Rut 2021

[M134 Troll]

Found a small scrape along the hedgerow out back.   Looked like it had only been worked once, but that site has had scrapes the past several years.   First sign of deer in the neighborhood since mid-summer.   Apples dropped from historical trees in the hedgerow have not been touched.  Standing corn a few hundred yards down the road and more within a mile radius.

Trip up to Cedarville and back this week observed quite a few fresh roadkill carcasses along US127 and I75 suggesting deer are starting to move around.  Also saw quite a few bean fields being combined and some of the corn has been harvested.   We saw just perhaps three deer several times at the cabin, but the Hunter's Moon was waxing and movement may have been primarily at night.

[M134 Troll]

Walked the Aussies out back today and found a rub that took half the bark off a wild cherry that I had saved when clearing the edge of a shooting lane.   Not 20 yards from the scrape I saw the other day.  Time to set out a trail camera.   

[jedman]

 Glad to see someone posting on these state forums.  Myself and a friend are leaving this weekend to scout for a day or two and hunt the first few days of the MI deer gun season.
We are going to be staying in the West Branch area and will be scouting state lands in the surrounding counties hoping to find some good areas to hunt.  I just moved to MI this year and I have done some hunting for deer, grouse, ducks, pheasant, etc here in MI but it’s been quite a while since hunting deer on large public lands.
Being the new laws this year I will have the choice of shooting does or bucks and that is nice, I am just hoping to get a opportunity for a shot and I will be happy.

jedman

[billy_56081]

In southern MN they have been chasing for a week.

[M134 Troll]

Glad to see someone posting on these state forums.  Myself and a friend are leaving this weekend to scout for a day or two and hunt the first few days of the MI deer gun season.
We are going to be staying in the West Branch area and will be scouting state lands in the surrounding counties hoping to find some good areas to hunt.  I just moved to MI this year and I have done some hunting for deer, grouse, ducks, pheasant, etc here in MI but it’s been quite a while since hunting deer on large public lands.
Being the new laws this year I will have the choice of shooting does or bucks and that is nice, I am just hoping to get a opportunity for a shot and I will be happy.

jedman

Jedman, I would be interested in learning: 1)in the general area where you decide to deer hunt, 2)  how far you could get away from a road and 3) how many other hunters you run into out in the woods.   Good Luck to you and your friend.

I'll be hunting Shiawassee County rural residential adjoining ag land with, so far, beaucoup uncut corn.  I would have far preferred to hunt eastern UP.....fewer deer, fewer hunters, but genuine up north hunting......but family obligations would have cut scouting and hunting short.  There are deer around the Cedarville cabin but the neighbors have names for them.

If West Branch area is too busy for you and you're comfortable with map and compass, scout the north side of Wycamp Lake in Emmet County and the land west across ?M119.    50 yards off the road and behind/in the forested dunes and it's unlikely you'll run into other hunters.

[jedman]

Well we scouted all day Sunday the 14 th mostly in Gladwin Co. and didn’t find anyplace we liked much and seen a lot of hunting camps set up from just off the roads to way back in the woods. We kept moving further north and in the late afternoon found a decent looking area about 3-4 miles west of Rose City in Ogemaw Co.
We hunted most of the first day in this area and only seen 2 other hunters but did hear a few shots that sounded fairly close by so their were others near.
Neither of us saw any deer in the morning but after lunch as soon as we entered the woods we seen two doe run up a hillside while we were still in the truck. My friend seen a deer cross a oil pipeline clearing that he was watching but didn’t get a shot.
The second day was really quite warm and we didn’t see any other hunters or deer so we decided to head home that afternoon so really only a day and a half of hunting and no shooting but we did learn a little about the area.
I will hunt more now in a few large public areas in Hillsdale and Jackson CO’s.

Hope you had better luck than us !      Jedman

[jedman]

 I killed a 6 point buck this morning, it was chasing a doe and practically jumped in my lap.
I will try to post a pic but it’s on my I pad and I haven’t had much luck in the past.

jedman

[M134 Troll]

We've seen 6 deer since opener.  One was a 3 point taken by older BIL who made a liver shot at 20 yds shooting rifled slugs out of a rifled 870 barrel.  Cannot get him to understand sabot slugs will be much more accurate....at 76 he probably won't change his ammo.  Blooded the Encore .460 S&W putting the deer down.
Unlike most past years, all the sightings have been in the morning.  Trail camera sees something most every night between 8:30P  and 3:00A.   I believe 6 different bucks, all but one small.
We have standing corn nearby to the west and perhaps 3/4 mile to the east.  Deer hotels that will, unfortunately, remain until we get frozen soil sufficient to support a combine.
Glad to see jedman scored on public land.

[Mule 11]

We've seen 6 deer since opener.  One was a 3 point taken by older BIL who made a liver shot at 20 yds shooting rifled slugs out of a rifled 870 barrel.  Cannot get him to understand sabot slugs will be much more accurate....at 76 he probably won't change his ammo.
Unlike most past years, all the sightings have been in the morning.  Trail camera sees something most every night between 8:30P  and 3:00A.   I believe 6 different bucks, all but one small.
Glad to see jedman scored on public land.

At 20 yds it does not matter. Just like leftist bs. Doesn’t matter.

[M134 Troll]

It matters if the critters suffer needlessly and if I have to track them down when BIL can't find them.  He gets excited and pushes them too soon when they aren't DRT.   Fortunately the neighbors don't mind when we have to cross a couple of property lines to recover game.

[jedman]

Weather has been way to warm and almost everyday the past couple weeks the wind has been blowing very hard and the deer have not been moving. Right now where I live we can shoot doe on private land with a gun until Jan. 1 st.
Archery is also open statewide until Jan. 1 st.  I sure hope to see some snow before the season ends. The local news says we have about a 10 % chance of seeing a white Christmas as there is no snow in the long range forecast.
It sure would improve the hunting.

jedman

[Drilling Man]

I sure hope to see some snow before the season ends. The local news says we have about a 10 % chance of seeing a white Christmas as there is no snow in the long range forecast.
It sure would improve the hunting.

jedman

  How?  Snow doesn't help my deer hunting at all.

  DM

[jedman]

I sure hope to see some snow before the season ends. The local news says we have about a 10 % chance of seeing a white Christmas as there is no snow in the long range forecast.
It sure would improve the hunting.

jedman

  How?  Snow doesn't help my deer hunting at all.

  DM

Well it’s Jan. 22 and we haven’t had as much as a snowflake in over 5 weeks and all deer seasons are closed.
I like at least a couple inches of snow when deer hunting as I can navigate thru the woods and tell by the deer tracks and droppings where the deer are moving and if they are browsing or just moving through.
If I sit or take a stand the snow improves my vision of movement a lot, I no longer have good hearing and depend on catching any movement and I am pretty good at that and sitting absolutely motionless for long periods.
I just find snow a blessing for deer hunting I do not like wind and it seems to blow a lot more when we are having unusually warm weather like we did this year. I’m not far from 70 and I can still hunt in zero degree weather but not when the wind is blowing hard. I have enough cold weather boots and hunting clothes for 4 men and hope to keep hunting as long as my heart allows.

jedman

[Mule 11]

I also like a fresh snow. Doesn’t help. Butt. I like it. Especially since I’ve been displaced in my deer hunting and can not depend on hunting any area from year to year. Must be nice for those that hunt the same property’s for years. I have never been that blessed.

[M134 Troll]

Active scrapes really stick out in fresh snow.   Walked the dogs out back yesterday for the first time in weeks and we found an active scrape.   100% snow cover and there it was, snow scraped off down to bare soil.  Not foraging.   This spot has been scraped during the rut for years.  Aussies found it very interesting.

[billy_56081]

The coyote rut is on in Minnesota right now.