Late Rut?

[TN RDG RNR]

What is the latest you have you seen a buck chasing?

Really nice buck mounting a doe in Rhea County this morning.

 

[Hunter 257W]

The latest I've ever seen was about January 15 in middle Franklin county.

 

[ZachMarkus]

Sunday I saw a huge buck pushing a doe across a cow pasture.

 

[Roost 1]

Last year around March 10th.... He was with her step for step.

 

[BSK]

Easter.

The question is, how many conceptions occur from these late breedings? From what I have seen in fetal conception date studies, very few.

 

[PillsburyDoughboy]

Easter.

The question is, how many conceptions occur from these late breedings? From what I have seen in fetal conception date studies, very few.

While I don't have any "biological data" to back this up...I tend to agree with this. There simply are not that many late conception deer floating around in Tn. Most of the yearling I have seen over my 30+ years seem to be mostly on track for a Early to mid November Breeding cycle for the most part. I am sure there have been exceptions but a late breeding cycle is not the norm.

 

[BSK]

Easter.

The question is, how many conceptions occur from these late breedings? From what I have seen in fetal conception date studies, very few.

While I don't have any "biological data" to back this up...I tend to agree with this. There simply are not that many late conception deer floating around in Tn. Most of the yearling I have seen over my 30+ years seem to be mostly on track for a Early to mid November Breeding cycle for the most part. I am sure there have been exceptions but a late breeding cycle is not the norm.

I suspect anyone who has deer hunted in TN for a decade or more will have seen a spotted fawn in November, so late conceptions DO occur. However, I also believe late conceptions are far more rare than the OBSERVED late chasing/tending suggests. In every study I've seen, including with penned deer, from 5 to 10% of adult females never conceive, no matter how many times they are bred. Some female deer are barren just as some human women cannot conceive. However, most of these barren does still enter estrus, and are chased and bred, often multiple times during their 24-48 hour estrus period. Yet because they are incapable of conceiving, they keep coming back into estrus every 28-30 days throughout the winter months and even into the spring months. I believe these chases/tendings are what most of us are seeing in March and even into early April. The doe IS in estrus, and will be bred, but she will not produce a fawn from this late breeding.

 

[EastTNHunter]

I know that I have seen an uptick in deer killed on the highway the past week or so. I have no idea if this is tied or not

 

[Winchester]

I saw 2 bucks tending a doe first day of May a few yrs back, bot in hard antler, one a mature heavy horned buck and the other a 4 pt yearling. Likely nothing came of it but it was bizarre!

 

[BSK]

I saw 2 bucks tending a doe first day of May a few yrs back, bot in hard antler, one a mature heavy horned buck and the other a 4 pt yearling. Likely nothing came of it but it was bizarre!

Wow, that's crazy!

 

[Mike Belt]

I could be completely wrong but I think there's more late breeding going on now than many of the biologists give credit for and much more than when deer numbers were lower.

 

[rem270]

If they're like me they stay in rut yr round