Gone nocturnal already?

[DeerCamp]

I talked to the wildlife manager for the unit I hunt in OK.

He is an avid hunter as well, and says every indication they have seen is that the normal rut pattern is delayed 7-10 days. Been a weird year, but no idea if that would translate here.

We just started seeing scrapes in the last few days, and it seems like in past years that was more towards the middle of October.

 

[tellico4x4]

Picked up a couple new ones yesterday in daylight.

 

[BSK]

Picked up a couple new ones yesterday in daylight.

Very cool! Hoping to see that when I check cameras tomorrow.

 

[BSK]

I don't believe bucks go nocturnal. Sure, they might not move as far during day hours, but no way a deer can lay down before daylight and not get up til dark.
You just have to get close to their bedding area this time of year.

You are correct. I believe what most are seeing (or not seeing) when they say bucks have "gone nocturnal" is that the bucks are avoiding areas they normally travel during daylight and only visiting those locations at night. But bucks never become truly nocturnal. Some really good studies done by Miss St with GPS-collared bucks found that once hunting pressure increases, bucks still stay on their feet and cover the same amount of ground every day, but their route become highly convoluted under hunting pressure. What that means is they are taking a very twisted, convoluted route to move across the landscape, staying in think cover instead of just walking the fastest route from Point A to B. And this process happens fast! about 2-3 days after pressure begins.

Even if I didn't know what date MZ season opened in a given year, I could easily tell by looking at that year's trail-camera pictures. Locations like food plots and scrapes, as well as open hardwood forest travel routes, will go from primarily daytime activity to virtually all nighttime activity within 48 hours of MZ season opening.