2011 MN Rut Report

I got an email from Steve in Southern Minnesota asking when I am going to start my Rut Reports for 2011.  Steve indicated he hunts in Northern Minnesota and likes to hear whats going to with the deer up North.  I guess this is a perfect time to start the rut reports for 2011 then.

Last weekend I spent 3 days in the tree watching small bucks working over scrapes and rubbing up trees.  I did not see a mature buck in all three days, although the trail cameras showed a lot of movement at night. Despite me not seeing any mature bucks, my dad and son who are hunting the same property both saw mature bucks and their observations were identical.  Both my son and dad saw mature bucks come out on food plots with mature does feeding on them and watched the buck scent check each doe.  The bucks fed for short periods but spent most of the time quickly chasing the does around and then back to feeding heavily.

This type of activity is very common this time of year and generally happens before the bucks start to actually chase does.  It appears we have over a week yet before the big chase begins.  I have not been on stand since Sunday night but will be back on stand for the next four days.  I have now moved all my trail cameras to scrapes or major travel routes.  I am expecting by the end of weekend we should see some chasing going on as those small 1 1/2 year old bucks continue to be on their feet almost all day.  If you use the deer vs car accidents to judge activity, I would say the deer activity is really ramping up.

This has been a challenging year for the most part as the food in the woods is very abundant, thanks to an unbelievable acorn crop.  This food abundance makes patterning deer a little tougher and getting the big ones on trail camera even harder.  But, the best time is coming and I know they are there.

I am really looking forward to the next week.  The week of bowhunting before the MN Gun Opener is alway my favorite and I am looking forward to putting some long hours in the stand.  I will try to put a report up on Saturday or Sunday to report what I am seeing for buck activity.