Anyone have any info on when the rut is near Ballinger?

when i hunted there a few years ago, it started just before thanksgiving. i shot a nice 10pointer 3 days before thanksgiving while chasing a hot doe.

This is my first year hunting Runnels county but I have heard the rut is usually on the week before thanksgiving through the week after.

I've hunted the same lease for close to 20 yrs now in Runnels County. Alot of it depends on when the first or second cold front pushes through. I've seen them rut as early as the 2nd weekend of the season but the majority of the years I've hunted out there its been right around Thanksgiving weekend. What part of Runnels are you hunting??

Just east of Ballinger. Where are you? Have you seen good deer in the county?

Spot on, but someone will pipe up and say its in bow season or something stupid

We hunted Runnel's county for 2 year's and shot the only tiny 7point that was seen on the lease! My buddy had a place 3 miles down the road that had 30 deer under the feeder at all times! His rut usually kicked in around the nov18th-20th and I was on a place 2 year's ago in Sidney not to to far down the road and it hit the nov15th like a light switch went off!

Gillom, We are straight up FM382 between Winters & Novice. We have taken alot of nice deer off this Ranch over the years. Last year was probably the worse year I've seen, all the big bucks went nocturnal once the season started. Two years ago we had a 135-140 8pt, 24 inches wide killed. The deer would've scored in the 150's if it had more mass. We have his twin on camera this year but he's only a 7pt. We're not over run with deer but there's some big Deer in Runnels Co.

I shot an 8 pointer and a (10 pointer I never found) with a group of Bachelors in 2007 the week before Thanksgiving.
In 2008 I shot an 8 pointer on thanksgiving weekend.

2009 SUCKED…saw little deer to no deer.

2010???
I have big bucks come to feeder regularly along with does. Morning and Night

So I do believe the week before and after Thanksgiving to hunt it hard.

However the 2nd to last weekend of December in 2007 we did see some activity of a late rut. My buddy shot a 13pt.

It’s going to be a GREAT year for the Runnels County hunters.

Well, I dont wanna be that guy, but 20 miles north I've seen bucks running does like it was his job and he was going for employee of the month a week before rifle season all the way to two weeks after the season is over. That being said we have WAY too many does in our area. I had a fresh fawn walk up to the feeder with spots last week so she was a late bloomer. The heavy rut out this way is about three weeks into the season.

2009 SUCKED…saw little deer to no deer.

Yes sir!!!

Jasb, last season I swear the rut was during bow season in Eastland county. So Im not going to say your a liar.

http://www.texashuntingforum.com/forum/u...oma#Post1524271

Check out the Date and times in these pics.

We had a Doe shot last year opening weekend of rifle season that was still pregnant....

Here's TPWD's take on it. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/hunt/planning/rut_whitetailed_deer/

No deer in Runnels county...

Last year for us it seemed like the peak rut was the first week of the season.

In my area, the peak of the rut is right now. You can see it up and down the roads too.

I agree....

Just a couple.

2009 stunk for us just east of Ballinger. But Ive hunted there for 20+ years and I've seen LOTS of deer each year. In December 2009, I hunted 5 times in a row and saw NOTHING. That has never happened.

I think 2010 will be better and I think the rut is the week before Thanksgiving.

Its very funny that you post this. I believe the original poster was speaking of ME!

About two years ago I replied in a thread with the same title. I Posted that I'd seen two different bucks breed doe on opening weekend of bow season.
I was basically called out as spouting B.S. and so on and so forth. Listened to a myriad of crap how I didn't know what I was talking about, and that the rut possibly couldn't have started, I was just seeing young bucks chase doe.

What really strikes me as funny is I have never mest Jasb, that I know of, except here online. Come to find out, his hunting place actually adjoins my hunting place.

Better watch what you type Jasb, those Runnels county Boys will tell you that You're Cuckoo for cocoa-puffs.

I've also seen deer breed a week after season is over. We have lots of fawns with spots on them as I type.

Chaos ( apparently Not nuttier than squirrel [censored])


FWIW
I also hunted a place on the North side of Ballinger some 20 years ago. So close you could hear the high school band playing. Ed Gottshaw ( SP) owned it along with another spot in Crews. One particular year up in Crews, the Rut seemed to kick off last week of December. Never saw a single deer on that place until they started chasing

Runnels county as a whole is a good area. You should have success there.

TPWD website lists the peak rut for different regions of the state. Their data is based upon years of data collection as to when fawns are born....which of course tells you when the does are bred. Weather has very little to do with the start of the rut. Cooler weather will influence more deer activity during daylight through the rut. Hot weather will tend to slow activity during the hotter daytime. This just means that the deer are more active at night and early morning when it's cooler. The science doesn't lie.

Neither does sightings of actual breeding. Makes no difference to me what folks believe. I watch these animals in my area on a daily basis.

We hunt just NW of Runnels County in Nolan County. The rut consistently peaks around Nov 12-14 out there -- cant imagine that Runnels would be that different.