Central Texas rut?

[cj7zrcool]

We've seen pre-rut activity for the last 4-5 weeks in Mills County. This past weekend I saw 3 smallish bucks eating at the same feeder, three different groups of does together with fawns just laying up mid-day with no bucks around, a large 8-point chasing a doe at full tilt for 300 plus yards (until they were out of sight). I can't quite figure it out. Is it over? Not begun yet for some?

It seems that there are years that the rut is like flipping a switch on and other years (like this one) that mixed activity goes on for weeks with little or no wide-spread "hard rut" activity being witnessed. What are yall seeing? What do you think about it?

[glen]

I feel Texas deer are different than the Mid-West states. Up there I can tell when the rut hits - In the hill country it just seems to trickle for months. Ill see rutting activity in late January here. I would think the first rut it over and the does that are not bred will come back in about 2 weeks.

[TXJon]

Saw some chasing this morning in Georgetown.

[1FREAK]

brother hunted this weekend and saw rutting activity in mills county,i'll be there next weekend

[Stins]

Its weird on my trail cameras in Georgetown I have bucks and does not interested and I have one or two bucks that are literlly dripping from there hocks. Its just weird....

[BrandonA]

The rut in Burnet/llano Cnty starts in Oct and runs through January. To many does. I typically see the chasing and normal rut activity end of Mid-late October when the first does are coming into play. Once the majority of the does come in their are so many that the boys don't have to work for it. Thanksgiving evening I had 13 does and a number of yearling at my feeder and not one buck.

Hillcountry bucks remind me of a friend in college he said " Why spend money on a date hoping to get action when I can go across the street and get it for free." Same thing with hillcountry bucks they don't have to fight or get worked up over a girl when there is more than enough to go around.

[bowhuntertex]

We had a pretty good rut at the begining of November here in Blanco County and I am still seeing bucks looking for their next date........I agree with Glenn in that we should start to see a secondary rut here soon.........

[leebtattoos]

still chasing in lampasas. that or they are starting again...

[Muygrande]

We have been hunting Mills County for twenty years. In my experience the rut starts up around the first week of November and usually peaks Nov. 14-18th with rutting activity on up until Thanksgiving and then it usually shuts off cold for a week or two. I usually see some of the doe fawns and smaller does come into heat at the end of the first week of December and we have seen some of our biggest bucks over the years December 10 - 14th, maybe the second rut?

All of that being said, I saw the biggest buck ever on our place chasing a doe on January 1, 2001.

[Thwackmaster]

Just FYI today I saw a pic and score sheet from a buck killed in Mills Co. and it scored 168 with a 4 inch drop tine.

[Archermike2605]

The rut in Burnet/llano Cnty starts in Oct and runs through January. To many does. I typically see the chasing and normal rut activity end of Mid-late October when the first does are coming into play. Once the majority of the does come in their are so many that the boys don't have to work for it. Thanksgiving evening I had 13 does and a number of yearling at my feeder and not one buck.

Hillcountry bucks remind me of a friend in college he said " Why spend money on a date hoping to get action when I can go across the street and get it for free." Same thing with hillcountry bucks they don't have to fight or get worked up over a girl when there is more than enough to go around.

x2

[tx10pt]

We are seeing the same thing at our place in Center City.

We've seen pre-rut activity for the last 4-5 weeks in Mills County. This past weekend I saw 3 smallish bucks eating at the same feeder, three different groups of does together with fawns just laying up mid-day with no bucks around, a large 8-point chasing a doe at full tilt for 300 plus yards (until they were out of sight). I can't quite figure it out. Is it over? Not begun yet for some?

It seems that there are years that the rut is like flipping a switch on and other years (like this one) that mixed activity goes on for weeks with little or no wide-spread "hard rut" activity being witnessed. What are yall seeing? What do you think about it?

[xtrm-hunter]

Hunted this weekend in Fredricksburg and saw the first sign of a rut. The small bucks were chasing...The larger bucks stayed behind cover..