11/09/2025
Thank you Don for the mention!
Rut Report - November 8, 2025
Well this turned out to be an interesting all day sit .. well sort of. I got to my stand before daylight only to discover that my coat wasn’t in my backpack as usual. In 48 years of deer hunting I have had plenty of screw-ups but this is the first time I forgot to bring my coat. I decided to tough it out as long as possible which turned out to be 8am. I did see 6 bucks by 8 am however including my target buck. It is the first time I have ever layed eyes on him. He and the other bucks were with a small group of does and they bedded in the end of a brushy point. My stand was at the base of this point. I slipped away to get a coat and some food and was right back in the stand about an hour later and sat til dark. I saw a bit of activity at the edge of this wooded point as a couple of the bucks pushed a doe out into the open. After a few minutes they were all back in the same cover. I also noticed a little action on the cameras during this 10am-11am period. After that I had a doe walk by around 1pm and a yearling buck around 3pm. The deer never did leave the wooded point and I know they were still in there based on the sounds of bucks sparring, rubbing and grunting. The cameras pretty much reflected what I saw today with the first couple of hours being the best and minimal activity the rest of the day.
One thing about the rut that I have noticed is that stands that are very good at other times of the season often become just fair during the rut and stands that are typically fair can become very good on the right day during the rut. This was the case this morning with the stand I hunted as it was on a permission property and usually produces few deer sightings if any at all but there is always the chance it could produce a giant. The rut is a crap shoot and you never know what you’re gonna get until you get out and sit the stand.
Today’s photo comes from a local business Cole’s Skulls Andy is a local firefighter and has this business on the side. Give his page a like and if you need a skull cleaned for a nice euro mount, contact him.
