Everything I’ve read and most everybody I’ve spoken with said 2015 produced an elusive rut. Record warm temps, abundant sunshine, moon phase, to many doe, standing crops, you name it, I’ve heard it. Who knows….but don’t tell Jeremy, cuz he won’t believe you. Where ever he hunted in 2015, there was action. If he was hunting MN, there was action, if he was at TCO, he was on in the heart of the rut. Jeremy is another of our regulars.
One day at TCO, he watched a shooter 8 chasing a doe for 5 hours. His tree seemed to be the center of their universe. Down in the oaks they would chase, then across a bean field, disappear, only to re-appear in a hay field on his other side 20 minutes later. Disappear into the shadows, re-appear in open sunshine. Once you think they are gone, here they come. At one point, they came running down the ATV trail 5 yards from the stand. No grunting could stop them. Hear them coming, running, draw, grunt, louder, louder, more,…..there they go. All in a matter of seconds. Damn!!
On another warm, clear November day, a small buck appears 10 yards in front of him. Although Jeremy doesn’t see a second buck, he knows another is close by since the first buck is posturing, ready for a fight. On queue, a 10 point busts onto the scene. The two bucks spar as Jeremy has a front row seat. Sparring stops, Jeremy shoots the 10 point through the heart (I checked the heart). The bucks then continue fighting for another 15 seconds or so before the 10 drops dead about 25 yards away. The smaller buck then leaves with a doe, who had been watching from behind.
Nice shot Jeremy!
I don’t have any trail cams of this buck. We had never seen him before.
.jpg)