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RUT ACTIVITY UPDATES?

Good as in most does are bred and bucks are starting the search for the remainders the way it looks to me, thoughts? Does are grouping back up and bucks have started to pass up chasing the ones that have been bred.
I concur for my specific area. Older bucks on the move the past few days after being much more difficult to get eyes on.

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Last few days have been NASCAR speeds in my woods of SW Iowa for my morning sits.

Finally doing an all day sit and not a single sighting as of this post.
 
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Been hunting the first weekend of Missouri rifle season. I'm hunting a travel corridor. First day was slow with a south wind couple 2 year old bucks. Wind switch this morning, and have seen 8 bucks on the morning hunt(nothing decent) Now am sitting the evening. Haven't seen 1 doe.

Judging by social media, there have been a pile of 1 and 2 year old bucks shot the last couple days.
 
Sat in a funnel between 2 timbered draws last two mornings and saw lots of movement til about 830. Mostly young bucks. Movement slowed way down midday. Had one doe get chased all over by a scrub buck but other than that a lot of lone does and does with yearlings. Think I saw every buck on the farm this morning except the one I’m after.
 
I know a lot of you guys like late November, but based on harvest photos and running 25 trail cameras over 5 farms in my opinion early November seems to be better. Just my opinion. It seems like every mature deer on all of the farms was daylight active from nov 5th through the 10th with the 7th and 8th being the best. I would agree that late November there are some big deer their expand their core areas looking for the last doe, but I would never miss the 5th through the 10th. Just an observation and always interesting to hear others people favorite dates on their farms. I would probably even pick the last 5 days of October with a cold front over anything past the 12th of november. From what I have noticed the 13th through the 20th seem to be slow as peak number of does are in estrous.
 
I know a lot of you guys like late November, but based on harvest photos and running 25 trail cameras over 5 farms in my opinion early November seems to be better. Just my opinion. It seems like every mature deer on all of the farms was daylight active from nov 5th through the 10th with the 7th and 8th being the best. I would agree that late November there are some big deer their expand their core areas looking for the last doe, but I would never miss the 5th through the 10th. Just an observation and always interesting to hear others people favorite dates on their farms. I would probably even pick the last 5 days of October with a cold front over anything past the 12th of november. From what I have noticed the 13th through the 20th seem to be slow as peak number of does are in estrous.

I'm in Northern MO within 7 miles of the Iowa border. Recently, 2017-2019, the best November movement of older deer has been the 1st through the 5th or 6th. It has also been below normal temps during that time frame each of those three years. Prior to 2017 I've felt the better movement was from the 4th-12th.
 
My cameras went from sending me 80-90 pics a day to 5 a day over the last 3 days. They are just now locked down with the does on my farm. I was out all day Sunday and saw the only mature buck on the farm tending a doe.....


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I just came in from another sit where I passed multiple bucks...it's just that they were all young ones. I did pass on three can openers, a 2 year old 8 point and sort of passed a nice looking 3 year old 8 pointer too. I say "sort of" because he was at 38 yards a couple of times and I normally wouldn't shoot that far but I also did nothing then to bring him the last 15-20 yards. I suspect that I could have grunted him over to me, but I didn't.

For the most part, as it has been almost all year for me, the deer were just kind of moseying. I did see one doe streak through the timber about 40 yards away and then I think that 3 year old 8 took up her trail...but for the most part, he was walking. Looking at some trail cam pics today though, it appears as though there was some good chasing going on between the 12th to the 14th. Only I wasn't hunting those days. :)
 
Called in a nice 3 yr old (guessing) from 80-100 yds yesterday morning. Grunted a few times, then lightly rattled & he came straight in. Saw another younger buck (2 maybe 3 yr old) that seemed to be looking. Also saw group of does & fawns before the bucks, but nothing chasing.
 
I saw what was the 2 biggest bucks I have ever seen while hunting this past weekend. Of course I was trying to fill a doe tag. Doe movement was slow, but wow, I wish I still had my buck tag. Probably a 160's 10 point, super heavy thick rack and a giant 8 pt with stickers, again super heavy thick rack. Probably near pop can size bases on both of these bucks. I saw the big 10 Saturday and Sunday both. Sunday he was within 30 yards of me for probably 4-5 minutes. He came in to some rattling that my dad was doing about 100 yards away from me and just stood and stared while he was that close to me. The big 8 came in late afternoon to the same thing. Wow, I wish the season wasn't over and still had a buck tag.

I haven't put out trail cams for several years. I think its time to start doing that again.
 
I saw what was the 2 biggest bucks I have ever seen while hunting this past weekend. Of course I was trying to fill a doe tag. Doe movement was slow, but wow, I wish I still had my buck tag. Probably a 160's 10 point, super heavy thick rack and a giant 8 pt with stickers, again super heavy thick rack. Probably near pop can size bases on both of these bucks. I saw the big 10 Saturday and Sunday both. Sunday he was within 30 yards of me for probably 4-5 minutes. He came in to some rattling that my dad was doing about 100 yards away from me and just stood and stared while he was that close to me. The big 8 came in late afternoon to the same thing. Wow, I wish the season wasn't over and still had a buck tag.

I haven't put out trail cams for several years. I think its time to start doing that again.
Is anyone still seeing rut activity in Iowa? When do you expect the secondary rut to hit S Iowa for those does that did not get bread yet?

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Saw 4 does and 2 bucks yesterday. Gave the pass to a 3 year old. Hearing some grunts this morning but nobody wanting to play. Had 4 does out in the brassicas eating.
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Where we live on the edge of town outside of SW Iowa City we will occasionally see deer in the neighborhood, but it is still relatively uncommon to see them right around our house for the most part. However, I saw the biggest buck ever in the neighborhood Wednesday evening. He had a doe corralled basically up against the back side of the big yard fence at Menard's. We was definitely 160" plus and we saw him at about 5:30p and then again when we came back home about 7:00p. They were within 20 yards of where we first saw them earlier.

The scene had a classic rut look, buck standing 5 yards away from a haggard doe and a fawn looking on about 30 yards away. I think the doe was just a "late" one to come in and she got found and basically run all the way in town. One hot doe now can be dynamite.
 
Got burned out and took last weekend off. Pulled cards yesterday and of course have about a 165" 10pt all over my farm last weekend. On three cameras and two daylight pics in front of stands. He was following a doe in one pic and I got pics of small bucks fighting last weekend. I am assuming the rut activity has to be very slow this weekend but I hope that nice ten wanders by looking for one last girlfriend
 
This is typically my favorite weekend to hunt. I've had some incredible hunts on Black Friday. Had a doe fawn with 3 bucks right on her tail come past me tonight. 2 dinks and a 3 year old. Had 2 others follow her exact trail later. None were the deer I'm after and she just so happened to travel the direction I was anticipating the big bucks to come from so that put a damper on the rest of the action.
 
Last night saw five does/fawns and five bucks. Two spikes and three 2 or 3 yr olds. Three yr old checked the does and went his separate way. One of the two year olds freshened up a scrape. Sitting in timber in a transition area between river bottoms and a bluff. In the same spot this AM. One doe and two forkies so far.
 
This is typically my favorite weekend to hunt. I've had some incredible hunts on Black Friday. Had a doe fawn with 3 bucks right on her tail come past me tonight. 2 dinks and a 3 year old. Had 2 others follow her exact trail later. None were the deer I'm after and she just so happened to travel the direction I was anticipating the big bucks to come from so that put a damper on the rest of the action.

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