False rut

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BSK

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Anyone in Middle TN who hunts an area with an early rut seeing a false rut yet?

Definitely showed up on trail-camera on my place. Happens most years on my place between Oct. 9-15, and my cameras showed an explosion of daylight buck activity and older bucks making their first scrapes the 9th through the 11th (so far).
 
Pictures of bucks working scrapes from the last two days, and I got a BUNCH of pictures just like this from Thursday and Friday night:



 
I really don't know much about it...what exactly is the false rut? Is it brought on by shorter or cooler days? Testosterone? Do all deer typically participate?
 
Boll Weevil said:
I really don't know much about it...what exactly is the false rut? Is it brought on by shorter or cooler days? Testosterone? Do all deer typically participate?
Click to expand...

Many areas that have a tightly timed rut see a "false" rut exactly one month prior to the real rut. No one knows if this false rut is even real (an actual biological cause), but it is seen in so many locations that it is suspected of being caused by does' bodies producing a slight surge in reproductive hormones one monthly cycle before they actually go into estrus.

I don't see it every year on my place, but I probably see it 2 out of every 3 years.
 
BSK said:
Anyone in Middle TN who hunts an area with an early rut seeing a false rut yet?
Click to expand...
I haven't checked any cams in past week, and am mainly focused on finishing up a few more plots now before it's too late. Hopefully can check some cams in the coming week. I do expect to see some good scrape activity. :)
 
Scrapes exploded at my place during the last week Wes. Went from virtually none to probably 3 or 4 dozen. And it appears most of them were opened Thursday and Friday night.
 
I was thankfully informed by a gentleman on a bicycle at the gas station in sun bright that the deer are in full on rut. I did NOT, however, offer any cash in exchange for this valuable information.

Other than that, no evidence here in Morgan co.
 
JCDEERMAN said:
Next weekend will be 3 weeks since I checked cams. Can't wait to get them over mock/real scrapes
Click to expand...

I had placed a couple of camera over traditional scrapes that hadn't been opened yet this year. That's how I got the scrape pictures I did.
 
I don't know about a false rut but where I had made one mock scrape over 2 weeks ago which turned into 2 scrapes last week has know turned into about 6 that I can see from my mock scrape. This has got me hooked... I made a few more yesterday afternoon...


Here are a couple that are working the licking branches


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This guys standing in a scrape they made on the tree the dang cameras on!

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Fresh scrape galore on my place in eastern Fentress county. I also have the biggest scrape I've ever seen in person, it must be 6 feet in diameter.
 
13th-14th some false signs for sure. I dont know about today I didnt get in the woods.
 
BSK said:
JCDEERMAN said:
Next weekend will be 3 weeks since I checked cams. Can't wait to get them over mock/real scrapes
Click to expand...

I had placed a couple of camera over traditional scrapes that hadn't been opened yet this year. That's how I got the scrape pictures I did.
Click to expand...

i havent seen many scrapes yet, though i havent been to our place in 3 weeks. i usually get my mock scrapes going around mid october, but havent had a chance yet. i so wish i got them out his past weekend, as i anticipate this cooler spell on thursday evening to drive them to the scrapes. i do however have a camera over a traditional sign post rub. i suspect there will be something on there. i will be placing all my cams on all my scrapes i usually get pics and THATS what im excited about!
 

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