I'm not what I would call a great hunter or wise one but I enjoy doing when I can a learning about it. I have heard it is . The moon phase . The weather. Ive heard it depends on the food that year. I've been told it happens a then it's over. I hunt 3 counties each has been different that I can see with my own eyes . Roan Loudon meigs I've seen chasing by a mature buck in Meigs this year while also still having does grouped saw around a 3.5 chasing in Loudon a still have does grouped. I think even if I haven't seen it my self when bucks start to cruise the first doe has been bred by a mature buck. May be even acouple that don't stay with the groups. I think the older buck or bucks know when the day shorten it's close to breeding time. find probably a mature doe a stay with an Around her a bring her in heat . An have bred weeks before we see prime action younger smell it a raises there test level an it snow balls from there.deer are no different than any other animal an every female is different from dog to cow . Some you can set a clock by some early some late. But the hot part is just the majority that comes in togather. This might be way off but I'd love to here any views
Something to talk about. Do we over think the rut.
- Thread starter dmccallie
- Start date
Setterman
Well-Known Member
Hunt when you can and let the rest sort itself out. I've killed big deer early, late and in the middle. Just enjoy a nice sit in the woods
DoubleRidge
Well-Known Member
Testosterone levels increase as daylight period shorten. Yes weather can effect daytime movement but you can bet the peak breeding will be during the same time period for your area each year. But there are a few does that come in early, a few late, but the majority will be around the same time. Food levels do increase energy and intensity levels, like this year for example, there have been some very active chases going on. As for the moon phase...I look at calendar dates and weather forecast when selecting my limited vacation days no matter what the moon phase is. The rut will happen when its going to happen unless there is some significant, harsh natural event like prolonged extreme drought with zero mast production...we may see a slight delay in breeding dates then... but again, those are rare events. Keep notes of your observations from year to year and you will see patterns. If you really want to deep dive and study various topics on deer...check out MSU deer lab podcast or YouTube videos...there is tons of information and studies they have done over the years that are very interesting and informative.
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deerhunter10
Well-Known Member
No its seat time over most things. Seat time in your best spots. Of course cold weather helps. Just have to hunt.
BSK has posted charts of rut timing that show a bell curve peaking mid November but lasting all season into spring. So yes rut is given maybe too much credit, but it does deserve a lot. Look no further than almost every thread on the front page plus the mill thread to see all the great bucks being harvested in the span of just a few days. That is why rut is given so much credit.
That said, we hunters do tend to think too much in absolutes when we should be thinking more in tendencies. Yes bucks tend to be more visible and less cautious in rut but they still have to eat 365 days per year. I kill about a third of my bucks outside rut, sometimes tagging out before November even rolls around.
I like stacking odds. Every little nugget of absolution or high tendency that repeats can be assembled to see a pattern. No one thing guarantees a kill but an assemblage of things sure increases my odds. And that's really all any of us can do. It's impossible to peg the mind of a wild animal. But being perceptive of their habits and tendencies is as close as we can get.
That said, we hunters do tend to think too much in absolutes when we should be thinking more in tendencies. Yes bucks tend to be more visible and less cautious in rut but they still have to eat 365 days per year. I kill about a third of my bucks outside rut, sometimes tagging out before November even rolls around.
I like stacking odds. Every little nugget of absolution or high tendency that repeats can be assembled to see a pattern. No one thing guarantees a kill but an assemblage of things sure increases my odds. And that's really all any of us can do. It's impossible to peg the mind of a wild animal. But being perceptive of their habits and tendencies is as close as we can get.
Sometimes I know I waaaayy overthink things. Like a gentleman above said, time spent in the woods during November is key. There are so many things that we can't control, that we have to simply gamble on our best odds. The seeking and searching phase (which is going on in my hunting area right now) is my favorite time. Things are a little more under control.
When the hard chasing is going on, it's a crap shoot. Just be in the woods SOMEWHERE. You could be in your stand dressed in white and shaking a tambourine with Yoko Ono music blaring in the background and bucks will chase right over top of you. All bets are off, and getting a good clean shot at one as he's running is the hardest part.
When the hard chasing is going on, it's a crap shoot. Just be in the woods SOMEWHERE. You could be in your stand dressed in white and shaking a tambourine with Yoko Ono music blaring in the background and bucks will chase right over top of you. All bets are off, and getting a good clean shot at one as he's running is the hardest part.
BSK
Well-Known Member
THIS RIGHT HERE! This! This! This!
Either mentally or on paper, keeping track of events can eventually lead to discovering a pattern. Will that pattern guarantee success? Absolutely not. But could that pattern dramatically up your odds? Absolutely yes.
