Anyone seeing any rut action going on?

[Mthuntinfool]

Just curious if the rut is turning on anywhere?

In NW Mt the full moon is killing us, I have seen very few bucks during the day.

I think they are running all night and sleeping all day

 

[OpenCountry]

I saw a lot of the smaller and medium sized bucks cruising pretty good up until the full moon. Took my girlfriend into a spot to try to fill her tag in an area I had seen bucks cruising and everything was bed up in the shadows. I didn't see any rutting activity that night. It seemed like a switch had been flipped compared to a couple days earlier.

 

[406LIFE]

In SW MT the bucks were definitely looking for does and acting dumb. Noses were to the ground. No actual chasing seen.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Saw some young bucks chasing does in NC MT but the moon certainly wasn't helping.

 

[TRS_Montana]

Around Helena they have been going crazy. Seems like a guy couldn't take a hike through the landfill right now without seeing a few bucks trying to hump something.

 

[JV842]

Just got home to Texas from hunting near scapegoat with a friend from up there. Moon n heat r rt on!! They r starting to push but laying in the thick crap during the day, way up high n only moving if u step on em, n usually there was a doe with em that boosted out first. Shot a pretty nice one; pics r on Marine Corps Bday Buck, he was swole n pissed up, hopefully some weather n change in moon will get em moving better for y'all, good luck.

 

[Hunting Wife]

Hunted for 5 days over the last week/weekend and saw zero rutting bucks. Lots of doe groups with no bucks, and a handful of forkies wandering around and occasionally following a doe. Glassing at first/last light produced almost nothing - a few does, but that was it. These are all areas that normally have a lot of deer. But when glassing wasn't working I switched to still hunting the cover and found very little sign in a lot of places. It kind of seems like they haven't moved into some of their usual November haunts - maybe because it's still so damn warm. We've only had two or three frosts so far this year - usually we should have a subzero snap under our belts by now.

Hiked 11.5 miles in some new-to-me country my last day and finally found a smallish, 4 pt muley with a broken off fork on one side. I was out of days, needed some meat in the freezer, and he was the biggest things I'd seen so he came home with me. He was feeding all by himself in a stubble field at about 3:00. Nothing typical about deer activity up here this year.

 

[tjones]

I've been hunting Bitterroot river bottom every morning and evening archery and the rut is full on. Lots of studies show does come into heat the same time every year regardless of weather. Does in heat drive the rut.

 

[Kaitum]

Saw 8 mule deer buck in the Bitterroot this morning. Everything bigger than the fork horns was with one or several doe, bird dogging their every move.

 

[Carnage2011]

Been seeing a ton of rutting action the last 5 days. It's definitely going!

 

[belly-deep]

WT and MD have been going nuts for a while now.

 

[Doublecluck]

Saw plenty of dumb ones the last couple days, about shot a toad today with his nose down in doe tail but he never stopped long enough to take the 370 yard shot. Chasin tail the whole time..

 

[mgiuliani]

The one buck we saw and killed was rutting hard. My buddies first shot at him missed and he didn't even skip a beat in concentrating on rounding up his does which led to the second and lethal shot.

 

[Nameless Range]

I saw the biggest public land buck I've ever seen in the Hunting District I hunt the other day, rutting like crazy. Unfortunately I had already filled my tag. Serves me right.

On the 6th of November my dad and I went out hunting and he killed a muley buck. We saw a dozen stinkin ruttin bucks that day and the rut was well under way then. I almost get the impression that it is dropping off a bit now.

 

[MThuntr]

I tried mooning deer in an attempt to replicate the super moon...no reaction. I'm certain this method is sound so I'll give it a try this afternoon.

In all seriousness, rutting activity that I've seen has been younger bucks but that just means I've not been looking hard enough.

 

[Rob Allen]

Not seeing many bucks rutting or not in unit 330.. That is to say in my last 3 days of hunting I have seen 2 bucks and half a dozen does. not too motivated to get out today maybe i'll go look for tracks in fresh snow someplace close to home.

 

[Southern Elk]

I saw the biggest public land buck I've ever seen in the Hunting District I hunt the other day, rutting like crazy. Unfortunately I had already filled my tag. Serves me right.

Isn't that the way it goes? You do realize if you would have still had your tag, you wouldn't have seen the big buck, right? They have a sense for things like that.

 

[Mthuntinfool]

It is frustrating here, Trying to find a decent buck for my cousin who has never shot a deer. the rut has been going full blast at this time in years past, but nothing this year. lots of little forkies running around, but nothing bigger.
I have to work the rest of the week, but I am sending them down in the Dillon country to some of my old spots to hopefully have better luck.
Thanks for the updates everyone!

 

[Nameless Range]

Isn't that the way it goes? You do realize if you would have still had your tag, you wouldn't have seen the big buck, right? They have a sense for things like that.

I know it! My mom still has her tag and I instantly called her and told her where I saw the buck. It was only a half mile off the road in a place she could probably get to, granted it was on the move. She didn't share in my excitement.

 

[Southern Elk]

I know it! My mom still has her tag and I instantly called her and told her where I saw the buck. It was only a half mile off the road in a place she could probably get to, granted it was on the move. She didn't share in my excitement.

Haha. He would have been gone anyway and she would have been mad at you.