Boondocks Hunting Podcast
Welcome to the home of the Boondocks Hunting Podcast Family — where real stories, raw experiences, and the outdoor lifestyle come together.
This is your hub for everything Boondocks Hunting, featuring our shows:
The Garden State Outdoorsmen Podcast, Chase the Unknown, and Echoes of the Hunt: Behind the Hunt — a deeper dive behind the story of the hunters.
From New Jersey whitetail woods to out-of-state adventures, we dive deep into hunting, fishing, conservation, and the mindset that drives it all. Join us as we break down tactics, share unfiltered stories from the field, bring on incredible guests, and showcase the passion behind the pursuit.
Whether you're a seasoned hunter or just getting started, you're part of the family here.
Tune in… and get ready to Chase the Unknown.
Boondocks Hunting Podcast
Field Notes 6: The Rut Lied. The Rubs Didn't
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
November is supposed to be the time when everything breaks loose in the deer woods. Bucks chasing, daylight movement picking up, and the rut kicking into full gear. But this year? Nothing has gone according to plan.
In this episode of Field Notes, we catch up with Alex to break down one of the strangest ruts we’ve experienced. Warm temperatures, unpredictable deer movement, shifting food sources, and a serious lack of daytime chasing have forced hunters to rethink everything.
Instead of continuing to chase the rut, Alex made a decision that changed his season. Forget the calendar, trust the sign, and hunt what the deer are actually doing.
That adjustment ultimately led to November 2nd, when Alex finally crossed paths with his target buck, Crab Claw, and put the pieces together on a buck he’d been after.
We dive into everything that led up to the hunt, from locating productive acorn crops and identifying key rub clusters to making aggressive moves with a mobile saddle setup. Alex also takes us through the entire Crab Claw encounter, the shot, the tracking job, and the recovery.
We also get into spot-and-stalk encounters, low-light shooting, stealthy access, the importance of reading fresh sign, and what the rest of November could have in store.
The rut doesn’t always follow the script. Sometimes the difference between another empty sit and a buck on the ground is knowing when to throw the playbook away.
This is Field Notes 6.
Topics Covered:
- Why this November rut has been anything but normal
- Warm weather, acorns, and changing deer movement
- Hunting October patterns when the calendar says November
- Reading rub clusters and locating mature buck travel routes
- Aggressive mobile saddle hunting and mid-hunt adjustments
- Spot-and-stalk lessons and close encounters
- Stealthy access and low-light shooting confidence
- The complete November 2nd Crab Claw buck story
- Late-season strategies and a potential Ohio hunt
Adapt. Trust the sign. Make your move.
Hope you guy's enjoy! Hit the follow button, rate and give the show a comment!
Ghillie Puck- https://www.ghilliepuck.com?sca_ref=6783182.IGksJNCNyo GP10 FOR 10% OFF
GET YOUR HECS HUNTING GEAR :https://hecshunting.com/shop/?avad=385273_a39955e99&nb_platform=avantlink&nb_pid=323181&nb_wid=385273&nb_tt=cl&nb_aid=NA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bdhunting/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZtxCA-1Txv7nnuGKXcmXrA
Garden State Outdoors Opener
SPEAKER_01This is the Garden State Outdoors and Podcast. Built on early alarms, muddy boots, and stories that only the woods can write. New Jersey is one of the most underappreciated states in the outdoors. And little do they know what it really holds. From hard-earned public land deer to waterfowl, predators, and everything in between. This state produces more than people give it credit for. Now let's dial in with the men and women around the state of New Jersey who live this life every day. In New Jersey, excuses don't survive. Only the grinders do. Alright, everyone, we are back. It is Field Notes 6 with our guy Alex, Mr. Buckdown. Welcome back to the show. I think it's been like a little over a year since you've been on.
SPEAKER_00Has it? I mean, I don't even I don't know. This year, this past year is freaking flown by, and it's been a weird year of different things going on in my life. So a lot going on for you. A lot going on for you. Yeah, man. Well, thanks for having me. It's good to catch up, always good to talk. And I was happy when you when I saw your name pop up.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. No,
A Weird Rut And Warm Weather
SPEAKER_01love, love getting you on. Love just chatting and everything like that. Um, just even off off air, um, and catching up and everything like that. But definitely, man, for sure. We are prime time rut. It is the prime time season, and you laid the smack down on one.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that was November 2nd. Dude, man, this rut though was different out here for me. Uh, it was like we'll talk about it, but man, like it. I didn't see I still haven't seen Chasing. I've seen Chasing maybe once on like October 25th. Like, I went into the go ahead.
SPEAKER_01Let's get into it now because I it's been a weird, like I I saw it one day, and that was the other day, and I put a spot and stock on a buck, but it's crazy to hear that. Like, I haven't seen much in Jersey. You being in PA, you you only saw it like the the once, like what I don't know. It it does feel like a really odd year.
SPEAKER_00I think there's multiple, I think there's fact like a couple factors. I think one is the weather. Like that week was dude, it was like 75, it was like 73 degrees. Yeah, the morning I killed, so I'll usually wear like uh long johns under my pants to keep my my legs warm and like a good pair of socks. And dude, like I didn't wear any of that. I I walked out there just with a hoodie and my pants on. It was 62 degrees out in the morning, I'm pretty sure. But then I think two is uh I really think it's like the a we had a really poor acorn crop this year out here, and they weren't dropping in many places at all, and I think that kind of moved the deer out of the area to maybe some of the the uh the farmers around the area, you know. I think that moved the dough her out, and then you know, the bucks followed them, or you know, they went to the food as well, but the food was definitely limited out here this year.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I mean, yeah, last week was was great, it was super warm. Um, and then we had that northeastern come in and everything like that. Super humid. And I I don't even mind like the warm, but it's when it's humid, and it it's it's just miserable to hunt in. So I can only imagine what it's like for the deer.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, man. Like, like I said, I my expectations were like, oh, we've seen deer chasing all over the place. I got all these historical spots where I I I know there's no dude, none of it, none of it worked, and I I was at the point of because like it went to like 40 degrees, or like that Monday or something, or Saturday, it was like 37 degrees in the morning. Like, yeah, and I'm like, I'm going back to work next week. Like, I should just tell my work I'm coming back this week, and I'll be coming. And I was getting ready to do it, and then I'm like, I'll just stick it out, I'll just stick it out, I'll I'll run into something. And luckily I did, you know, because that was the last of my days I could take off.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, um, and and it's interesting here, like we had great acorn out, yeah, at least up in West Jersey, like it depends where in this state, but like up in West Jersey, all the acorn flats were raining, really pulled a lot of deer into all and like we have big, and I imagine same NPA and stuff like that. Like, we have big flats, they're just flat here, flat here. Like, there's just acorn just everywhere, so it's always hard to pinpoint deer because you just don't know which acorn flat they're gonna be in. Yeah, so that's a huge pain.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and like off like out of season, I say like I really like, and I still think I mean it. Like, I like the acorn years where there's not a lot dropping. I would probably have liked more to be dropping this year, but it is nice though, because once you find a food source that you know, acorns that are dropping, like you're like you could be in the game, you could definitely be in man.
SPEAKER_01It's it's a it's a game changer. You know, one of the areas I hunt, there's literally not not many acorn flats, at least on this property, on county property, filled, yeah. But so like I go and check
Acorn Crops And Finding Feed
SPEAKER_01like the few trees that have white oaks, and like the last two years, nothing, but the one year when it was raining, money, the just best sign. I hung that sat that spot that night, almost killed this nine pointer, almost killed a giant 10. Yeah, it would it was great, and it was great. So you like to find those, like, yes, having them all drop at especially at the same time is a huge pain in the ass. Where also when it drops too little is a huge pain in the butt, too. And you don't want that as as well. You you gotta find life to be like a good medium. Um, so it does keep the does around, and you could it's easier also to find like man, like it's hard to find like that tree out of, especially like in big woods and PA or something like that, like you know, uh depends on you know the landscape and everything like that. But like if majority of the flats aren't dropping, but you have one specific to go find it out of all the acres and everything is also not the easiest thing in the world to do as well.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, if you don't have the time either to like do your yeah, to like if you don't hunt a lot or you're like a weekend warrior type of type of guy and you can't you don't have time to scout, whatever, then it could be even more challenging because you just want to get in a tree.
SPEAKER_01Oh Saturday and Sunday, and it's like, well, I gotta, you know, you you're limited on time, you gotta make time to go find 100, 100 agree with you.
SPEAKER_00Definitely a different rut that I've had in a long like I think I might have ever this was probably the slowest rut I've ever had. And I'm not saying like slow rut, like everywhere, just for me, my plan just just went from 100, like and it just skyrocketed down there. I was like, oh goodness gracious.
SPEAKER_01Well, you know, I'm I'm like in the same ballpark as you, and I think the once you said the food source, like they cut the bean field, and I'm in the the woods and two thickets, bedding, everything like that, and the does just have disappeared, and usually there's just so many does. So the bucks still come through like this morning, but not like they they've been, so it's been really, and it's all like early morning or last, like none of that like midday cruising.
SPEAKER_00So and and it's it it's it's a it's a tough situation, it it really is, and you know, well, that's kind of yeah, that's kind of the approach I took eventually was I I eventually just said screw the rut, like pretend it's not the rut and just hunt, like pretend it's on the middle of October and just hunt. And it and it worked because I'm like hunting these doe areas and like the back of my head, because and we'll talk about it, but like I had scouted for like the first two and a half days, and I found some really good stuff, but like my mind, like I've had luck with historically hunting these dough areas, so my mind's like, Oh, I know October 31st through November 1st. Like, I know this is gonna be good. Oh, like the last week of October, this spot's good. So I kept switching it up and I was ignoring the like the sign because I'm I'm like, I gotta go check that. I don't want to sit here. So it was just I was good. My head was going in circles. Like, we all I'm sure we've all been running around in circles before in the like, what should we do? You know, what's what's the right choice?
SPEAKER_01This is the first time where I found the best sign, like rubs, scrapes everywhere. I know two giants are in there, and just no no deer movement during like majority of the day, like every time I was there, like nothing. The two big ones they come at night, and I've gone yet again as far as I can go. Yeah, right over is private. So I'm like, all right, well, I can't go any further, you know. I mean, I can't go pursue these deer. So it's like, do I sit here and play the waiting game? Which I don't really like doing. Like, the cool thing about being a mobile hunter and how I've gotten it done the last few years during the rut, and I would say November usually does very well for me is getting mobile, not focusing on the dough betting, and really just going out and just finding where the bucks are chasing, you know. I mean, and yes, like you you know they're eventually gonna cruise by dough betting. Like today, I watched you know, two good bucks cruise right by in doe betting. But where are they actually like I just need to find them? And and the more that you can find chasing the one doe or the two doe, and when they're going crazy, I love that.
SPEAKER_00I love that. I mean, yeah, if you can get down and go like Brad's buck, he we I called him like just get down and go, and then he called his other buddies and he's like, get down and go. And he went and got down and went and killed the deer, but he killed it in a you know, I don't want to give away his story, but like you gotta get mobile and and be able to make those adjustments. Even if it's like like 60 yards, and I used to hate getting down, man. But like now I'm I think it's just like I'm so comfortable with the saddle and my setup now. I kind of just go move over, but getting up and getting down.
SPEAKER_01It's it's easy to move with the saddle, it
Going Mobile And Spot And Stalk
SPEAKER_01it it definitely is. Um but man, I something that I I focused a lot on this year was just spot and stalking. I was never good at spot and stalking, and I'm just talking about just getting not even being in the tree and getting down, just like before I get a hunt. Like I spot and stalked a a decent buck um two days ago. Um, he was in like a little bit of a thicket, and there is a a little creek bottom, and I was in that drainage, he was in that drainage, and I freaking worked to 30 yards. And if I probably would have played it patient, I definitely could have killed him. But also on the back of my mind was I'm going to see one of these giants. This, like, and this was on Saturday, so you can't hunt there Sunday. So I was like, next week, I like I knew I have a feeling if I kill this deer, one of these giants is gonna show up. And literally today, like that's exactly what happened. And you know, it he was a he was a good buck, and it would have been a it's something I really want to do is to kill one's uh kill a buck spot and stalk and I killed my first doe on a spot and stalk uh this year. Um, I've I've come close a lot on a lot of small bucks this year, and this one was that one where it was like I could easily do this. I I feel like I feel like if it was any other time of the year, I I would have shot this deer. Um I just have been also so focused on the split brow buck and you know this other buck. Like I'm kind of also okay with eating a tag soup if I don't kill this deer. Um yeah, because like yeah, yeah, chasing a deer, a single specific deer is also a lot of fun as well.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that that so that's that was like the the like majority of my season. There's like three targets that I was chasing, and uh I I did have encounters. Well, I had a shootable encounter with the one, but it was three minutes of last light, and by a time he was even like it was just tough. I couldn't do it. Like I could have question for you, right?
SPEAKER_01At that last say like five minutes, especially if you're in your you're in the woods and everything like that. How confident are you? Can you actually see your pins?
SPEAKER_00So I need to get a new peep, and that's one thing I'm getting because I used to be able to, but uh ever since I got this new bow, five minutes left of light, I can't even see it's tough. Like even 10 minutes left, it's still maybe a little like I can see I have to open up two eyes, right? Usually usually I close one. Five minutes left. No, I'm I'm two eyes, and I'm kind of probably I'm struggling.
SPEAKER_01Why? Yeah, it's it, you know. I I had it, I had a good buck. Same thing, probably like the last five minutes, and I I was just probably maybe could have shot him, but I just wasn't confident because I really couldn't see my pins. And I feel like I used to be able, like, I don't know if the bat like I can't even remember. Like, I've had this site for for years now, so I don't know. I feel like it's kind of worn down the um the little uh illumination.
SPEAKER_00Um kind of yeah, I leave it on and then I forget and then it's dead and exactly, exactly.
SPEAKER_01So like I was just like, no, like I had a drop back in it, and then it like it got into my head. Like, I'm like, man, like legal shooting time is 30 minutes after sunset, unless you're in a field. I'm like, yeah, I'm starting to second guess like a lot of stuff that you know I mean, like
Low Light Pins And Stealth Access
SPEAKER_01you really don't have that full 30 minutes after.
SPEAKER_00Like, I bet if that would have happened today with the deer, I would have been able to take a shot because the leaves are gone. But like at that time, yeah, yeah, the leaves were still like it makes the woods much darker versus like you said, if you're in a field or if it's wide open, like yeah, you could you could definitely hunt until the very last minute. But I especially with the full moon. Oh, yeah, full moon, absolutely. I love like when there's a full moon and accessing because I just go in there like a ninja, man. It's like I'm just using the moonlight, and yeah, that's uh right in there.
SPEAKER_01You uh you when when the moon is and out, are you a red is you using the red light?
SPEAKER_00So I'm a no I'm like an on and off light guy, but I use the red light. Like I will avoid using a light for as long as I possibly can. I really believe that those deer, like I've had deer look at my light before and do nothing, but I've also had the opposite happen. So I'll like turn the red light on, you know, I'll see where I'm at. I'll keep going a little bit. Your eyes do adjust pretty easily once you're in. Yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah. When you're going through thicket, like I like I've gotten caught in many thickets and stuff where it's like this sucks. Like, why didn't I just turn my light on?
SPEAKER_01I hate I hate going through thicket.
SPEAKER_00I try to avoid that light the whole time. The one year we walked in, because I I hunted this area a bunch of times, so I kind of like knew it real well. But I brought two of my buddies with me and they like have their lights on. I'm like, turn your light off, and they're like, follow me. We walked like a quarter half a mile in the woods, and I was just kind of zooming. They're like, How can you even see? I'm like, I made this block before, like, I know I know where I'm going. But I try to avoid that light. But I gotta turn, you know, you gotta turn it on at different points. Like when I'm getting up in the tree, absolutely not. I'm not turning that light on.
SPEAKER_01I I yeah, I it's very rare that I turn it on when I'm up in a tree. Like, I have to really usually morning, I really try to have everything preset on like the day before or something like that. Just because I I I could easily climb into if I wasn't filming, I think I could easily just go tomorrow to the woods and set up. It's the whole filming aspect of I kind of want everything set because it takes me longer, obviously, to because now I'm running three cameras in the tree with me. So like geez, it's also expensive, it's also expensive equipment. So like I I'm clumsy as hell, so I have a feeling if I don't and I do this in the pitch dark, like I will a hundred percent drop something, break something, or or or something like that. Um, so that's like the one aspect, and also like I try to be as quiet as possible. Um you know, so I feel like sometimes getting into a tree that I don't know or have no history with or whatever, yeah, I think a little loud. So it's it it's a tough, it's a tough, it's a it's it's a tough one, but I get like I try not to use the red light, especially I feel like everything can see me once I have the red light on and I'm looking at and I lied.
SPEAKER_00I do turn my white light on, like if I'm looking for a tree and like I want to make sure it's not too thick that I'm gonna be shooting into you know just branches. So like I'll I'll turn it on, look around, turn it off. And like sometimes you can see like the the skyline, and that helps out a lot too when you're looking up.
SPEAKER_01I I agree. I definitely agree. So now we're we're in the season, and you're thinking the rut is gonna be one thing, and it's not. So what what transpires in the last couple weeks or even like
Scouting The Ridge For Rubs
SPEAKER_01the last week of you know your your season where you get to the point where you are now?
SPEAKER_00Well, so I always take off like the 25th through like November 3rd, 4th, like that last week, week and a half. But like, you know, with the buck that I shot this year, there's like two backstories that are actually kind of funny that that like what brought me to the area. So anyway, I just started hunting. Yeah, I started going to these places where I know there was you know dough being chased around a lot last year, and I did I did a lot of morning scouting too. Like I'll go out before work, move cameras around, fix cameras, freshen up scrapes. Um, and like when I'm doing that, I'll try to obviously find sign, find acorns this year was a big, big portion of it. But um, so I spent like the first two and a half days scouting, going to all these places, changing up cameras, just looking for good sign. And I did find good sign, but none of it was like consistent for me that I like. Like I'm a big buck rub guy, right? And like I'd find massive rubs or like some historical rubs that like were being hit recently. I found two of them that were like were really good. Um, one kept getting hit. But uh yeah, anyway, just was doing scouting. And then so back in September, I was walking down like the the place I usually go to hunt because I had a good, I was having had a good encounter with the buck, and like long story short, is he's living on private. I'm like kind of waiting for him to come out, and it was always like last light. But there was always these acorns dropping, like right where you park, right on the trailhead. And I'm like, interesting, like I would love to hunt here. Like these acorns are actually like raining, and I guarantee the deer are coming to feed here at night whenever everybody's gone because people park there and walk it all day. And uh that was like across the ridge of where I was hunting. Like, if I were to make a left, I kept going right. And then like middle, like end of October, no, middle of October, I'm driving, and uh like probably October 20th, I'm driving back one night and I hear a bump bump bump on the top of my truck, and I'm like, what was that? I think those were acorns, and this is like probably 200 yards from where those acorns were falling at the trailhead. And then like the next two times, two times or so, like maybe three times, I I saw deer eating there in the morning and then in the evening. Like, I'm leaving, they're sitting on their standing acorns, and I'm like, you know what? Like, I gotta go check this ridge because that's right across from where like I something was telling me to go look. So what was it? Like the 27th. So I scouted a couple days, and I'm like, I'm gonna go scout this area now, too. And I'm like, I'm walking through this this spot, and it's so like no one would people would be like, You're an idiot for hunting, for hunting here. And uh, you know, I I get there, I hunted, no, I hunted the morning, didn't see anything, and I'm like, I'm gonna go check out this area. And I start walking out there. I'm like still hunting, right? Like I'm walking real slow, sitting for a little bit, start doing a couple grunt calls, see if I can get something to come in. And I'm sitting behind this log. Well, I get to it, and like I can smell deer, right? I'm like, deer were definitely betting right in here somewhere. I can I can smell it, it's hitting me right in the face. And like I could see their beds and like this long CRP that kind of took up part of the woods. And I'm sitting there and I just hear like, you know, acorns falling on the ground. So I'm like, okay, this is good stuff. And uh I kept walking, you know, and like sitting again, and then you know, I'm hearing the acorns, I'm like, good, okay, I got food, perfect. And uh I hear a car honk its horn, and like I walk a little bit, and I heard it a couple times as cars were driving by because I can hear them and I can like see the road a little bit, and I look, and there's a deer sitting there eating acorns on the road at like 11 o'clock in the afternoon at jail. I'm like, son of a gun, like I this is uh a godsend, like something's someone's trying to tell me something. So I scout this area anyway, and I see a couple areas where there's you know possible betting. Um, I found a I found two scrapes in the area, you know, about a hundred yards apart. And then what really caught my attention was so at this point where I found the second scrape, right where those acorns that were falling on the road was like 75 yards away, like just perfect straight line right to it, down a hill, right? To the road. And I see I just start finding all these rubs coming out of this bedding, going straight down to to the road. And I'm like, okay, these are like fresh, these are good rubs. There's there's definitely a deer using this area. So, like, right away, I was like, okay, there might be a deer bedding on this ridge, and he just comes down here, you know, and eats these acorns that are falling down here. And uh, like it was promising sign. Something was telling me there was a good deer. I mean, the one tree was just absolutely shredded apart. This sapling was ripped in half and it went up to like my shoulders. So I was like, we're in the game. Two scrapes in this area. There, there's possible bedding. So I was like, I didn't hunt it yet though. And I went and did whatever that night. I was still like on the dough bedding because it was October 27th. I'm like, I think like you know, October 28th, 29th, 30th, this other place heats up, like whatever. I'm just gonna go hunt there. But like looking back at it, like I had no sign to hunt where I was hutting these doe.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Like I wasn't finding food, I wasn't finding rubs, man. I wasn't finding anything, but my mind was just like, go hunt these does. Because what do you what else do you do during the rat? Like, what's that's what we do? It's nine out of ten times.
SPEAKER_01That's that's everything you've you're kind of taught is like you want to, you know, be down one of the dough bedding. You want to just be like, and I I've always preached that too. Like, you just want to be on does and want to find does because if you find does, you're gonna find bugs.
SPEAKER_00So I dropped a camera there. I dropped two cameras in that area, hunted the following day, whatever. And I'm like, I'm gonna go scout the other side of this ridge because I think these D are coming, they're betting on either side, coming down here in the in this bottom. Just imagine a V, like the bottom of the V is the road. They're feeding down here, they're they're doing whatever. Like that rub, that those rubs, it wasn't a rub line, it was just like again, just multiple rubs that were saying go this way. So, dude, when I scouted that other side of the ridge, holy crap, I've never like seen so many consistency consistencies. Like, I'm no, I'm no like Einstein with deer hunting, but like so I followed these rubs. He had these, he was making, and I'm sure it was more than one deer, but there were rubs starting from the bottom, like probably every 15 yards, and some of them were like really close together, and it would he would travel the whole bottom, and you can see his rubs where he starts working up the ridge. So I'm like, huh. And like they were kind of go, they were going both ways though. So I'm like, this deer is literally like he's showing me his path, like he's taking this bottom probably for the evening, and then he cuts up, and you can see it gets even more thick up there. I'm like, he's probably betting up there right now. And uh, so I think it was the same day. I'm sitting there for like two hours. I'm like laying on the ground, got my feet up on a tree. My wind was good. I'm like, I think he's betting on this side of the ridge. And uh, like at like three o'clock, I'm like, no, it's probably like two o'clock. I'm like, okay, I found a tree, I'm gonna get set up, and then all of a sudden, like stinking wind, man, all season it did this. It just blew right into this area, and like I knew this was gonna be a good deer. And like old Alex would have been like, oh, screw the wind, I'm hunting it anyway. But I'm like, I'm gonna back out of here and I'm gonna go back to a different spot to hunt. And uh anyway, I hunted that spot wherever I I don't remember where I hunted that night, I didn't see anything. So I I think it was the 27th. I put the cameras down, and I can't, I thought it was the first night. I can't remember. It might have been I had good deer showing up on it, but nothing that I really wanted. But anyway, it was either that night or the next day at Crab Claw, the one I killed, showed up and he came from um the roadside. I'm like, oh son of a gun. He is bedded up there, probably across the road. He came at like 8:30. So it's still kind of early. Like he would have worked that ridge down, crossed the road, and hit that scrape. So I was like, okay, like that's a good buck. I'd shoot him. And uh anyway, like I he showed up, I thought he showed up three times. He showed up three times, but like two of it was in the same day. On like the 30th, he hit it in the morning, or he hit it in the evening, like 7:30, and then again in the morning going back to the road. So I was like, I'm gonna go hunt that bedding area that I had. And dude, this is this is talk about being mobile. This is the most mobile you can ever imagine. So I'm sitting there, I get set up, I'm like, I don't like this. I get down, I go sit in the creek bed. I'm like, I don't like this either. So I go hunt a historical rut spot. This is all within like four hours. I get down, I drive to the complete other side of the property, and I'm like, I'm gonna just hunt like this this rut area. I think it's gonna be good. And I'm sitting there like watching football. It was on a Sunday on red zone and tree. I'm like, this is stupid. Why am I here? Like, I don't know what I'm even hunting here. I don't have any sign, I haven't seen any deer. And I got back down, I went back to the creek, but by the time I got there, it was like five o'clock or so. So it was kind of a just like an observation, wasted hunt in a sense. Like, just try I just wanted to get out to work, get out of where I was originally because it sucked and I knew nothing was gonna happen. And uh anyway, you know, fast forward, I feel like I'm rambling on just different stuff, but like it all paints a picture because this this buck just totally left behind way too much sign. So the last photo I got of cla Crab Claw was on the 31st at uh like 7:30 in the morning or in the evening, and I I I knew he was gonna come there for whatever reason. I was like, if he shows up early tonight, he's he's betting on on that ridge, and he showed up. So the next morning I hunted that area, like the opposite ridge, to see if I can get him coming from his bedding. I didn't see anything, and I'm like sitting in the tree, and this is where I started contemplating. Like, I'm like texting, like, should I just call off the rest of this week? Like, this stinks. Like, I know there's a deer in here, but should I just go back to work and take next week off or what? And then I remembered those acorns because I I kind of forgot about the acorns for a second. I'm like, why am I not just hunting these acorns right now? Like, there's there's deer, he's using this area at nights, and I was kind of purposely waiting a little bit to like waiting for him to take. I just didn't know I was waiting for the right time, like the right wind. Like I ended up waiting for that. It was a southwest wind because that's you know the ridge he would have been betting on if he was there. I mean, I could not ignore those rubs, those acorns. It was just like, you're telling me where you're at. There's gotta be a feeding sign here. I wish I would have put a camera on the acorns. I don't know why I didn't do that for whatever reason. I should have. I know. Just uh, so anyway, I'm like, I'm gonna I'm gonna leave my stuff in the tree because I know if I if I pack up and I bring my stuff with me, I ain't coming back. Like, I'm gonna my brain's gonna say go hunt a rut spot. So at one point I was like, you know, between all this, I just said, like, just hunt, dude. Like, forget the rut, it's not working for you right now. Like, you you haven't seen any chasing. You've hunted out all of your spots. It's either you go here, you go to a random spot. I've already scouted like three days. It's time to make a move. So I'm like, I'm gonna, I think this is gonna be an evening spot.
The November 2 Kill Sequence
SPEAKER_00I think he's gonna be betting up here, and I just he's gonna come out. I have a good feeling. It's been like three days. He hasn't daylighted on my cameras at all. But like, it's just time to make a mistake. It's November 2nd. And uh, so I got down like 8 30 that day from the tree, 8 30 in the morning. Just because I was like pissed off, man. I was like, this this stinks, like, this is not like I was expecting chasing and you know, grunting bucks come running. Dude, I I saw I think four deer in like a week. So you know, you know how that goes. That's tough. That's during like your vacation, too. Like any day in the in the woods is better than being at work, but come on, like, I want some action, I want some grunts and some snort wheezes and bucks listen.
SPEAKER_01I uh I just want to see beer. Like, I think yes, like any I I appreciate the time that you have, but like when you're just sitting there and there's nothing going on, it's going to play at you mentally, no matter what. Like, you we appreciate that this is a hundred times better than being at work, like you know, this is God's country, like you get to enjoy everything. But like, I'm gonna tell you, if you go multiple sits without seeing freaking deer, especially when it's supposed to be the most exciting time of the year, and you don't get frustrated, angry, like do whatever. I think you're lying because like it just like it's it's impossible. It's it's natural for your mind to just drift to like that kind of like negative, like, oh like I can't believe this is happening.
SPEAKER_00So I'm gonna um rewind back to Halloween, October 31st. So okay, that point I was like confident. I just you know, your my gut instinct said there's a good deer in here, you gotta hunt this. He showed up on camera twice, and there was this other wide buck that kept showing up too, and I was kind of confusing the two. That's why I'm kind of sitting here questioning which one he actually showed up at. But I know he showed up October 31st, and I remember texting my buddies in this group message. I'm like, if he comes in early tonight, I I have him. Like, he's dead. And he came in at 7:30, and my idea it was a south wind, and he came from the road. I'm like, okay, he's using that, like, he's using that opposite ridge for you know to to bed. He's crossing the road, I guarantee you, and eating those acorns. And uh, I I took a sc and this is cool, I gotta call it out. I gotta, I gotta call myself out here. So I I texted my buddies, I sent a screenshot of the deer that showed up, and I'm like, this deer is gonna this deer's dead, not tomorrow, but I'm gonna kill him on Monday. And and uh they're like, all right, because all you have, they're like, all you have is night pictures. I'm like, just watch. So what was that 31st, the first? I forget what I did the first. Oh, so I've been going out with my buddy, and like I'm all I'm all about getting my buddy on deer. I get him on deer every year, but I was locked in at this point, so I don't know if he's gonna listen to this or not, but she's like, where should we go? I'm like, we'll just go. I we just went the opposite way from where this deer was, just because I'm like, I want to kill this deer, but I you know, I love hunting, I love hunting with him, and you know, you never know, it can happen. So the uh November 2nd comes, and it's it's just me. I go in the woods in the morning. Like I said, I got out at like 8 45, didn't see anything, and I'm sitting there. That's why I was kind of getting still pissed off at like no dear. And uh I'm I'm like, I gotta leave my stuff in the tree. I'm not falling in this trap. I know what to do. Like, there's food right here. He's in, he's gonna be here, and he never came back, so I haven't gotten him on camera. So I got him on camera the 27th for sure, and I know I got him on the 31st for sure at 7:30. I never got him coming back in the morning, right? So I was like, all right, I think he might be in here. Who knows? It's two days later, but we're gonna give it a shot. It's good wind, and like the rubs, like I said, like you can tell he was using the one ridge and coming down the bottom and using the other ridge. And whether it was the same deer or not, who freaking knows? I played it like it was because they were all nice rubs, and I love buck rubs. And uh so I climbed back in the tree at like 3:30, and the wind was perfect the whole time. Like I was looking up the ridge, and I'm like, to the top right there was betting, and then to my left there was bedding. But if there were sorry, can you hear that? Yeah, yeah, no. Oh, wait, no, I couldn't.
SPEAKER_01Okay, I thought you were saying about you for a second.
SPEAKER_00Uh, I might have to step up there for a second. No, no worries. Um anyway, what was I saying? Yeah, um, I'm looking at bedding to my left, but like it just didn't seem right. It was like on this, it was lower in elevation, and it was it was a pretty windy day, and I it it wasn't rubbing off on me that there was gonna be a deer in there, a buck. But so my eyes were on the the to the top of the right where I thought there was bedding, and where I smelled that bedding before. And I'm like 80 yards downwind from the scrape, and like the acorns kind of scattered across the ridge, so I was pretty good there. And uh, like you know how it gets when you're sitting in the woods and it's like the wind just stops, like everything stops, it gets like quiet. You just you like realize all of a sudden, like, oh it I haven't like it hasn't there hasn't been any wind, and like it's just quiet, like now, and now it's at like 445. I'm like, oh, this seems good. So I text my buddy, I'm like, it seems bucky in here right now. Like, I think something's about to go down. And uh at like 5.05, like my buddy texts me. He's like, let me know if you kill something, dude. I'm gonna come help you drag it out. So I'm like, oh man, I really hope I kill something. And dude, I looked up and like, I don't know what your faith is, but I just looked up and I prayed to God. I'm like, God, please send me a deer right now. Like, forgive me. Like, I just had a conversation for a solid minute with him. And dude, I I swear to God, three minutes later, I hear a trick, I hear a stick crack like to my right. Like, I must have missed him coming down the ridge at some point, but I heard a stick crack and I looked, and I I just saw like the dark rack in a butt in the brown body of a deer, and I it he was in the thicket still. For whatever reason, I grabbed my range finder, it wasn't gonna do me any good. And like I looked in it, and I didn't even range him, but I just saw antler, so I like hurried up and grabbed my binos, and I'm like this, and I'm like, shooter. And I didn't know it was necessarily him. My subconscious mind knew it was him because I knew them the the long tines and the mass and the spread. And uh so I he started he just like browsing. He just he what he just walked in, like his you know, his head was down, munching. Yeah, and then he walked like he was just chilling, doing his own thing, but he was just beelining like right across from me. And I eventually grabbed my bow, and my my mind was just like, That's a that's a kill, that's you gotta shoot this deer. And uh like I waited for that tree. And every time you draw back, like at that tree, like they stop, right? He's just sitting there, like thing, and then he made a step. There was a little bit of brush in the area. I couldn't, I probably could have taken the shot, but I'm like, I'm not gonna ruin this. And then he walked another two, three steps, and I put an arrow right through through his lungs, like 20 yards. I saw him run and I saw the wide frame, and I saw saw the the mass on him. Like, oh my gosh, that's that's gotta be him. That's him. And uh like I didn't I I thought I saw his belly and feet go up in the air, and I'm like, holy crap, like he's dead, man. Like, I just like he he's I just saw him drop. I think I saw him drop, but man, you know, I was all stoked. I was all happy and cheerful of like, dude, I just did it. I finally did it after this, you know, long, stressful week of and I hate saying stressful because it's a it's the bet it's the best week. It's you know, I have time off hunting, like I'm grateful for that. But uh I called my buddies, and then all of a sudden, you know, I I started doubting myself. I'm like, what if what if it's not the deer? What if it's like what if it's not even a legal deer? What if I just shot like an illegal buck or whatever? And uh I like I pulled Brad, I'm like, Brad, I just shot a big one. Like I shot a big one. And like now I'm like, Well, I don't know if he's big. I don't know what I shot now, and like I knew what I shot, but no, I just started doubting everything. And we uh we go to the the spot, so I wait for two of my buddies to show up, and uh like we can't find blood. Um they're like, Well, where'd you shoot him? And I'm like, right here. I thought I shot him at 12 yards. It wasn't 12 yards, it was 20 yards. I'm like, I swear he's right here. So we're looking for blood for like 10 minutes, nothing. And my buddy was smart enough to go back like 10 more yards than he found blood. So I'm like, all right, there we go. We found the the impact, aerial looked good, perfect, like there were bubbles in it. This deer wasn't, I mean, those those mega meets do some damage. But uh we we tracked him for what 70 yards, and and there he was sitting there, and man, it was it was I looked at him like that's crab claw, and it was freaking crab claw, and it just it's just funny how it all worked out, and like
Why Rubs Matter And What’s Next
SPEAKER_00I said I was gonna kill him on Monday. I'm not and I freaking did it, and it just grateful for it. It was it was awesome. And like the learning story for me with that was do what your gut says to do, like just hunt, hunt the way you hunt, and and you can get it done. Like, if I would have stayed on that doe betting, I still probably wouldn't have seen a freaking deer because I was not happy.
SPEAKER_01Not only that, you you you gotta give it to the acorns that hit your hit the top of your vehicle too.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, well, so that was 100% like it was the deer there too. And and then when I scouted it, I saw a deer there and at 11 o'clock in the afternoon, and a doe just chilling there eating acorns on the road. I'm like, this is it. And then those rubs, man, that was the that was the deal breaker. I was like, there's there's a deer in here, and he's a good one. And luckily I got an opportunity at him, but it was just funny because like it was November 2nd, and he just like he wasn't I he wasn't doing anything. And I told myself before, and I should have mentioned this earlier, like I was doing a lot of calling, you know, trying to in the beginning of the vacation, but when I went in there that day, I'm like, I'm not doing I'm not putting any dope on the ground, I'm not putting, I'm not rattling my antlers, I'm not grunting, I am not doing a single thing, and it was so hard not to like rattle my antlers, especially when it's like that quiet first light or like that evening. Like I wanted to, but I'm like, I'm not doing it. And I think I really think that like contributed to me killing that deer. I just don't think that deer was ready, and he was just still on his his October pattern because he was he left a lot of sign behind, and that's what that's what killed him. That's what got him killed. Those is I'm telling you, those those buckrubs killed that deer.
SPEAKER_01A lot of the mature deer don't really get kicked off till later. It's usually a lot of the younger, from what I've noticed, it's a lot of the younger ones that are doing a lot of the chasing and and stuff, and a lot of the big ones are still maybe doing they're definitely now at this point, definitely cruising and and chasing and stuff like that. But like, I don't know. It's it's it's it's weird because you always think, and yet again, YouTube, the the TV shows, the all the the hunting stuff that we watch, it's like, and yet again, a lot of it's probably a lot of Midwest and stuff like that. So it's completely it is a little completely different and everything like that, but I mean it's it's one of those things too where it's it's weird to see deer not acting like it's the rut.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it was it was definitely a different, you know, for me my experiences it was a different rut, 100 like 110. I've never hunted October 31st and haven't seen a deer like chase, not chasing, but just like you know, on cruising or looking around for a dough. Like it was um it was crazy. In November 1st, and even the morning of November 2nd. I think I think a big thing was the weather, man. That yeah, yeah, that makes sense. I crushed it. I saw that was going around a lot of places, was just the warm rut.
SPEAKER_01Everywhere. It was pretty warm. It's it's you know, this week is supposed to be the good week. It's definitely cooler. Um, the wind is the wind is up and everything like that. It's not so humid. So, you know, hopefully things definitely to take a turn and and everything like that. Um, yeah, you know, but one thing I definitely want to say before you know, we we definitely get going and we'll we'll get you on for a completely longer one, you know, in the future and everything like that. But um I I love how you you know rubs, I think everyone talks about scrapes, like find scrapes, find scrapes, find scrapes. But man, rubs, I think for me, I think I'd much rather find a rub than a scrape. Um and I know that like there's a lot of people probably like out there that would think that's crazy and everything like that, but um, you know, I I feel like at least in my area, they rub just way more than than they scrape. Um and I do think like yet again, like the cool thing about rubs is you can tell the direction that they're going.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, there's a I think you can break down rubs a lot in like the this like late October, mid-October to late October, I think they're even more valuable because like if you can find that cluster of rubs where there's like a not a rub line, just a group of rubs you see from like maybe a week old, two weeks old that show the direction they're going. Um like that's like a deer is using that area clearly. Yep, and like a single buck rub, I love finding a good buck rub, like that's the best thing ever. But like one buck to me, like isn't valuable. It's whenever there's consistent rubs in an area, and then you have food or like you have acorns here, and you know there's bedding up top, and it all you can it's all linking together, you're like, oh, like I think I might be on to something, but they're still like patternable during that October time frame, but they're getting more aggressive, and then you can just sneak in there and and hopefully put an arrow in them. Yeah, but I know I I definitely agree with that.
SPEAKER_01Finding a rub, man, yeah. I love it. I love it. I I think it's it's especially when they're super fresh, when you ex and you know, it depends on the tree, but I love that where it looks like that very I think it's when they rub like pines or cedar, like and you've got that like orangey kind of like um color and everything like that, and it's super fresh, and then you have the the the peelings on on the ground on the ground and everything like that. Like I I love a big giant.
SPEAKER_00I uh I don't know how much value you put into like signpost rubs, if you're familiar. What a signpost. I uh I always kind of ignored those, but this season I started paying attention to them, and dude, like they they act like scrapes, those things. Like they those were checking in on them, bucks were hitting them, scraping in front of it, rubbing it. Those things were were dynamite, and I was like, that's uh definitely something going into the arsenal for next year is paying.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, even those. 'Cause I'm not sure. Definitely, definitely. But yeah, but um season brother, I I don't want to keep you too much longer. I know you're you're gonna you you know the little one and everything like that. Um I will I'll definitely we'll we'll definitely get you back on probably in the off season or or something like that. We'll chat a little longer, maybe do it a little earlier so you know you have some more time and and everything like that. But you know, it's always a pleasure talking to you. Congratulations. I mean, that is an absolute stud. Um you know, our last one, are you are you are you heading out to Ohio or any of those places?
SPEAKER_00So I'm thinking Ohio. I called the guy today because I have permission to access through a guy, he like borders the property, the game lands there. And uh, I think I'm going there. It's I think it's gonna be worth it. I need a late season chase, a weekend thing to do, you know, when the kids are busy, the boys are busy. So I think Ohio it is.
SPEAKER_01There we go. I love to hear it. Hope, you know, hope you you get it done there, and um, you know, we'll we'll catch you next time.
