Deer going crazy in the heat!

M

MeekAndMild

New member
This is really weird! The deep south has had a heat wave after last week's cold spell and the deer are totally in-your-face crazy except for the old bucks I'm looking for. We have seen as many as 3 in the front yard, three in the back yard and five at the barn. One of my friends from work had four little bucks jousting in their horse pasture with over a half dozen does watching and I nearly ran into a herd of 6 or 7 coming home from work Saturday.

Trouble is Mrs. Meek has issued an ultimatum, no more deer in the freezer and no more deer killing unless it is 'the big one' and even with him we have to give away all the meat to charity.

I wonder if any other southern hunters have noticed the difference in behavior patterns?
 
I'll start off by saying that I hate you. :) I hunted 3 days this last weekend on a special bonus doe gun hunt, and yes, it was unusually, extremely warm. But no, they were very hard to find, way up in high thick stuff, and bedded down during daylight. NONE came by any of my several places I set up and waited at dawn and dusk. I saw a bunch of deer, but they were all "Gump deer" - when I saw them, THEY...WERE...RUN-NING! If I had known that this heat might actually make them "re-rut", then I'd have tried a different approach - grunting and such. :(
 
Meek, have you ever tried rattling? I used to think all the videos I’d seen of big bucks running toward the sound of antlers rattled by a hunter were simply set-ups…until I tried it onw afternoon south of Abaleen. We had no less then seven bucks come in in less then two hours of rattling. I shot one in self defense! When the deer are in rut if you and a friend were to rattle I’d wager you may be able to choose the buck you wish to shoot.
 
I tried to learn rattling last year but didn't have any luck. Deer go into the rut late, asl late as the last week in January in central Tennessee, north Mississippi and north Alabama, but this year they are already doing it.

First Freedom, you must live up north. I've heard rumors that Mississippi and Arkansas might extend the season to March this year and Alabama might have a moratorium on buck hunting next year or may make you tag five (that's right FIVE) does before giving you a buck permit! I think it was Art who coined the phrase 'rats with hooves'!
 
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