Choccolocco rut

Seems like it's on right now. Seen 2 great bucks on fb and others commenting on seeing deer and lots of scrapes. I cant wait for this weekend and the early gun hunt. Who else is going?

That place ought to have some good hunting this season with all the timber that was cut in spring.

It's VERY isolated and scattered right now. I too have seen the pics, heard the stories, but I live 10 mins from it and hunt it a lot (went this afternoon), and I talk to lots of folks who do the same, and the "rutting" activity is needle in a haystack quite honestly. Those folks have just got lucky and found the right spot (out of nearly 57,000 acres) where something was happening. And I think both of those good bucks (I know for 100% one of them was) were killed on the Bains Gap refuge mountain. I spent hours walking Friday afternoon and only found ONE little dim roadbed out the top of a ridge that had some scrapes. Biggest problem you're gonna have right now is the leaves are still on the trees and you can't see crap for distance.

You can try and keep it on the down low but I'm still going baby. Been the last 3 years and it's getting better every year. I'm gonna try and go again on another gun hunt. Several were killed last year on the early gun hunt and I lost/missed a stud. Still dont know what happened but that deer was hit, didnt bleed a drop that i could find but was a stud and his buddy wasnt bad either. If nothing else its gets folks in a tree with their rifle a little early and that's worth the drive to me. Good luck guys

Yea Jeff, keep it on the down low... your 10 minutes away, and have hunted it for 20+ years, he’s 2 hours away and on his 3rd season. WTH you know!!! 🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️ 🤣🤣🤣🤣. Smh just smh......

I was out yesterday and what I seen matches what Ikillbux is saying. Seen one scrape, seen a couple does but it’s just starting. I’m trying my best to take off for the muzzloader week personally but so far it seems like the stars are trying to align against me on that. May just have to hurt some feelings.:)

I'll probably go Sunday. I have a lil spot on B I like.

243win, just because you had a chance at a stud last year, doesn't make this year a slam dunk. Slow your roll and listen to people who hunt it regular. BTW, if 2 studs were together, I doubt the rut was on when you shot him last year, unless they were both chasing a doe.

I can see Chocolocco from my front porch. I still have does coming to my feeder with their button bucks. There’s also a small 7 point still hanging with them. You’re still a few weeks away. Thanksgiving is usually when they get going.

I have hunted this place all my life and i can tell you that the rut is in full during Thanksgiving!!!!!!!

Wait a minute! There’s a rifle hunt this weekend! I’m bringing all my buddies and we’re gonna do man drives all day 😂

Dang guys sorry I get a little excited about deer hunting. I'll be there friday to scout a few spots and find out for myself. And btw I'm 2 hours and 8 minutes away lol

You better call a brutha!!!!! I'm in

It's all in fun! But I am being 101% serious, it wouldn't just floor me to see some "following", and the occasional scrape isn't unusual, but it's Thanksgiving to First couple of days of December really. Most of my places I like to gun hunt up there, I'm usually sitting on one ridge and looking at the sides of other ridges across from me, or maybe way out into a cutover, and right now you can't see NOTHING!!!!! I seriously couldn't hunt anything I normally like to, I''m having to scramble around and find some place I could actually see any distance with these leaves still on the trees. I hate gun hunting in a 50 yard circle

😎

When checking in / getting daily permit. Do you have to use a kiosk that is in the zone open that day? Or can you use any kiosk. Trying to figure a way not to drive all over hell checking in and getting to my spot.

Any kiosk

I went back up there around 1:00 today and scouted till dark, and I mean I almost covered every corner of zone A. There's a little more buck sign than I found last weekend, but I still didn't see anything that made me think I could kill a deer that Saturday. Just some scattered scrapes that looked a few days old, bunch of little rubs.

So you covered 25,000 acres in 4 hours? Man you need to be in the Olympics. Zone A is the steeper zone, you probably sore as hell this morning. LOL

Not exactly

I just made a couple of big loops in a couple of places about as far apart in zone A as you could. I wasted most of the time in that first place....second place had more/better sign, but it got dark and started raining pretty heavy before I could really see all I wanted to see.

checking in

They’re not rutting there yet. Left my house at 4am this morning and saw the same pile of does in our neighborhood. They still had all their yearlings, including 2 button bucks. The screwed up 1.5 year old 7 point was still with them too. Give it a few weeks and it will be on!!

Checked 3 areas yesterday and found 4 scrapes and 7 rubs. Nothing like last year. This morning I've seen 5 does. 2 from my left and 3 from the right. I have heard alot of shots so far so maybe someone has gotten a good one

Any deer killed today?

A guy killed a 7 with a very questionable brow according to one man I spoke with. Several bucks have been seen and small bucks pushing does is what I was told at the restaurant last night

I haven’t heard any shots today but I may be to far from everyone

I havent either. Seen 2 does this morning then a basket rack buck not far behind them. Couldnt tell if he was legal but he was very young either way

Ended up killing a 8pt shortly after I posted. When I checked him out this afternoon he was the 5th deer killed today

Post some pics mackdaddy. I wanted to get up there but just had to much going on yesterday. Sounds like a good day!

Congrats. I'd like to see the pic as well

I hunted Zone B on the 10th. I did see 1 buck, which I would assume was a 4 pt. I could only see his left side as he came in front of me in the creek bottom then walked uphill directly in front of me. So I could only see 2 points on his left, so I guess he could have been a 6 if I could have seen his brow tines. I was sitting high on the ridge so I couldn't see him until he walked up the hill. However I heard him coming cos he stepped on like a rock and made a loud pop.. Deer aren't always that quiet lol

After seeing him there were 3 rapid shots N of him and 2 shots in different locations S of me. I believe the check station said there were 5 taken before I checked out around 1p.m.

Will be hunting thru the 21st for the BP hunt which coincides with the Talladega Nat Forest (buck/doe) ending the 22nd.

First deer of the year for me, 8pt, this morning around 9. Got him to come to 20yds DH from me and we had a starring contest. I had hold the scope on him for about 1min straight without flinching lol and I did it..
He never spooked. He turned and went left of me the way he came in and was searching for the Tinks69 I had hanging. He initially came looking for the doe that was making estrus calls cos I had JUST made one, looked over there and his head moved as he was looking right in my direction but couldn't seed me.
Boom went the smoke pole and he crashed downhill about 50 yds... he was dead before he stopped falling, kicked about twice and all was over.

I tried dragging him out, went about 50yds and was about to die!!! He was in the creek bottom and only high ridges around to get up to the clear cut.

I walked to the truck hoping to get help which I got from a little younger feller. It took both of us almost an hour to get it back to the truck. I gave him $20 for helping me out and we were both about done.

I have pics but no third party platform.

Awesome man. Congrats

They were burning Choccolocco around Bains Gap yesterday.

Thanks. Btw, we had to drag 797 yds to get him to the truck, about 100 yds uphill first then most of the rest over where they had cut in 2016. Still lots of limbs lying all over.

Also for note, the area between Chocolloco Rd and Bains Gap is no longer part of the WMA! The land was sold to the State I believe the GW said. See map for exact locations.
I used to hunt that area a lot and this sinks. I didn't realize this until opening day when I was headed into the woods only to find the gate closed. So I went over to the check station on Hwy 9 and found out.