Ontario hunters - Where is that rut?

Outdoorz · Post by **Outdoorz** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 10:17 pm

Charlie Alsheimer of Deer & Deer Hunting declared the rut for the NE would start as of October 26th (grain of salt taken). I do respect his expertise but I haven't seen any cruising bucks (8 hrs in the stand today alone) and definitely no chasing. The deer here near Kitchener still seem to be in the standard early/late nocturnal movement thing and the does I have seen have had no bucks around, etc. In short, no sign of rutting behavior other than scrapes and rubs.

Any idea? Other ON hunters seen any rutting stuff?

Thanks,

John

chris4570 · Post by **chris4570** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 10:23 pm

Yep. I have seen some chasing. The rut is here or very close!! I've seeing more bucks in the morning than the evening.

DanO · Post by **DanO** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 10:50 pm

I'm north of Guelph and I'm seeing scrapes and rubs but no chasing yet. I did see some bucks chasing each other about 2 weeks ago but I'm sure that was a dominance thing.

VixChix · Post by **VixChix** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 11:29 pm

John, my husband and I have been saying the same thing. We're noticing little daytime movement. Maybe the unseasonably warm weather? Full moon? I don't know. I just hope it picks up in the next week or so!

BUSHDOG · Post by **BUSHDOG** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 11:55 pm

im seeing a few scrapes and rubs just north of shelburne .the bucks im seeing are at 4:30 in the am on the drive to my blind

DropTine · Post by **DropTine** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 11:58 am

They're chasing in wmu89

Exocet77 · Post by **Exocet77** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 12:38 pm

Seeing buck movment late afternoons (around 4pm) in open fields. There chasing and searching now.. late pre-rut, almost rut

Stinky Buffalo · Post by **Stinky Buffalo** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 1:15 pm

I'm with VixChix on this one... They may be moving, but I'll bet it's during the dark.

Stinky

TB · Post by TB » Fri Nov 02, 2007 1:50 pm

I agree the rut is close. At my place I know there are at least 15-20 deer does and fawns and bucks saw them all summer early fall until three or four weeks ago. Then NOTHING! I would hunt in my normal spots and saw nothing moving, but even Oct 1 there were good scapes appearing. Then the last two nights they started coming out at 6 o'clock. They must have been nocturnal most of the last few weeks. Last week I eventually went into their domain, deep swamp. Had the buck that was scaping back in Oct come grunting and crashing into my calls. Nailed him with my exomax right in the powerhouse. It was a eight point, not a massive rack but we weighed him live weight at 300lb exactly. It was the biggest bodied deer I've taken. He was MASSIVE. We've taken some 240 lb animals on the farm but this guy was huge.

TB

Outdoorz · Post by **Outdoorz** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 11:21 pm

Thanks for all the replies. Please update if things change for you...

It would seem most people are not seeing the usual daytime activity that heralds seeking and chasing, but a few are. Today I went out at about 1:00pm and nothing was moving at all! Then about 6:00, I heard deer moving but couldn't see them. But that was it. Anyway, back out in the morning...

John

R.J. · Post by **R.J.** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 2:17 am

Hello John .... good to see you back on the board ... I'm out of country right now , but my crew are keeping me updated daily ! ....

Bucks are just starting to cruise in our section of WM80 .... Isis saw a beauty searching midday ...

Check out schnarrfuss's buck ... it's neck was swelling pretty good already ...

Good luck , and keep us posted .... I'll miss the 1st rut but will count 28 days past what I figure is the peak ( I'm guessing 28 days from Nov 6th ) and will hunt hard in the 2nd rut ....

Outdoorz · Post by **Outdoorz** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 9:24 am

Hey R.J.,

Good to hear from you.

As I suspected, our rut here is a bit behind others. If bucks are just starting to cruise, it's probably still a week or more to breeding (cruising 3-5 days & chasing 2-3 days)

Have a good trip down "south" there!

John

Apple_Orchard · Post by **Apple_Orchard** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 9:53 am

Hi John et al,

Recently returned from the Kemptville area after an x-bow hunt. Very, very little buck sign. Passed up a spike horn first afternoon. No chasing, only one small rub and a couple half hearted scrapes.
This same area last year, during the last week of Nov. was all torn up with buck sign.

You guys sure have a ton of turkeys! As well, I saw as many yotes as I did deer. The friends I stayed with in ONT killed 27 coyotes this past winter in front of their Walkers.
I'll be headed back to ONT in a few weeks. Can't make any good venison dishes with this purple tag.

Daniele · Post by **Daniele** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 9:02 pm

Don't know if it's just because the full moon is over,
my lilltle neck of the woods was like the 401 from 8:30 to 10:30, does and bucks, separetley.
Daniele.

Adrian J Hare · Post by **Adrian J Hare** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 5:20 am

Barrie area, Rut will be the week of the gun hunt.

few scrapes the odd rub , but the does are alone for the most part...

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Ontario hunters - Where is that rut?

Ontario hunters - Where is that rut?

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