early yet there.
Sunday 11/2, southern IA-all day sit. Very good sit! Probably say 15-20 deer, some may have been the same ones. Had good movement until about 1030, then nothing until about 4pm. Saw probably a dozen deer in the morning and 7 or so in the last hour. Really fun sit in the morning as the trees around me where raining down leaves and hedge balls were dropping. Passed up a mature half rack buck I'm sure was 4+. Also passed a really nice 8pt, but think he was just 3. The 8pt did chase after a doe in the morning. He came back by in the evening when I passed him. Bucks seemed to be on their feet roaming around, but I think its a touch early yet there.
JNRBRONC
Well-Known Member
Willie Suchy, former IA DNR may he RIP, said the "peak of the the rut" is Nov. 13 every year.
First hunt of the year was Saturday afternoon. Bumped 3 does going in. Watched more does emerge just as the sun was setting. At the last minute, the party got crashed by a buck chasing them, but it was too dark to get a look at the rack.
Yesterday hung a stand to watch a couple of corn fields get combined. Four hours: Nothing, Zilch, Nada came out of the fields, not even a pheasant.
Camera card pulls were slightly interesting. Nothing to get really excited about.
First hunt of the year was Saturday afternoon. Bumped 3 does going in. Watched more does emerge just as the sun was setting. At the last minute, the party got crashed by a buck chasing them, but it was too dark to get a look at the rack.
Yesterday hung a stand to watch a couple of corn fields get combined. Four hours: Nothing, Zilch, Nada came out of the fields, not even a pheasant.
Camera card pulls were slightly interesting. Nothing to get really excited about.
terribly slow right now. Like Bad hunting.