Follow the Rut/Pre-Rut on MNO

[Mayfly]

Post what you are seeing.. I hunt the NE metro area and honestly haven't sen much activity. I checked a bean field the other night and it was full of deer milling around like it was mid-august. It should pick up any day....

[larrycarlson33]

Hi, hunt near chisago city on a 40 acre plot.  i have noticed about three rubs.  i have only seen two smaller bucks and not many tracks.  but saturday morning the 10th, i had 3 medium sized does and a botton buck lay down all within 40 yrds of me.  Then what looked to be an eight pointer came in and i was ready, i shot and missed. he was a nice buck, i think i was drawn too long and dropped my bow as i shot, darn.  he ran off and i noticed something behind him maybe 30 yrds through the brush a big 10 pointer a definate wall mounter.  they are moving around a little.  I think this weekend with the new moon is going to be one of the best. here is a pic of a doe track inside a buck track (hopefully you can see it) that i saw on my way out to the stand saturday morning

[larrycarlson33]

here is a rub i saw probably a week ago,

[deadeye]

I saw on Saturday, one new (after Friday nights snow) scrape.  I was a small scrape and didn't get me too excited.   

[Cody Gruchow]

i have noticed a decent 6 pointer chasing does and grunting and also had him come in with a spike and push the other deer out acting real aggressive. also have come across 7 scrapes so far some decent sized ones also, havent seen any real big bucks  and neither has everyone else that hunts the property. so who knows but it is warming up(pre rut)

[HD]

Got a few rubs on the trees....but not alot yet.
I have an area on the property, that they usually tear up pretty good....but not yet.

[larrycarlson33]

Well i went out hunting oct 13th, tuesday night, to the same spot where i missed an 8 pointer the saturday before 10am and a big 10 was with him. i hunted from 2:00-7:00pm. And i noticed a fresh(within 24hrs) scrape on the ground, it wasn't very big but still exciting.  So i waited, i did not see a deer until 6:15, even with rattling and grunting.  It was another buck i hadn't seen before he was an 8 pointer, probably 2yrs old, and average rack with another year or two it will be awesome. he walked straight at me then noticed me sitting in my tree(maybe becuase all the squirrels and chikadees rustling leaves behind me) ,and becuase of all the low hanging branches im only about 16ft off the ground, and he turned around and took a different route. Anyway the bucks are moving and in the last 3 days ive seen a 8, another older bigger 8 and a huge 10 a def. wall mounter.  before these last few bucks i had not seen any but 2 small bucks laying in some cover.  i have decided not to hunt until Friday morning, so i give the woods a break.  But i still think the days before and after the new moon are to be the best this year. Good luck and let me know how your hunting is going.

[BiggA]

I found a couple scrapes about 10 yards apart last week with a rub between them. Still have yet to see a deer this year. 

[mnnate]

I grunted in a small fork last friday night. The same night my buddy who was sitting a couple hundred yards away over a fresh cut corn field had a decent 8 chasing a fawn around. There was also another identical 8 with him but didn't participate. Its close. Seen a couple rubs and one or two scrapes but I started my mock scrape line so we'll see if that fires them up a bit.

[Jeremy (Yeti)]

Good info on rut and moon phases.

http://books.google.com/books?id=5AnASffDbl0C&pg=PA112&lpg=PA112&dq=buck+activity+during+new+moon&source=bl&ots=gBLSmOIisT&sig=iIC5ZF87iONRfyhSkKMR9YBEat8&hl=en&ei=AhvWSoqSGdKMtgej4aWZDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CA0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=buck%20activity%20during%20new%20moon&f=false

[Stensethfan]

I went out last Tuesday morning and say a couple fork horns that were acting a little goofy around each other, but not too wierd.  I then was able to make it back out Saturday morning and there was about 10 scrapes and one rub in the near vacinity of my stand that had been made since my Tuesday sit.  I am guessing that the small ones are starting to get worked up, but give it another week until the larger ones want to play.  Can't wait for later this week.  I think this will really start to be goingon by then.

[mnnate]

Friday night I did some calling and just before dark had a smaller deer(unsure what it was for sure) cross at about 70 yds through the woods. A minute later a BIG deer came in on the same trail at roughly 70yds. I gave it a soft grunt and it through on the brakes. I could just see the rear end from behind some brush and trees when I see a small 10-12' oak tree just start shaking and moving violently. I thought oh yea its a buck. I gave him another grunt and he turned toward me and I figured out just how big he was. For sure without a doubt a nice mature shooter. I was ready and waiting with my bow and body ready to draw. he closed the distance to about 45-50 yds but was behind more trees. He needed to make 3 more steps for me to have a clear 40yd shot. He stopped, turned and went back the way he came tail down at a trot. I still don't know what made him turn but thats deer hunting!

[deadeye]

This past weeked we saw lots of scrapes on our trails.  Things are heating up. 

[MNBucKKiller]

The bucks started rubbing two weekends ago in the park rapids area and last weekend in remer.

[Cody Gruchow]

i thinking alot of the scrapes now are the younger bucks, atleast in my area anyways because i seen a nice 8 this morning and he paid no attention to any of the does, and just fed all by his lonesome away from all the other deer.

[MNBucKKiller]

i thinking alot of the scrapes now are the younger bucks, atleast in my area anyways because i seen a nice 8 this morning and he paid no attention to any of the does, and just fed all by his lonesome away from all the other deer.

I thought the dominate bucks generally go first... they pick the area they want and the smaller ones take whats left.

[sjohnnie26]

Just starting to see a few rubs in the Detroit lakes area.

[deadeye]

i thinking alot of the scrapes now are the younger bucks, atleast in my area anyways because i seen a nice 8 this morning and he paid no attention to any of the does, and just fed all by his lonesome away from all the other deer.

I thought the dominate bucks generally go first... they pick the area they want and the smaller ones take whats left.

I think the big smart mature bucks let the little ones go through the work of making the scrapes, then just take them over.

[Cody Gruchow]

i agree with deadeye lol they do seem to take over scrapes as there own. but just saying what i have seen. whats point of being dominant if you have to stay in one area?

[HD]

Maybe funny....but, I don't think your to far off DE 

[MNBucKKiller]

i agree with deadeye lol they do seem to take over scrapes as there own. but just saying what i have seen. whats point of being dominant if you have to stay in one area?

Cuz they pick the best area.  The buck in my profile pic started rutting mid october last year.  Found tons of rubs and scrapes with big foot prints, im assuming they were from him cuz the size of the feet matched up. 

I knew there was a big one around based on size of scrapes and ho early they started.  I didn't know how big he actually was or if id see him. 

[chip189]

I am just south of Mille Lacs Lake and started finding scrapes the week before opener. This last week however they have really picked up. Was out Sat morning and came across more than a dozen scrapes of different sizes. That was just along the trail I take to one of my stands. Didn't go looking for any others.

[redbull135]

SE MN Olmstead county seening alot of rubs and scrapes have picked up in the last week. last night seen a 4 pionter nose to the ground chasing two doe.

[Big E]

Northeast MN by Sandstone we've had mature bucks using the scrapes and been seeing more and more rubs. Had a 9pt use a scrape 2 weeks ago while I was out hunting. Not able to shoot . Also got a lot of pics of bucks fighting and using scrapes on camera including mature bucks. I'll be rattling and grunting this week. They are setting their pecking order now for breeding rights. I'm sure they will be chasing a little by this weekend.

Here are some pics I got last week from cameras that are over scrapes on the edges of our plots. They'll be cruising the woods around the plots looking for does and if they need to put the smack down on any small bucks or new ones that got ran off other properties.

[Cody Gruchow]

well i havent noticed anymore scrapes i took a walk this morning and i havent seen any rubs what so ever. did find a few new stand sights that are on a trail that borders the property and it leads down into the marsh, that i may have to set my cam on.

[sjohnnie26]

Anyone still seeing chasing or rut activity?  Guessing most of MN has moved on to post-rut and bucks are recuperating and moving at night.    

[BuckdownBen]

on a sunday morning rooster hunt, I  seen a nice ten running with two yearling does, and than took a walk through some cattails and kicked another nice one out again with a doe.  Throughout the day pheasant hunting I seen more rut activity than I did during the firearm season. 

[22lex]

Had a small eight make a B-line toward a bedding area last Wed. the 25th. I suspect he was just scent checking, and heading toward the creek for a drink just at last light. Haven't seen any major deer movement (rutting/pushing does) other than natural movement the last week or so.

I would suggest everyone find the food sources, and hunt the animals in-between bedding and food sources this time of the year. Hard to get to sometimes as the buggers usually bed quite close to the food sources for a reason late in the year.

[Jdrummer]

I would suggest everyone find the food sources, and hunt the animals in-between bedding and food sources this time of the year. Hard to get to sometimes as the buggers usually bed quite close to the food sources for a reason late in the year.

OOOh so true!

[Mayfly]

Rut? Whats that?? I barely saw anything that even closely resembled the rut this year. There was a few days that I saw some good activity but not much. Been seeing a lot of does lately heading for food. No bucks..nothing