Rut in Giles county , Virginia?????

[vortex]

Just curious , my son will be going to Virginia tech university next year and we are both avid bow hunters . Just curious if anyone can tell me about when the rut is in that area??? Thanks .


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[Q_Sertorius]

Just curious , my son will be going to Virginia tech university next year and we are both avid bow hunters . Just curious if anyone can tell me about when the rut is in that area??? Thanks .


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In nearby Tazewell County, the rut usually coincides with rifle season. I hunted nearly every day in November last year. I observed peak rutting activity on November 22-25. On the morning of November 25, around 7:00, I was walking past one of my doe bed down spots when I found three mature bucks chasing each other and the does. I shot one of them.

Edit - I checked my OnX notes. Since 2021, every buck I have killed in Tazewell County died between 11/14 and 11/28. That coincides with rifle season (which is when I hunt the most). My notes about whether they were with does cluster between 11/22 and 11/25.

Last year was exceptional in that I hunted all of early muzzleloader season and the first nine days of rifle season. All the bucks I saw during muzzleloader season were solo. I killed a buck on 11/14 with my muzzleloader. I did not observe heavy rut activity until 11/22. I tagged out on 11/25.


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[brancher147]

November

 

[UKwildcatfan]

November

 

[Swamppirate]

I hunt both Craig and Giles. USUALLY the second and third week of November is the rut range.
Good luck, the deer population is down. Maybe the National Forest service will finally discover clear cutting and controlled burning is needed to help the deer.

 

[112Savage]

I hunt in western wythe county and rut starts with small bucks chasing around the 9-13th and big bucks are usually moving the 14th to thanksgiving. Last year our big bucks were killed between the 10th and the 17th.

 

[fatlander]

The vast majority of does are bread between November 15 and 17th. That date doesn’t ever really change. Hunters observing rutting behavior (seeking and chasing) is extremely variable. If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around, it doesn’t make a sound.

Cold fronts around Halloween through November 12th have been my most productive “rut” sits in Virginia. There’s enough does cycling in that bucks are cruising hard looking for them, but there’s not enough does in estrous that the bucks are locked down with them. The 13th-20th seems to be very locked down in my experience over the years. There’s never a bad time to be in the woods in November, a giant can be on his feet in daylight at anytime.


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[Dryfly1]

I own Property in Giles but spend most of my time in Craig. Over the years I have taken 4 bucks over the 160" mark. All have died between the 13th and the 16th of November. All have been following does. That said, I get in a tree at every opportunity late October thru December

 

[K9kodi]

This year the first sat of Nov is muzzleloader opener till the 14. Giles county shows Nov 14-Dec 15 for rifle. For whatever reason I recall muzzleloader last year coming in second weekend of nov and that 2nd week of nov into Dec was always hot. Now it looks like rifle will drop right in the heat of the rut

 

[Bodycamp13]

Just curious , my son will be going to Virginia tech university next year and we are both avid bow hunters . Just curious if anyone can tell me about when the rut is in that area??? Thanks .


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In VA, you'll see deer chasing from October to March. Will it be stronger in mid-November, yes. October is the best time to hunt in that area if you are hunting public. There will be tons of people. GO HOKIES!

 

[Swamp Fox]

Just curious , my son will be going to Virginia tech university next year [...]

I'm very sorry for your loss ...







However, on a positive note, the last week of bow season should be good hunting.

 

[Gman12]

In nearby Tazewell County, the rut usually coincides with rifle season. I hunted nearly every day in November last year. I observed peak rutting activity on November 22-25. On the morning of November 25, around 7:00, I was walking past one of my doe bed down spots when I found three mature bucks chasing each other and the does. I shot one of them.

Edit - I checked my OnX notes. Since 2021, every buck I have killed in Tazewell County died between 11/14 and 11/28. That coincides with rifle season (which is when I hunt the most). My notes about whether they were with does cluster between 11/22 and 11/25.

Last year was exceptional in that I hunted all of early muzzleloader season and the first nine days of rifle season. All the bucks I saw during muzzleloader season were solo. I killed a buck on 11/14 with my muzzleloader. I did not observe heavy rut activity until 11/22. I tagged out on 11/25.


____________________
“Keep on keepin’ on…”

I hunt in Tazewell too and your observations are spot on according to my experience. The second week of rifle season has always been the best for me. But I also hunt in SE VA and the peak is earlier with the peak around 11/10-11/15. I think the area around VT would most likely be a little earlier than Tazewell. Go Hokies!