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Weather got em going

dogmatik

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2002
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2,314
Location
Lakeland, Fl
Have not had a pic in days and today has been nonstop.
Even had a tree fall!
 

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Pestering or real chasing?

I had pics 3 days ago of what appeared to be a doe in estrous, being followed/chased by a fully mature buck. But have mostly just been seeing pestering by younger bucks.
I've seen a couple of chases on video that look like the "real deal," but the majority of does are still running scared. I'm also not seeing the behavior of does I expect to see just as they come into estrus. Over the years I've been running video on my trail-cameras, I've noticed that about 5 days before does really going into estrus, they will switch their attention at scrapes from the over-hanging limb to the scrape itself. All of sudden does are at scrapes with their noses buried in the scrape itself. They will stand for several minutes, sniffing and tasting the dirt of the scrape. This is a sure sign estrus is about to happen in a few days. I have not seen that behavior much yet.
 
I've seen a couple of chases on video that look like the "real deal," but the majority of does are still running scared. I'm also not seeing the behavior of does I expect to see just as they come into estrus. Over the years I've been running video on my trail-cameras, I've noticed that about 5 days before does really going into estrus, they will switch their attention at scrapes from the over-hanging limb to the scrape itself. All of sudden does are at scrapes with their noses buried in the scrape itself. They will stand for several minutes, sniffing and tasting the dirt of the scrape. This is a sure sign estrus is about to happen in a few days. I have not seen that behavior much yet.

FWIW, I saw my target buck locked down with a doe this morning. He wouldn't leave her and wasn't trying to get away. No other deer. Just the two of them. As of a couple days ago my scrapes have dried up and "cruising" is on pause. That tells me it's lockdown enmasse. That said I still see groups of adult does with fawns as of midnight last night. I suspect it's going to break loose crazy next day or two once hot does get scarce.

This is in southern Ohio. It's usually a week or 10 days ahead of the same type activity I see in Coffee County TN. The biggest difference between the two places is that TN's activity seems a little more drawn out, on again off again. Here in Ohio it's pretty defined.
 
I've seen a couple of chases on video that look like the "real deal," but the majority of does are still running scared. I'm also not seeing the behavior of does I expect to see just as they come into estrus. Over the years I've been running video on my trail-cameras, I've noticed that about 5 days before does really going into estrus, they will switch their attention at scrapes from the over-hanging limb to the scrape itself. All of sudden does are at s
Screenshot_20231103_084121_Reveal.jpg
crapes with their noses buried in the scrape itself. They will stand for several minutes, sniffing and tasting the dirt of the scrape. This is a sure sign estrus is about to happen in a few days. I have not seen that behavior much yet.
Yesterday, nose in the scrape
 

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