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Rut in the Rut

bigcat93

bigcat93

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2015
Messages
977
Location
NJ
It’s been a GRIND. This may sound like I’m complaining, not trying to but maybe I am. 3am wake ups 3-4 days a week are getting to me. Either way they are up and running, everyone keep at it! We’re going to connect at some point

Shot my biggest buck to date, ended up being a non-lethal hit (thankfully).

2 days later had another opportunity at a very big body mature deer, didn’t/couldn’t draw back due to too many eyes and him being super nervous and watched him walk from 17 yards out to 40 in a big J-hook

Tons of mornings after that without a mature buck sighting leads us to this morningof a second day cold front here that went from low 60s to low 40s overnight..

8am another good deer (possibly the one I shot) came barreling in nose to the ground and sprinted bymy setup and I didn’t even have time to grab bow and draw back - he didn’t respond to the ol’ merp or yelling

As I let my bow down from tree and put my pack on to get ready to head out and get off to work some footsteps caught me as I had another shooter come over the ridge and bed behind a holly tree 25 yards from me on the top 1/3 of the ridge.. no shot. Grunted, kicked, snort wheezed and broken branches finally got him upto where he circled around to 22 yards and stopped with his vitals behind a big split oak - no shot. He went back to the doe I didn’t notice he had bedded and as they left I jumped down and tried to stalk, he came in to me with me scrapping some leaves and as he was about to show his body the doe picked me and they bounded away.
 
Im literally burned out myself not to look for sympathy or put a sob story out there but,
I have myself for some reason really lost a bit of interest in hunting this month
it sucks because it is the best time of the year but, I hunt when conditions are right so last week at a 5 day stretch of almost 80 degrees it tool some drive or even motivation out of me
I have a bad depression problem I have been really battling which has really fueld this non mental motivation to go out.
burn out is real and other things that feed that can just make it that much more worse.
Its easy for people to say "you just gotta get out and do it"
sometimes its not that simple, and outside factors feed that also.
sometimes you just got to step back take a deep breath and just take a break.
thats what i am doing the rest of the week and try to get back out this coming week.
 
Robert loper said:
Im literally burned out myself not to look for sympathy or put a sob story out there but,
I have myself for some reason really lost a bit of interest in hunting this month
it sucks because it is the best time of the year but, I hunt when conditions are right so last week at a 5 day stretch of almost 80 degrees it tool some drive or even motivation out of me
I have a bad depression problem I have been really battling which has really fueld this non mental motivation to go out.
burn out is real and other things that feed that can just make it that much more worse.
Its easy for people to say "you just gotta get out and do it"
sometimes its not that simple, and outside factors feed that also.
sometimes you just got to step back take a deep breath and just take a break.
thats what i am doing the rest of the week and try to get back out this coming week.
Click to expand...
I hear you man, take some time and rest, sleep in, and eat/hydrate properly as I know most of us probably don’t when we’re hyper-focused on staying on stand as long as possible during this time of year.

Get with some buddy’s and just go shoot your bow, or take a walk on a new property to scout and take the pressure off!
 
bigcat93 said:
I hear you man, take some time and rest, sleep in, and eat/hydrate properly as I know most of us probably don’t when we’re hyper-focused on staying on stand as long as possible during this time of year.

Get with some buddy’s and just go shoot your bow, or take a walk on a new property to scout and take the pressure off!
Click to expand...
great Ideas man thanks for the advice
 
Yeah sounds like an awesome hunt! Last year I went on 8 consecutive hunts without seeing a deer which is crazy for where I hunt. Was super down and then bam at 4:15pm on November 12th shot my biggest to date. This year tagged out early on my PA buck but we've been having trouble finding doe as of late. Been seeing a lot of buck this year so just sticking with it. Its weird hunting the "rut" for doe but this time of year is just too exciting to not go out. Even though I can't shoot another buck its still so fun being out there and always seeing something new

Good luck to all as it seems to be good right now!
 
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