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Has the rut started? North texas

Posted By:

Has the rut started? North texas - 11/16/15 04:28 PM

Just curious on yalls thoughts about the rut this year in north texas, has it started yet?
Posted By: Rustler

Re: Has the rut started? North texas - 11/16/15 04:41 PM

Define 'North Texas'.

---> TPWD Rut Info.
Posted By: Leonardo

Re: Has the rut started? North texas - 11/16/15 04:50 PM

Absolutely! Fortunately for us hunters it last longer than a day or two.
Posted By: rattler03

Re: Has the rut started? North texas - 11/16/15 04:55 PM

I'm in Archer County and haven't seen much activity to make me think that the rut is in full-swing or anything. I was at the lease from Wednesday morning through Sunday morning, and I hunted pretty hard. I saw several groups of does and they seemed calm and weren't being followed or checked by bucks. On Saturday morning one of our other hunters shot a mature buck that was chasing a doe. He was one of two bucks that was following that doe. Sunday morning I saw the first mature buck I've seen in person this season, and while he came in on a trail about 10 minutes behind a single doe he didn't seem to be interested in that. She walked right past the feeder and was gone when he arrived, he jumped in the feeder pen and feed for 20 minutes. He was muscled up with big stained tarsal glands but didn't show any other signs of rutting. I think it'll probably hit a fever pitch in the next week and a half approaching the full moon on the 25th. A little later than what TPWD's study shows, but I've observed that usually the November full moon and the approaching week with a waxing moon always has good rut activity in the Hill Country and North and West of Fort Worth.
Posted By: ChadTRG42

Re: Has the rut started? North texas - 11/16/15 06:24 PM

I watched multiple small bucks chasing some does this weekend. The does are not receptive yet, and the bucks lose interest quickly. I'm not seeing the signs of rut yet. It's definitely pre-rut right now. We are in Stephens Cty, just East of Breckenridge.
Posted By: Texas buckeye

Re: Has the rut started? North texas - 11/16/15 07:24 PM

Rattler, where u hunt in archer? I Have a spot on a large lease outside Scotland, haven't been there yet to hunt but thinking maybe next week on wednesday into thanksgiving morning.
Posted By: MontagueMonsters

Re: Has the rut started? North texas - 11/16/15 07:39 PM

It's started in Montague, I hunted the 10 through the 14th and every doe I saw had a buck in chase. The older boys didn't want to come out of the woods with there bellies full of acorns
Posted By: ChadTRG42

Re: Has the rut started? North texas - 11/16/15 07:42 PM

Every doe I saw also had a buck chasing her for a period, but that doesn't mean it's rut yet. The bucks stop chasing, and go to feeding. When rut hits, the big boys come out, start fighting with each other, with much more aggressive rut activity. The signs I am seeing are pre-rut. The rookie guys on our lease were all excited to see the rut now (small bucks chasing a doe), but we talked about it, and it's pre-rut for us right now.
Posted By: KennyLee

Re: Has the rut started? North texas - 11/16/15 08:22 PM

Some light chasing in Wise. Heard a pretty good right before daylight yesterday.

Rattled some late morning and mid afternoon. Only bucks that responded were in the 16-17 range. Not 160-170, but actually 16-17.

I have a spike problem.
Posted By: Jimbo1

Re: Has the rut started? North texas - 11/16/15 08:32 PM

Sunday miorning in Shackleford county I had a 6pt locked in on a doe at the feeder. She ran off with him in hot pursuit. Saw them 3 different times and the last her mouth was wide open, her tongue was hanging out and she looked pooped! The night before I had a 9pt in the pen all by his lonesome.
Posted By: rattler03

Re: Has the rut started? North texas - 11/16/15 09:23 PM

Originally Posted By: Texas buckeye
Rattler, where u hunt in archer? I Have a spot on a large lease outside Scotland, haven't been there yet to hunt but thinking maybe next week on wednesday into thanksgiving morning.


north of archer city and south of holliday
Posted By: HCGedge3

Re: Has the rut started? North texas - 11/17/15 12:46 AM

Just got back from my lease in Albany and really nothing major. The only mature buck I saw was with a doe but he wasn't chasing just kinda walking behind her. The week before I had a 2 1/2 year old feeding at a feeder and a doe and her fawn came in and he ate for 10 min then started chasing them a little bit. 7-10 days and it should be on.
Posted By: huntwest

Re: Has the rut started? North texas - 11/17/15 02:13 AM

I'm in Albany and they were full on rut on our lease this weekend.
I took a friend/ customer out Wednesday to Saturday. They kicked in hard on Friday. Saturday he shot a giant following a doe with his nose up her rear end.
We watched 8 different bucks chasing does hard.
Posted By: HCGedge3

Re: Has the rut started? North texas - 11/17/15 03:01 AM

Originally Posted By: huntwest
I'm in Albany and they were full on rut on our lease this weekend.
I took a friend/ customer out Wednesday to Saturday. They kicked in hard on Friday. Saturday he shot a giant following a doe with his nose up her rear end.
We watched 8 different bucks chasing does hard.


That's nuts I just got back today from Albany. Saw just the one mature buck with a doe. This is my 2nd year on this lease and last year I killed a 122" and my son killed a 128". Is that the norm around this area? Both bucks were mature deer. Thanks !
Posted By: DQ Kid

Re: Has the rut started? North texas - 11/17/15 03:11 AM

Originally Posted By: HCGedge3
Originally Posted By: huntwest
I'm in Albany and they were full on rut on our lease this weekend.
I took a friend/ customer out Wednesday to Saturday. They kicked in hard on Friday. Saturday he shot a giant following a doe with his nose up her rear end.
We watched 8 different bucks chasing does hard.


That's nuts I just got back today from Albany. Saw just the one mature buck with a doe. This is my 2nd year on this lease and last year I killed a 122" and my son killed a 128". Is that the norm around this area? Both bucks were mature deer. Thanks !


Albany area is a good area of the county. Lots of nice deer every year killed from that area. I would never say a 130 class buck is the norm unless we're talking Webb/Maverick county areas but I wouldn't say those are the higher end for Albany. We see several 140s-150s bucks posted on here annually and sometimes larger.
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