What's Happened???

[longhollowhunter]

Okay, here goes... I see posts about the rut starting, and a buddy of mine killed a buck saturday and said its neck was swelling and its tarsals was getting black, another buddy has found a few scrapes and this is all just a few miles from our place, but I have no buck sign!! I don't get it! Our family place is almost 300 acres, 80% of which is woods, and I thouroughly walked over 100 of those acres today, and although I found probably 10 rubs, some of which were on decent trees, they are all at least 3-4 weeks old. no scrapes nothing. i 'm usually covered up with the things! granted, i haven't been as thorough on the rest of the property, but i haven't see any sign there either. I have took nice bucks off this place, and at the end of last season i know there were 2 real bruisers left, so what's up? my doe groups are still here, i have found one dead carcass, pretty much just skeletal remains, but surely ehd ain't wiped out my entire buck population!! help please! any ideas?

[mrdux]

I used to bow hunt HARD the week prior to KY gun season due to the fact that we hardly ever saw any buck sign until then and it appeared overnight. We had over 2000 acres leased and could set the clock by the buck sign which NEVER started till around the 3rd or 4th of NOV.

Why judge your success by other peoples measures? If you have a good population in your area it will happen.

If you build it--they will come!!!

[huntinthemfields]

I started out getting around 200 pics aweek and was going thru corn like a moonshiner.then everything stopped. i have no more than 30 pics all does and small bucks(5 day pics) in the last week. Hunted this morning and saw 1 doe and jumped another up when leaving my stand. I did some scouting today and found a decent rub line following the creek bed that feeds the creek behind my stand. Last year I had no less then 6 big bruisers cruising the farm and have yet to see any of the big guys this year. I did see a nice 10 on the last day if ML but it's been awful quiet in the woods in Mercer county.
Where did they all go?:confused:

[TROPHYTAKER308]

i went in the woods saturday morning and seen scarpes,thats all i seen,didnt see a rub one,and i walked alot...go figure.:confused:

[longhollowhunter]

whew! thanks for the encouragement guys! i figured i was the only one who wasn't finding anything!

[big bubba t]

I haven't been finding much either , just a few little rubs here and there. I saw a bunch of does during ML season so if they stay around I know the bucks will be there sometime.

[25-06]

I have not found much buck sign yet,I found a scrape a couple weeks ago,but nothing since,and my buddy killed a big six at the end of Sept. and his tarsals had a strong musky scent,so go figure.

[kingtutt]

I had six shooters using a farm in sept. and have'nt seen them since. I went from seeing 5-15 deer everytime i climbed a tree to nothing. no deer seen, no deer sign, no deer???????????????????????

[notimlmit]

Like I keep telling myself---patience---it's getting real close to busting loose everywhere

[Hillcrest Farms]

All the deer in KY are on my farm now. Sorry, everyone, your seasons are over unless you get permission from me. Every other tree is rubbed due to 600,000 deer (the state herd) now on my farm. Sorry ya'll didn't get the memo from the Commonwealth.

-HF

[letmfly]

All the deer in KY are on my farm now. Sorry, everyone, your seasons are over unless you get permission from me. Every other tree is rubbed due to 600,000 deer (the state herd) now on my farm. Sorry ya'll didn't get the memo from the Commonwealth.

-HF

Well, I outbid everyone else on ebay for a Kentucky Free Tresspass Permit, only cost me $2500.00. So I'll be over tomorrow, see ya.

[Hillcrest Farms]

Well you overpaid then, everyone else has been trespassing for free. Not bitter am I? :mad: Unfortunately, part of being a landowner.

-HF

[wademup]

We are not finding many rubs,but today the little deer were out of their minds,chasing and sparring with each other.Saw two shooters today but neither showed much interest in the does,they were however very intersted in the Red oak acorns.

[raven_over_easy]

seen a buck hit on Bardstown road this morn. its getting real close!

[bigpuddin43]

Ive had rubs on big trees for about 3 weeks now but they were only on one of our ridges so i set up there and got a nice bruiser as my first bow kill found my first good scrape just saturday. found a couple that were made and never hit again about a week ago but i think this one has some major promise to it i think they are just now getting really warmed up and starting to scrape. the scrape i found is under a small beech tree and there is one big one thats been worked pretty good with a smaller scrape on each side of it. then i turn around and a cedar about 6 inches in diameter was worn out. found it saturday morning moved the camera over it this morning and they had hit both the scrape and cedar tree since saturday. cant wait to check the cam in a few days looks like they have been working it pretty good.

[Butlerdeerslayer]

Rut.... Can't Wait!!!

[etownhunter]

I feel your pain! I have put in many hours this year, i have hunted in the woods many many times and i have yet to see a buck.by this time last year, i passed up several bucks. On the other hand, i have hunted creek crossings into open crop fields, soybean, and i have seen numerous deer. only 4 bucks but thats more than i have seen in the woods! I have only found 6 scrapes,none of them reopened since the rain. A few rubs, Im usually hunting several scrapes now, or rub lines, but i have yet to find them.

[deadaim]

It always happens overnite its like BAM! The seeking phase should be in full swing from Halloween until Gun season just hang in there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!