Strategy.... Advice from the Vets Please

[So.OHsalesman]

I'm gonna hunt tomorrow. I just spent 3 days hunting with my buddy who is a bow veteran. We saw very few bucks and almost 0 deer activity in the evenings. That's a complete reversal from the last month. I've had awesome evening hunts but they have turned to sloooowwww hunts. My buddy didn't have an answer for what we have seen. We couldn't find a buck if our life depended on it. I'm hopin you vets can stear me in the right direction for tomorrow. I hunt in Jackson County OH. Thanks in advance for the help!!!!

[BowGuy2]

I'm no vet but I didn't see the so called "lockdown fase" of the rut but this weekend has me wondering if there not locked down right now bc I am havin the same issue we have seen 4 deer in the last 2 mornings and evening total and we were seeing 15-25 deer a day and this isn't bc of high pressure of youth season for me b I have only seen 1 person on our prop youth hunting. Maybe it's bc the deer really aren't color blind and they see the orange and there like oh shit! Haha Jk I honestly have no explanation other than there maybe locked down right now. This slowness started getting really slow Thursday

[mrbb]

well, I don't know if I am a vet, but been hunting a long time
I think most folks a few weeks ago were hunting food source's
and well now that most crops have been harvested/cut and feed patterns have changed, then add in the rut and the hunting pressure
many many deer just go noctural, and as such hunting them, has to be a little different than weeks before
deer lost a ton of cover in the crops, and same as now leaves are off

and weather?? well here it was warm, then cold then warm, then windy and so on, all that changes there movements if you ask me

this time of yr you really need to be hunting near doe bedding area's, bucks are where does are
find does, and set up there is my suggestion, all day sits too
same deal, as evening hunts, deer will come out to feed at food sources, but hunting closer to bedding area's this time of yr is a higher odds set to me, as they are coming out to feed later and later due to all the above, so being closer ups your odds of one walking past in legal shooting light
rut no rut, deer have to still eat, and that menas bucks and doe's
where doe's go bucks follow this time of yr

not sure if this helps you or not
but hang in there every sit in the woods gets you closer than sitting at home ever will!
Good luck

[So.OHsalesman]

Thanks for the therapy and great info guys. I feel bettwr all ready ha.
MrBB, I have a spot I can use my climber right inside tree line that is about 50yards from a good bedding area, I'll be sure to hit that up tomorrow am!

[Offtothewoods]

I hunt in northeast ohio. The deer movement has been slowing. So today i got to the woods around6:30 and saw nothing till noon. The big ten i have been seeing early came walking a string to my sent wick about 25 yards from my stand. He didnt care that i was there. I stopped him shot him a little back and still cant even find one drop of blood. Bottom line i have been told by some guys that have killed a lot more big bucks than me mid day around this time of year is were its at. It worked today for me, well half way. Maybe you could try an all day sit if you have the time. Good luck to all

[radicalxl]

At this point, I would concentrate on travel paths in and out of your hunting area. As I have stated in other threads, I feel that the main action has come and gone early this year. Alot of nice bucks have already been killed earlier this year by members of this website and others who are not. I have also said that after the lockdown is a great time to hunt. You will have deer in your area that are not there on a regular basis because they have been cruising during the rut in search of hot does. They will be making their way back to home territory to familiar bedding and feeding spots almost dead on their feet. Very vulnarable at this point. Don't get me wrong, a small amount of does won't be bred yet, and some of those "out of the area boys" will be around. I think the odds are alot better on the travel routes because you have the chance at them coming and going. Good luck.

[Bushman]

Lots of good info here.

[blackbeard]

I think lockdown is over here (Jackson County) and the big boys are searching for the last does. I haven't heard or saw a chase in a week or more. The little bucks have disappeared, the does are back with their fawns, and big bucks are probably on the move alot. Hunt pinch points, saddles, any where bucks will be traveling to get between doe groups.

[hortontoter]

I had more action this weekend in Carroll county than I've had all season. Saw three bucks in less than 30 minutes on Saturday evening. Al most as good today. All the bucks I saw are deer that I've had on my trail cameras all season. Very, very few does at my place. So I have no idea what phase of the rut we are in there. Most scrapes that were being used two weeks ago appear to be seeing little to no activity.

[So.OHsalesman]

Thanks for the local Intel Blackbeard! Always helps. What should I be doing as far ascalling, etc? It may sound dumb but I'm so confused by this year's rut that I don't know if it will help me or hurt me.

[BowGuy2]

In pre rut I had a few bucks come into the grunt tube but during the rut it seemed to almost scare them! It all depends if the bucks is a "lover" or a "fighter" if u find the does u have a better shot at seeing the bucks. Not sure if this was said or not good luck