whats the latest you have seen chasing?

[FARMTOFIELD]

Just furious as of how it differs from one part of the state to the other.

In my area I have seen hard chasing from the first of November and the latest I have seen is February 17th.
My uncle swears that he seen 6 hornless bucks butting heads and boxing trying to mount a doe on the opening day of turkey season and he will not lie about it.

 

[caveman]

I just made a post under the topic " Who hunts ". Yesterday morning around 1100 saw a huge 8-10 point chasing two does aggressively. The doe's were running like greyhound. this was a chase my friend. First aggressive one I have seen this year. I hunt in Hardeman County close to Bolivar, TN.

 

[volunteer1]

Been very wierd for me this year.I've logged some good hours in the woods this year and have not seen any chaising. The bucks that ive seen have been cruising by themselves or just out nibbling. Evenmore strange I have not seen any does the past 5 hunts ive been on this past weekend through last week.THis is odd because the certain farm is usually rampid with does.Just small bucks andthat 3.5 year old buck I shot Saturday.

 

[Elmer]

Late January in montgumery co. Also I found a newborn baby fawn still with afterbirth on the ground in early September while scouting. So that would have been a fawn conceived in February/March? That was in sumner co 3 years ago.

 

[drawforce]

ive seen chasing in february too.Last year the guys that hunt everyday next to my office missed a day two days before Christmas and i saw the biggest 8 and a good 10 point chase all morning.dont give up.

 

[caveman]

I am not seeing the number of does right now as earlier in the season. It is like they have separated much like the bucks have. Traditionally I hardly ever see a single does but more in bunches of 3-8 at a time. My theory is with the over abundance of does the estrus cycle will run through March making the actual Rut prolonged. This results in less aggressive behavior by the Bucks since does come into estrus periodically vs all at one time or within a typically 3 week period. that is why in October many does still have yearlings with them. I have Turkey hunted in April and still find the occassional buck with antlers running through woods.

 

[TheRealSpurhunter]

Two weeks after season ended about 6-7 years ago. Went in to retrieve stands and watched a big 8 point running a group of does all over the field, he then ran off a six point. I have a video of that somewhere in my stash, need to find it and post it.

 

[Winchester]

My uncle swears that he seen 6 hornless bucks butting heads and boxing trying to mount a doe on the opening day of turkey season and he will not lie about it.

Sounds like he may have possibly saw a Doe family group, as they will box and mount each other, show of dominance is whats being displayed?

 

[FARMTOFIELD]

My uncle swears that he seen 6 hornless bucks butting heads and boxing trying to mount a doe on the opening day of turkey season and he will not lie about it.

Sounds like he may have possibly saw a Doe family group, as they will box and mount each other, show of dominance is whats being displayed?

No he said the 6 all had bloody nubs from having shed antlers, one would mount the doe and another would butt him off and fight and try to mount himself.

 

[Jmed]

Ive seen it the last weekend of the season the past 2 years. My friend killed a 140" ten the last day of the season 4 years ago. This is all in Putnam co.

A friend of mine is on stand now in the mountains of Marion Co. And said that they are running like rabbits. Seen 4 different bucks chasing a doe so far....his buddy killed a mature buck yesterday morning.

 

[easy45]

into February

 

[knightrider]

i have seen breeding as late as second week in march, no biggie with our numbers so out of whack here an occasional doe gets by until feb or march before a buck catches up to her

 

[ttf909]

april

 

[deerhunter10]

early jan

 

[barkscaler]

Watched two bucks,still with horns,chase a doe in late April a few years ago.I also seen a nomore than a few days old fawn last February.I go till the last day cause you never know.

 

[BSK]

My theory is with the over abundance of does the estrus cycle will run through March making the actual Rut prolonged.

A severely skewed adult sex ratio absolutely can draw out the rut over a long period of time, producing a "trickle rut." However, I doubt anywhere in TN has such a terrible adult sex ratio. About the worst I know of in TN would be in the 2.0 to 2.5 does per buck range, and that isn't skewed enough to cause a long drawn-out trickle rut.

This results in less aggressive behavior by the Bucks since does come into estrus periodically vs all at one time or within a typically 3 week period.

A "typical" tightly timed rut actually takes 5-6 weeks to get 95+% of the does bred.

...that is why in October many does still have yearlings with them.

Does still having their fawns with them (and even yearling bucks born the previous year) in October is normal.

I have Turkey hunted in April and still find the occassional buck with antlers running through woods.

Bucks still carrying their antlers in April is an excellent sign. Healthy bucks should carry their antlers into March, with many still carrying antlers in April. If the majority of bucks are losing their antlers before March, that's the sign of a nutritionally/physically stressed buck population.

 

[BSK]

My uncle swears that he seen 6 hornless bucks butting heads and boxing trying to mount a doe on the opening day of turkey season and he will not lie about it.

Although your uncle's observation sounds like he something "bad," what he actually witnessed was normal behavior in deer. In spring, a buck's body will produce a brief surge of testosterone to force his old antlers off and begin growing his new set of antlers. This usually occurs in April in TN. But this necessary surge of testosterone has unintended consequences--it makes bucks suddenly act "rutty" again. It is easy to find when this situation occurs in your local area by watching for scrapes to suddenly re-opened (usually in early to mid-April). In addition, bucks will briefly begin to chase does again. It is this surge of testosterone production and the ensuing influence it has on buck behavior that is the cause of most of the "I saw a buck chasing does" or "I just found a fresh scrape" stories that will appear every year on this site during April. It isn't a sign of a long, drawn out rut; it is just a sign of the normal antlergenesis process underway.

In fact, your uncle's description of the bucks having just lost their antlers (bloody stumps) is right on the money. The surge of testosterone not only made the bucks chase does, it caused their antlers to have just fallen off, which is exactly what the spring-season testosterone surge is intended to accomplish.

 

[BSK]

Although seeing bucks chasing does late into winter is usually thought of as a bad sign (and seeing A LOT of chasing in winter [in TN] is a bad sign), some chasing into winter is normal.

Not all does can conceive. Just as some human women cannot conceive, some female deer cannot conceive (due to any number of problems). However, often does that can't conceive CAN go into heat. Hence, these does will come into heat every 28-30 days from the fall months all the way until spring. And they are getting bred each time. However, they are unable to conceive and will cycle back into heat again.

The percent of does unable to conceive varies with each study, but a good average is around 5%. That means that approximately 1 out of every 20 does is unable to conceive. So if your hunting area holds at least 20 does, odds are you have a doe around that can't conceive and will cycle into heat over and over until spring. Observing the occasional chase in winter is not out of the ordinary at all, and isn't necessarily a bad sign.

 

[in the dog house]

Seen it in late Feb here every year since I have been in west Tn.

 

[Bone Collector]

I saw two fawns on Oct. 9th with spots. i would assume they were bred later in the year than Nov.

I have seen one chase on the Nov.9th. a 4 pt running a doe ragged. that same morning had a spike trailing a doe. front came in on Tuesday and it was cold Wednesday the 13th. I thought I had picked perfectly for my 2 days off. I saw nothing but small bucks wandering around. Its like someone turned the switch off.

Have not seen but one scrape all year. Saw a bunch of rubs pop up in Oct and now they are popping up again.

 

[FARMTOFIELD]

My uncle swears that he seen 6 hornless bucks butting heads and boxing trying to mount a doe on the opening day of turkey season and he will not lie about it.

Although your uncle's observation sounds like he something "bad," what he actually witnessed was normal behavior in deer. In spring, a buck's body will produce a brief surge of testosterone to force his old antlers off and begin growing his new set of antlers. This usually occurs in April in TN. But this necessary surge of testosterone has unintended consequences--it makes bucks suddenly act "rutty" again. It is easy to find when this situation occurs in your local area by watching for scrapes to suddenly re-opened (usually in early to mid-April). In addition, bucks will briefly begin to chase does again. It is this surge of testosterone production and the ensuing influence it has on buck behavior that is the cause of most of the "I saw a buck chasing does" or "I just found a fresh scrape" stories that will appear every year on this site during April. It isn't a sign of a long, drawn out rut; it is just a sign of the normal antlergenesis process underway.

In fact, your uncle's description of the bucks having just lost their antlers (bloody stumps) is right on the money. The surge of testosterone not only made the bucks chase does, it caused their antlers to have just fallen off, which is exactly what the spring-season testosterone surge is intended to accomplish.

Great explanation bsk! Makes total since

 

[bowriter]

Opening day of spring turkey season- two different times. Last year was the last time. Saw a six still hot on a young doe.

 

[FARMTOFIELD]

Although seeing bucks chasing does late into winter is usually thought of as a bad sign (and seeing A LOT of chasing in winter [in TN] is a bad sign), some chasing into winter is normal.

Not all does can conceive. Just as some human women cannot conceive, some female deer cannot conceive (due to any number of problems). However, often does that can't conceive CAN go into heat. Hence, these does will come into heat every 28-30 days from the fall months all the way until spring. And they are getting bred each time. However, they are unable to conceive and will cycle back into heat again.

The percent of does unable to conceive varies with each study, but a good average is around 5%. That means that approximately 1 out of every 20 does is unable to conceive. So if your hunting area holds at least 20 does, odds are you have a doe around that can't conceive and will cycle into heat over and over until spring. Observing the occasional chase in winter is not out of the ordinary at all, and isn't necessarily a bad sign.

Do you think not having the stress of giving birth will make these does live longer?

 

[BSK]

Do you think not having the stress of giving birth will make these does live longer?

Live longer? Hard to say. But be much larger in body than other does? Absolutely. Raising a fawn is very physically stressful/draining on does.

 

[bowriter]

So is grandkids on grandmothers.

 

[FARMTOFIELD]

Do you think not having the stress of giving birth will make these does live longer?

Live longer? Hard to say. But be much larger in body than other does? Absolutely. Raising a fawn is very physically stressful/draining on does.

That's what I was kinda getting at, maybe without 3 years of fawn bearing might not drag them down to give them a couple more years ( provided they aren't killed by anything other than natural causes)