dates and timing
Contributors to this thread:Kansas
From: Doc
20-Dec-17
Been bowhunting central Kansas for the last 20 years or so out of Emporia. Great people, great state. Usually hunt November 9 to the 18th. Like I said been hunting the same areas for a while and it seems I'm there when the bucks are in lock down phase. See lots of smaller bucks. I'm thinking of coming out a week earlier like November 3 to see if I can get them in more of "chase phase" Any help or thoughts would be appreciated. Happy Holidays.
From: Leebo1963
20-Dec-17
I have the most luck for mature bucks from November 15th till gun season.
From: writer
20-Dec-17
I’ll take later. Nov. 19 is my day.
From: Spreck
20-Dec-17
I hunt generally the same part of the state and have for years. I have found the week you reference to be pretty decent, but there is some lockdown toward mid-November. I prefer the first week of November as far as action on seeing larger deer, but also like around Thanksgiving when they are back off does and searching again.
From: Twinetickler
20-Dec-17
This year we hunted the 3rd-7th very little rut action in the north central part of the state. Two years ago hunted 5th-9th again slow with no chasing. I would agree the latter third of the month would be better since the first 2 weeks have been slow for us.
From: sitO
20-Dec-17
It's not the "timing" it's the lack of mature deer...get used to it
From: MichaelArnette
20-Dec-17
That's about right actually earlier or later is pretty hit and miss
From: Ben
20-Dec-17
I agree with Sito. I haven't seen a really big mature buck for 2-3 years. This area use to always have a few big deer and I live on the farm so I usually know where to look.
From: Thornton
20-Dec-17
You do realize that 1 buck can be locked down with a doe while a quarter mile away 2 bucks are in a frenzy running doe to death. I've seen it happen from the first week of November well into rifle season. Too often, this "lock down" phase that I hear so much of is used to blame the lack of buck movement when in reality you just aren't hunting near any bucks.
From: z hunter
21-Dec-17
z hunter's Link
Mature deer? You cant kill 2 to 4yo bucks and expect any of them to live to be 5.
From: sitO
21-Dec-17
Who would argue that Brian?
From: Trebarker
21-Dec-17
Lockdown, pfft. Another human excuse for not being in the right place at the right time.
Seriously folks, have you not paid attention while out hunting? The deer are constantly on the move during the rut, day and night. If they aren't moving where you are, you are in the wrong spot. They don't just disappear for a few days, they continue to move throughout. Yes you will see a buck keep a doe close by to him, but she doesn't stay in a 50 yard area for days on end. There's still 20-200 other deer within a few miles that aren't rutting that day/week.
Once the older does are bred, the bucks wander around more searching for the late bloomers, that's why you see more mature bucks the last part of the month out roaming all day.
From: ksq232
21-Dec-17
Lockdown is all dependent upon the number of does. I was drawn for a special hunt this year and hunted even the prime, in my opinion, dates of Nov. 19-26. I did not see one mature buck and of 15 hunters hunting HARD only one mature buck was shot, two small bucks were shot. The issue was does, I saw 48 does and fawns in one sit, and I was in the timber where visibility was limited to around 80 yards in any direction at the most. Bucks simply don't have to move much in an environment like that.
From: Chief
21-Dec-17
What Trebarker said! I have been hunting with my brother and others alot, and many many times over the years "one" of us would see the bucks chasing does, grunting, running around like a farmer chasing a chicken for supper, and the other hunter less than 200 yards from the other would think the world opened up and swallered all the deer. Ya got to be where they are or ya ain't gona see em... Biggest deer I ever got an arrow in, antlers growing all over his head in every direction, with 3 drop tines, watched him stagger and lay down 60 yards away. This deer and another were chasing a doe all around me. Brother less than 100 yards away came over to my stand after dark singing ghost riders in the sky, damn! I could not see the deer after he laid down, nor did I see him get up. We never found him after a solid week of looking. Point being he said he would have never believed there were any deer in the area, as he seen squat that evening. I hate ghost riders...
Merry Christmas.........
From: Thornton
21-Dec-17
I'm glad my observations hold true. If Chief and Trebarker agree with me, that's like a 100 years of experience right there. Somebody needs to write an article on the BS of "Lockdown". I rate that word about as stupid as the word "build" on all the gun forums. example: "Here is my latest gun "build".
From: Kansasclipper
21-Dec-17
"You do realize that 1 buck can be locked down with a doe while a quarter mile away 2 bucks are in a frenzy running doe to death. I've seen it happen from the first week of November well into rifle season. Too often, this "lock down" phase that I hear so much of is used to blame the lack of buck movement when in reality you just aren't hunting near any bucks."
True but the buck locked down is a mature 5 year old or older deer while the 2 chasing are 2 or 3 year olds. The 2 chasing are dogging a doe not in heat and the mature deer locked down won't move til after shooting hours. The mature deer are the ones locked down, who cares about immature deer chasing for nothing.
From: Thornton
21-Dec-17
I'd say that's a broad statement that could be inaccurate. I personally have watched 3 year old bucks do just that. One of them was a few hundred yards from the drive of my beanfield in the neighbor's pasture while I was doing my semi live hunt on here.
From: Chief
22-Dec-17
If there is such a thing that could be observed as a lock down I would say the doe is within a few hours of becoming receptive and the "lock down" last only a few hours. Not a mass lock down of every buck/doe in the state of Kansas at the same time. As soon as the buck breeds the doe, he is off for another. A few years ago my neighbor called me and said look out your window, I did and watched a mature buck chasing a doe around in my back yard. They finally made it to a draw, the doe laid down, and the buck stood there for nearly 4 hours and never moved. The doe got up, he bread her and off they went in opposite directions. I seen this same scenario happen before, so my observations suggest that the lock down phrase is a misnomer, and not a viable action by the deer to cause any change in the hunting tactics of deer hunters. Other than maybe trying to stalk one you have seen that is, um um, locked down.
From: z hunter
22-Dec-17
z hunter's Link
Must be real
From: Kansasclipper
22-Dec-17
When a mature buck is locked down with a doe it is for a period of 24-36 hours. During that time the immature bucks are chasing which is what we see during the rut phase. After that 24-36 hour period the mature buck moves on to another doe and will be locked down for another day and a half. You might catch that buck before he runs onto another ripe doe but the time is short. When locked down, that buck won't move unless absolutely necessary. Generally those mature bucks takes those does to an isolated place such as a hay field, cut milo, etc. Away from other deer. If you don't think that lockdown happens then you don't understand mature deer. When we talk lockdown we are talking about mature deer, 5 years and older, the one's that do the breeding, the one's we should hope to shoot.
From: Thornton
22-Dec-17
BS. You must have a lot of 5 year old deer around. I see one that old for about every 12 bucks or worse.
From: Kansasclipper
22-Dec-17
I did not say I had a lot of 5 year old deer around.
From: Thornton
22-Dec-17
You're suggesting that only a certain age group of deer do what all bucks naturally do. That being said, I do not think 1.5 year old bucks will wait that long on a doe but I know for a fact 3.5 year old will. Here's a young one on Thanksgiving Day doing just that. He was so patient in fact, he ignored me blasting ducks on a pond 350 yds away. He then let me walk 200 yds from him and take numerous photos.
From: NCK
23-Dec-17
"He was so patient in fact, he ignored me blasting ducks on a pond 350 yds away."
From the Thornton post season thread
"I wish I could get a long range dog. I've only shot 4 quail and 1 duck this year."
Poor shot?
From: z hunter
23-Dec-17
Jason killed a 3 or 4yo buck this yr, now complains about not seeing a 5yo buck..
From: Antlerhunter
23-Dec-17
Brian do you know the land of giant outfitter?
From: Antlerhunter
23-Dec-17
Brian do you know the land of giant outfitter?
From: z hunter
23-Dec-17
No, just know its someone out of GA
From: Thornton
23-Dec-17
What did you kill Z? I'm sure mine is 4.5. I'm sending off a tooth to see though. He was the third biggest buck I saw all season. Definitely not 3.5 though. NCK- Not seeing as many birds this year as usual. I refuse to kill more than 1 or two birds out of a covey this early in the season since I'll hunt all of January. I took 2nd in my class the last two years at the Ks State Sporting Clays Championship. Won almost a grand in the two years combined. You could range some of my rifle kills adequately with an odometer. As for bow? I can hit a buck under my tree :)
From: Matte
24-Dec-17
Should be a great last week for the deer hunters still trying to fill a tag. Temps in the 20's. Largest buck I have ever killed was on the very last day of season.
From: Ben
24-Dec-17
That's funny Matte. The year I retired I passed shots all year waiting for a really big one. I kept a ledger with a sketch of each buck I saw and even how many times I saw them and where. On the last day of season at the last hour I shot the smallest buck I saw of all the deer I'd seen. I'd past him at least 3 times and hunted 88 times that year and it was my most enjoyable season ever. After he came in and I shot him 7 does came thru while still legal shooting time and I let them walk not wanting to have to dress 2 deer in the snow and cold.
From: Antlerhunter
24-Dec-17
Just wondering Brian. They hunt very close to me. Definitely not the best neighbors.
From: Trebarker
24-Dec-17
"Generally those mature bucks takes those does to an isolated place such as a hay field, cut milo, etc. Away from other deer. "
Is this not what we are saying? Not in the right place at the right time in my previous post fit's that description perfectly. There are a little over 82k sq miles in Kansas, the bucks are rutting somewhere in there, they don't just disappear for a day and a half with ALL the does. To name it as fact that hunters aren't seeing bucks or deer movement because they are in lock down is what is absurd to my common sense. There is no way it happens at the same time across the State all at once in the same week or two period.
From: Kansasclipper
24-Dec-17
Yep and exactly what I am saying. The mature buck are breeding (AKA Lockdown) and the young ones are rutting. They don't disappear but they don't move either. Lockdown occurs with the buck doing the actual breeding, all the rest are scrambling hoping to find a doe who is in.
From: Trebarker
24-Dec-17
Have seen spikes, forkies, basket sixes, 7-8-9-10pts all breeding does. The mature bucks are not the only ones passing on genes.
From: NCK
24-Dec-17
You sound very impressive Thornton but there is a discrepancy in what you wrote below.
"he ignored me blasting ducks on a pond 350 yds away" and "I've only shot 4 quail and 1 duck this year"
You were "blasting" ducks but only killed 1 this year
Maybe it was just a little white lie I don't know.
From: Forest bows
24-Dec-17
Lol!
From: Kansasclipper
25-Dec-17
Holy Smokes Trebarker, I thought seeing a buck breeding a doe was a rare occurrence but looks like you see it all the time. At least 8 according to your post.
From: Trebarker
25-Dec-17
Rare to those that haven't spent much time in the woods or aren't paying attention. I see it nearly every season. This last season was the exception, rut activity was just getting started due to age structure.
From: Thornton
25-Dec-17
NCK, not sure why it matters? I lie about nothing and you assume so much. My description was adequate considering it was a windless day where you could hear something for miles. That 1 duck I shot? The bottom barrel knocked him down and the top barrel finished him off.
From: NCK
25-Dec-17
From: Kansasclipper
25-Dec-17
Thornton how many times have you seen a buck breed a doe?
From: Shawn
25-Dec-17
If I could choose two weeks to hunt the area I hunt in Kansas, it would be Halloween to Nov 7th then wait a week or so and hunt the 13 or 14th of Nov to the 21st or so. Where I hunt the big bucks seem to be on lock down from around Nov 7th to the 13th or 14th. Shawn
From: Genesis
26-Dec-17
Whatcha hunting? Mature bucks I like Nov 20-27 th for those pesky 3 1/2 you should come Nov 3-10th.
From: Chief
26-Dec-17
In my 50 years of bow hunting, with nearly 20 years of doing it all wrong, and if I remember it right, I have actually seen two forkies and the one mature 10 pointer do the hokie pokie . SOOOOO, I assume that anyone could deduce from that, that anything in between does the hokie pokie. Just my observation and common sense.
From: sitO
26-Dec-17
In 2010 I shot a Pronghorn buck off the back of a doe...was that wrong?
From: keepemsharp
26-Dec-17
Just cold!
From: writer
26-Dec-17
Don’t feel bad, Kyle. Jealousy gets the best of weaker men, frequently. That doesn’t mean your a bad person. Doesn’t mean you’re not, either.
From: Doc
29-Dec-17
Thanks everyone for you feedback. For what its worth from my observations I have not seen as many bucks of any size like I used to 10 years ago.
