East Texas Rut (Houston Co.)

I am going to be down there next week, and plan on hunting good part of the week.

I have talked to several buddies in the area, and I have heard conflicting stories about the rut.

Hopefully someone can shed some light on it for me, and let me know what's going on.

Haven't seen any sign of it here, and neither have any of the guys on the leases around me. Don't know if we missed it, or it hasn't happened yet.

Surely it hasnt already happened yet, I hunted opening weekend, and didnt see any sign of it yet. I havent been down there since then though.

I was hoping to be right in the middle of it, this coming week.

I have been seeing plenty does, but no bucks chasing them. We have seen a couple bucks, but they were alone.

2 almost died in that county this evening from trying to follow does across hwy7.

I first saw bucks chasing does in mid October while bow hunting. I think the rut came a little early this year in Houston county, and I think gun season opened about a week too late. Of course, that was because Nov. 1st was on a Sunday this year.

I agree with redneck_hunter. I hunt in trinity county and saw bucks chasing does and much more "rutting" sign in the two weeks before rifle season. Nothing since.

I hunt around Tyler....Have only missed the third weekend of bow season. Haven't seen anything chasing, but for the last three weekends we haven't really been seeing anything at all!!! Wonder if they already have and we missed it......I don't see how we could have though!!!

we were seeing some ight chasing action around the 20-21st of October.. That lasted about a week... Then last week , on the 18th of November (happens to be 28 days after we saw first signs) we started seeing a little more activity..
I honestly believe that the warm daytime temps kept us from seeing most of the rutting activity, as it took place at night.

Look at the pics of the big deer hit on the road near Canton as few weeks ago..

Right, wrong, or whatever, I'm just calling it like I see it guys.

Yeah, that is about the same time we did see most of our activity. I do believe that the warm temps kept them moving more at night!!! Now it will be just hit and miss!!!

yeah the rut is over it started to early with the cold fronts in mid october and ended around nov 12-15 i think.

I got a big 12 point last monday @ Davy Crockett National forrest and they were definitely in the rut then!

I've first saw a buck chasing a doe the weekend before the season opener. This past weekend was the first weekend that I didn't see a buck chase a doe.

Bucks were still chasing around Nac this weekend.... on the stand, every group of does we saw had bucks jackin' with them and the older bucks were slipping out in the food plots to get a look and then would pop right back in the brush. And after the rain slacked up Saturday there were 20 does and 5 bucks in the back yard. Bucks were bedded up with groups of does scattered throughout the pasture. When one of the does would get up, the buck would get up and follow her around and chase her back to where they were bedded. First time I had ever seen that with that many bucks and does in one place w/ the bucks not fighting over them.

Hunted Houston county this past weekend and the bucks are definitely chasing the does. Lots of chasing and grunting but all of the does that I viewed were running from the bucks or unreceptive to their advances. I have read that there are actually three ruts in this area and I believe that the second is about to happen. If I saw one buck working this pattern this weekend I saw at least ten.

Doesn't seem like it's peaked where we are at in NW Houston Co. Was up 2 weeks ago and saw a lot of fresh scrapes and rubs, several bucks running does, but not all. This years rut seems more spread out without the hard spike in activity like we had last year. I hate not making it up every weekend, who knows I could have missed it. Headed up again this weeknd!

Thanks for info guys, hopefully I will get to see the one I have been chasing all year.

Good luck to anyone hunting there this weekend.