With all of the questions about the rut I thought I'd post BSK's rut info...predicting it and when it happens...hope you don't mind BSK...here ya go....

Every year new users of TNdeer post this question. And unfortunately, it's a virtually impossible question to answer since the peak of the rut will be different in different locations (although for most of TN it will be somewhere from the beginning of November until mid-December). The "peak of the rut" refers to the 10-14 day window when 50+% of breeding occurs, the most likely time for hunters to see chasing/rutting behavior. Even in balanced herds, the entire breeding process takes 5-6 weeks to complete, but there will usually be a two week window when the majority of the breeding occurs, and that window is usually towards the front-end of the breeding process.

The only way to ascertain when the actual peak of the rut occurred is to kill many does in late winter and back-date their fetuses to conception dates. However, since we cannot legally kill a bunch of does in late winter, we are left with looking for anecdotal means of determining when the peak of the rut is occurring on a given property. Although environmental conditions (weather/moon conditions) can fool hunters into thinking the peak of the rut is occurring when it isn't (sudden favorable changes in weather and/or moon conditions can push nocturnal breeding activity into the daylight hours where hunters will see it, whether or not the rut is peaking), by tracking specific observations over several years, a fairly accurate picture of the local peak of the rut can be determined.

Here are some the anecdotal observations I use to track peak breeding times:

1) Scraping--scraping peaks just before breeding starts in earnest, but once actual breeding peaks, scrapes appear to go dead. The leaves will not be cleared from the scrapes for 5-7 days. Trail-cameras will show bucks still visiting these scrapes, but these bucks will usually be young, subordinate bucks and they do not paw the scrape, just work the over-hanging limb. From my observations, scrapes suddenly going dead for close to a week has been one of the best predictors of peak breeding over the years.

2) "Orphaned/Lost" fawns--as a doe approaches estrus, often she will chase her fawns away and keep them away for the 24-48 hours she is in estrus. Suddenly observing apparently "orphaned" fawns acting "lost" is usually a very good indicator their mother is in estrus. During the peak of the rut I have actully had "lost" fawns run right up to me in the woods, bleating and mewing like a kitten. I guess they are hoping I'm momma!

3) True estrus chases--this is the toughest one because many hunters don't understand the difference between pestering chases and true estrus chases. Many animal species have ritualized mating "dances," and whitetailed deer are no different. A buck trying to breed an estrus doe will perform a series of ritualized behaviors in response to the doe's estrus behavior. A true estrus chase is not a flat-out chase through the woods, but a slow "dance" where the doe trots ahead, stops, waits for the buck to catch up to her, and then again trots ahead a short distance where the whole process is repeated. In turn, the buck follows at a walk or very slow trot, with head down and often grunting softly with every few steps. This ritualized dance is very different than the flat-out, full-tilt buck-doe chases that usually occur just before the peak of the rut (in fact, these flat-out chases are a good indicator the peak of the rut is close).



For each property you hunt, if you will record the date of each of these anecdotal peak-breeding observations you experience, over several years you should find there is a pattern to them, with specific date ranges coming up year after year. This can help you plan future hunting trips to that particular property to catch the peak of the rut, as the peak of the rut should fall close to the same dates every year in a given location.
_________________________
"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face." Mike Tyson

Dean Business Supply, Llc

http://www.adam4d.com