Doc Posted July 28, 2005 Report Share Posted July 28, 2005 Well, I guess we are all experts on the rut ......... or are we? We all know that there are several phases to the rut, but do we know exactly what activities define the first rutting behavior? There always comes that time of year when a buck is getting restless and the first stirrings of the mating urge start to cause him to move in ways that are not typical of the rest of his patterns. When it first begins, he may not even know what it going on himself. So exactly when does his patterns begin to change? When does his movements actually begin to deviate from his normal feeding and bedding routine? In other words just how early do the first indications of rut really begin? Further, exactly what types of changes officially mark the beginning of rut? Is it the first scrape? Or is it the first time he starts breaking from normal patterns and actually starts showing some signs that he is interested in looking up some does to hang out with? Or is it actually defined by does and their reactions to the bucks? I know there is a lot of sexually based activity that occurs long before the actual successful breeding activity and some of this is lumped in with the term "rut". So, I guess my question is, what defines the rut for you? A secondary question is what is the official definition of rut (according to biologists), that is considered rut activity? Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted July 28, 2005 Report Share Posted July 28, 2005 Re: Rut The rut to me is when the bucks lose their minds. You know, that look they get in their eyes, like they don't care? I could fill a book on what I've seen bucks do in November that I never see in October or December. I guess maybe the best story I can think of right now is 3 years ago I had a hot doe in my neighbor's field (some of you might remember this story). This doe was being tended by 5 bucks. 4 of the bucks were 1.5 year olds, and the boss buck was a 10 pt approaching 140 class. I stalked, crawled and belly crawled on that 140 for 3 hours. At one point I got busted by 3 of the little guys. One of the little guys was a 6pt that walked up to me, probably at less than 10 yards. I was on all fours and we stared at each other for a bit before I tried to wave him off. He didn't budge until I got off my hands and kneeled and waved him off again. 1/2 hour later the big boy busted me, laid the ears back and walked towards me. . He got to within about 45 yards before turning around. 10 minutes later, the hot doe got nervous and took off taking the big boy with her. That buck had rut on his mind. "Official definition of rut?" To be honest, I don't care. As long as I'm able to get out when the deer are running around like crazy, that's all I care abooot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted July 28, 2005 Report Share Posted July 28, 2005 Re: Rut Well Doc to be perfectly honest a biologist defination of the rut doesn't matter to me at all. It goes into depth about rutting type behavoir before and after the does go into heat. What maters to me as a hunter is when the older, mature bucks start showing themselves more often during legal hunting hours. That's what matters to me. Hunter pressure and weather conditions can have an adverse effect on that daylight movement during those opportune times too. Basically here at home the best time to bag a mature buck is during the first 10 days or so of bow season when the bucks are still grouped up, they are still on a summer time feeding pattern, and haven't been pressured or during a 2 week span of time when the does are coming into heat. Outside of that time period I see mostly young bucks with an occasional mature buck that got the itch to move or got bumped by someone or something else. Sometimes we catch 2 estrus cycles both during the primary rut and the secondary rut a month later down here although the secondary rut is not as intense. Our primary rut usually peaks a couple of days before Christmas down here, give or take a few days. Outside of that time frame it's hard to see a mature buck moving on his own during the day, much less get a chance to kill one although I have. The odds are simply much lower but you have no chance if you're sitting at the house. Our December rut period here at home is one of the reasons I've gone out of state to deer hunt for a week or so in November for the past 10 or 12 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gfourhunter Posted July 28, 2005 Report Share Posted July 28, 2005 Re: Rut the rut hear is best at the last pare of bow seasion. i dont know about the biologist defination for rut but i do know the rut is trigered by the amount of darkness time there is. the more dark the better the rut. i know alot of guys that will say im wrong that it all has to do with the weather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckbuster11 Posted July 28, 2005 Report Share Posted July 28, 2005 Re: Rut When I see full blown chasing I usually declare the rut as being on. Thats usually around Nov.1 The two to three weeks prior to that is what I consider the pre-rut. However I think the very first indications of the rut occur around the first of to mid September when the bucks shed their velvet and the bachelor groups start to break up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaskMan Posted July 28, 2005 Report Share Posted July 28, 2005 Re: Rut This is going to sound strange but I don't worry about the rut one bit. Here the rut coincides with hunting pressure which coincides with nocturnal deer and deer seeminly disappearing. It means strange bucks may show up and familiar bucks just seem to disappear. It means the dominant bucks don't have to come out of the forest seeking does until it is nearly over. I prefer Oct. over the rut. Because of the vastness of the woods we hunt here, it can be hard to even know the rut is in swing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VTbowman Posted July 28, 2005 Report Share Posted July 28, 2005 Re: Rut Rut=Full on chasing breeding, or bucks looking to do both 1 and 2. IMO Everything else is pre or post rut activities. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted July 29, 2005 Report Share Posted July 29, 2005 Re: Rut The rutting period is the time when the does are in and receptive. The pre rut is when the does are beginning to come in and are not yet receptive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted July 31, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2005 Re: Rut To me the rut is any change from the normal deer feeding and bedding periods that is the direct result of the buck's sex drive. I believe that in most cases that the initial signs of rut are very subtle and probably known only to the deer itself. Now I'll just bet that that isn't even close to the official biological definitions, and that is why I was curious. It's not information that I need to have, it's just another piece of info that I figured I should have in my quest to know as much about the whitetail as possible.....You might say, just another part of my deer hunter education. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.