A fourth rut?

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BSK

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Nashville, TN
I don't have my cameras up anymore, but I've noticed a suspicious surge in dead deer on interstate (I-40 west of Nashville). This year, every time I saw a surge in buck-doe chases, it corresponded with a surge in freeway roadkill. In addition, this is exactly 4 months from the initial spike in chasing in very late October. We also saw surges of chasing and roadkill in late November and late December.
 
There were ten/twelve deer running everywhere around in circles and what not here behind the house two days ago. At first, I just thought they had "the zoomies" in the cold weather. Then I started hearing grunting and a much larger, obviously a buck harassing them. No antlers on the grunting chaser.
 
Nothing would surprise me this year. All my cameras are pulled. Haven't seen anything behind the house but that doesn't mean anything really.
 
Had a buck chasong a doe fawn yesterday
 

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BSK said:
I don't have my cameras up anymore, but I've noticed a suspicious surge in dead deer on interstate (I-40 west of Nashville). This year, every time I saw a surge in buck-doe chases, it corresponded with a surge in freeway roadkill. In addition, this is exactly 4 months from the initial spike in chasing in very late October. We also saw surges of chasing and roadkill in late November and late December.
Click to expand...
Maybe they are just looking for food...
 
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I seen a decent 8 hot on a doe just the other night and thought it a little bit odd for them to be chasing still this late.
 
Last year I had a sequence of pictures from 2/24 with 2 different 4.5yo's tending a doe. That was the latest I have ever captured. Interesting thing... neither of those 2 bucks were bucks we ever had on camera before.... or since....

until late December this year when one of them showed back up and we killed him.
 
Same with the road salt idea. However I am getting reports of chasing observed last week far from roads.
 
BigAl texted me a couple of weeks ago and said he had a doe in his back yard that looked like she was about to drop a fawn. If that's the case, when would she have been bred?
 
With the spotted fawns we had on camera in November 2025, I'd expect a 5th rut around March 1. Our group had pics of spotted fawns this year in November across SW TN, on various farms in several counties. Example below, spotted fawn trying to nurse on Thanksgiving Day. Apologize for pixelated photo. I zoomed in and cropped and lost resolution and detail.

IMG_5071.webp
 
Last edited:
BSK said:
I don't have my cameras up anymore, but I've noticed a suspicious surge in dead deer on interstate (I-40 west of Nashville). This year, every time I saw a surge in buck-doe chases, it corresponded with a surge in freeway roadkill. In addition, this is exactly 4 months from the initial spike in chasing in very late October. We also saw surges of chasing and roadkill in late November and late December.
Click to expand...
Still running 13 cell cams.

Have not seen any evidence of chasing on those cams since early January.

I'll keep you posted.
 
I'd say the answer is "D - all the above". Bucks will hound any doe in heat and does have fawns late into summer so apparently they're being bred late in winter. Also fresh salt on roads. Also temperature is always a few degrees warmer at road edge and vehicle exhaust pumps out high concentrations of carbon, which amplify vegetation growth and nutritional value. Lots of reasons for deer to be near roads this time of year.
 
Andy S. said:
With the spotted fawns we had on camera in November 2025, I'd expect a 5th rut around March 1. Our group had pics of spotted fawns this year in November across SW TN, on various farms in several counties. Example below, spotted fawn trying to nurse on Thanksgiving Day. Apologize for pixelated photo. I zoomed in and cropped and loss resolution and detail.

View attachment 311520
Click to expand...
Another reason does should not be shot in November
 
Buddy in TN went out today to pull several cams. I suspect it was because today was the first warmish day we have had in a long while, but he saw 40ish does and 18 bucks out feeding.

But there was a solid 3.5 or run down 4.5yo that was actively chasing a doe, and 2 younger bucks sparring.

90% of bucks still have both antlers
 
I saw a large 8 point chasing a doe a couple days ago. They crossed right in front of my truck in my driveway. I was shocked to see that behavior at this time of year.

He was chasing her across an open pasture and into woods.

Where they crossed was over 1/2 mile from any road.

I'm in Lincoln County.
 
backyardtndeer said:
Same here, still have 6 cams out. Bucks were grouped back up early January. No chasing on cameras.

Deer here are hungry.
Click to expand...
And that may be it. This sudden surge in road kills may simply be deer searching for food sources when the ground is covered by ice and snow. I am hearing of a dramatic increase in road kills even in parts of the state that did NOT see the weird rut patterns this year.

Thanks for the camera info backyardtndeer.
 
BSK said:
And that may be it. This sudden surge in road kills may simply be deer searching for food sources when the ground is covered by ice and snow. I am hearing of a dramatic increase in road kills even in parts of the state that did NOT see the weird rut patterns this year.

Thanks for the camera info backyardtndeer.
Click to expand...
My 20 year old daughter hasn't driven much on the ice crap, so we went for a ride Sunday about 2 pm for her to get some good practice. We had a group of does just off the shoulder, about to cross headed out of the timber in the bottom towards a field across the road. Had we been just 15 to 30 seconds later, they very likely would have been in the road.
 

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