# Rut in Nov, which days to schedule vacation!?



## TritonBill (Apr 9, 2004)

So if you were planning a couple days vacation and hunting the NE Ohio area would you plan them for Nov3-4th or Nov 10-11th for the rut? I know not all deer will be in the same phase just like fish don't all spawn at the same time but what do you think?


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

I don't know your area specifically but in my area Nov. 10-11th would put you right in the right time frame most of the time. The risk you run is that you hit a day or two late. Then what happens is you will see less bucks on the move as many will be already servicing does. However, it is not a total loss at that point as they do have to at some point leave that doe and hunt down another one. The competition can start kicking in at this point as well if there are not many does ready. The time right before the frenzy can be pretty exciting as well because the bucks are really getting an attitude.

Personally I don't think you can go wrong with either time. Once you make the decision it then just becomes a matter of putting yourself in the woods as much as possible.


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## H2O Mellon (Apr 5, 2004)

Saw in Field & Stream or Outdoor life where they are saying 11/8/05 will be the best day for hunting in the state of Ohio this year. I dont know how they can come up w/ that, but they did.

I personally will be leaving the night of 11/10/05 & hunting the 11th,12th,13th,14th,15th just becasue thats when my time came up to take off.


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## Lewis (Apr 5, 2004)

Bill,from past experience,in NE Ohio,I vote for the first week of November.
For Southern Ohio,the second week seems to be best.
I have been hunting Wayne and Summit counties in the north for many years,and also Guernsey county in southern ohio.
Around November 3rd to 4th have been awesome for NE Ohio,and 6 of my best bucks have been taken on or around those dates.
As the rut starts to slow a little up north they are just getting going good down in southern ohio.
I made the mistake of hunting Guernsey county during the first week of November last year,and the deer activity was just getting cranked up at the end of my vacation.
In fact I saw no less than 5 P+Y bucks on my drive home!
There will always be controversy and differing opinions about the timing of the rut,but these are just my observations from 25+ years of bowhunting.


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## crankus_maximus (Apr 14, 2004)

If it helps any, I am hunting the Strasburg area both of those weekends. Focusing on the first weekend. I'll hunt the second if I do not get one the first weekend.


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## MATTY DOG (Apr 7, 2005)

accidently opened new thread instead of reply.


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## TritonBill (Apr 9, 2004)

Thanks everyone, as usual you all are a wealth of information! I think i'll stick with the 3-4 and then hunt 3,4,5,6th. The following weekend I may go down to Harrison Cty and hunt at my families place or to a friends house in carroll cnty.


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## Onion (Apr 10, 2004)

I am goin with the 3-6th based on what I saw last year. By the 12th the bucks seemed to be mostly "busy". However, the weekend before we saw a LOT of really stupid bucks.


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## ChilliFisherman (Apr 14, 2004)

The rut has a lot to do with moon phases and weather. This years rut will be almost be identical to the rut of 2002 because of the same moon phase. So those of you that remember 2002 it was a very good year with lots of steady deer activity. The rut usually begins the second full moon after the fall equinox which was September 22nd this year. So I am guessing the bucks will start chasing heavy somewhere around the middle of the month ( Nov. 13th/14th/15th/16th. The chasing usually lasts around a week or so and then it is the main rut so I would say from around Nov.15th through Thanksgiving is an excellent time to be in the woods or atleast it was in 2002  .

JMS157


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## bronzebackyac (Apr 19, 2005)

year in year out the second week of Nov I have killed and seen more deer killed than any other time of the rut. This is in southern ohio. I told my two buddies to take the second week off last year and neither listened. One ended up killing his P&Y on the last sunday he had off and it was after hunting hard all week and not seeing much action. I killed my buck the same day too. I believe it was Nov. 12. If I had only three days in the woods it would stradle the 12th-14th. I would not waste your days by taking off too early. I think Mellon is right on with the dates he took off.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

I like that 12th-14th as well but as was mentioned if you hit it a couple days after the start a lot of bucks will be holed up most of the day doing their thing. They will still show up eventually but it is just not as regular.

I say take the first half of the month of November off and hunt every day. You should see something worth shooting in that time.


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## Smallie Gene (Jun 2, 2005)

Bill Triton, Veteran's Day weekend always seems to be the peak but any time between November 7-15 is my target time. About November 1st I start rattling.


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## Header (Apr 14, 2004)

I'll be in my back woods in Canton the first weekend 4,5,6 then I've got scheduled for Belmont county the 9 - 12. Should be good this year the boys seem to be looking already. There's been alot of scrape activity out there. I'll agree with the eariler post, the first 1/2 of Nov. is the time to be in the woods.


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## kmb411 (Feb 24, 2005)

11-11.

This is the historical best day for shooting a record book type buck. Therefore it should be one of the best days to hunt. Now, the weather can screw up the best of anything


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## bassman_sw (Apr 10, 2005)

I know that I always considered November 7 to be the peak of the rut. I know that there are a ton of variables, but from my limited experience, this is my day. I haven't been able to hunt the rut the last few years much with school and all, and of course this year I have a test on the 7th and the 10th, but I am planning on hunting the weekend of the 11th - 13th. I hunt on my family's farm in Harrison County. I haven't had much time to scout this year, so this may just be a "census" weekend for gun season. Good luck to everyone though.


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## truck (Apr 12, 2004)

My vote is for the 2nd week of Nov


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## Header (Apr 14, 2004)

Ya know, I've heard alot of this rut is in the swing with the moon cycles and I'm sorry I just can not agree with it. I will agree you will see more deer in the day time when there is a full moon. If the moon cycle starts the does in season and it is after the first full moon 30 days or so after the fall equinox and it happens the first two weeks in Nov. Then why doesn't the Al., Ms. and all those south states rut does not kick in until late Nov. into Dec. after the temps down there fall.


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