November Whitetail Rut..., in Field Journals

As the sun comes up on yet another October 30th, I can’t help but remember my hunting trip on this day, 2 years ago, when I was able to arrow my biggest buck to date. The Pre-Rut is in full swing and the 35 degree temps have the whitetails moving everywhere. As daylight starts to break and I can just begin to see the pins on my sight, I hear that familiar sound of the squirrels hitting the leaves for the first time this morning.

Shortly after 6:30 I see my first doe feeding down the ridge towards me. Her feeding is quickly interrupted by a running doe, followed closely behind by a rut crazed buck. This doesn’t look like the early chasing we have seen thus far, this looks serious, like this doe is already in estrus. As they ran through the bottom and over the hill, I only catch a glimpse of the deer, but it’s easy to tell what’s going on. After the woods calm down I see 3 more does feeding out of the pine thicket and into the bottom. As they feed past me, I am trying to get a clear picture of the current state of the rut. One doe was being chased Hard, and yet these weren’t being harassed at all. Shortly after they feed out of sight, four more does feed out of the same thicket. Still no bucks, just does minding their own business and getting their morning fill.

Over-all a very good hunting trip with lots of deer activity, but I think the rut is still a few days away, although approaching fast. Things are really heating up, and I think the first doe has come into estrus, but the majority, have another week to go. This coming weekend and through next week should prove to the best days in the whitetail woods this year. This is the time all Bowhunters dream of, the time when you really never know what might step out into a shooting lane. Make sure your in a treestand hunting as much as possible in the coming days and Good Luck out there…