Lets discuss the rut

[Lonnie]

I have read where several guys posted the rut is running late or that it hasn't happened while other posted it was over.

let see what everyone has to say and see if we can put together what is going on with the "RUT"

 

[selinoid44]

It's still going on here in Kosciusko, but it's probably winding down somewhat. I'm still seeing bucks chasing does. Like I said in another post they will be back at it in a month to service does that didn't get bred the first time around.

 

[HICKMAN]

seen some chasing while at work, but at our farm, no action. I've notice a lot of yearlings running with momma does at our farm, so I'm wondering if their will be a lot of action "2nd rut" time frame.

 

[Cam]

Funny this thread came up as my son and I were just discussing this after getting in tonight. We saw some deer last weekend, but since late last Sunday afternoon, nothing. Nothing seen on the way to work in the mornings, nothing after work, nothing in the evenings while running various errands....nothing.

Not sure if the rut being late, over, or whatever is the cause or if they are simply becoming completely nocturnal right now. It's been interesting!

 

[Lonnie]

Things I have witnessed are as follows

on the Monday before gun season opened I whatched 2 young buck cahse a lone does across the field , they were chasing no simply following

That same day I recieved several phone calls about guys watching bucks all during the day cross the road with their nose to the ground , some were reported to be "monster bucks"

Opening day came and went with me only seeing a few doe in the evening and no deer in the morning hunts
However while running around doing some odds and ends I would notice deer moving / feeding mid day ( keep in mind it was full moon during the first 4 or 5 days of season or at least it appeared to be)

during this first week most of the deer I seen while hunting was on my "evening hunt"

I harvested a doe early afternoon on Sunday , she had already been bread

I harvested my buck on Wensday in the Morning he was "trolling" for doe , I hunt a doe rich area

On Thursday of this past week my Brother stayed on stand until 11ish because of all the deer movement we had been seeing mid day
he noticed 3 doe come in and bedded behind him and he wanted to see if a buck would show up to check the doe
What do you know , he was correct and a small buck showed up around 11ish
I moved locations and got back on stand around the same time and a lone doe came right into me and I harvested her. No one pushed her she was moving on her own

That same evening my brother had 2 doe come in right at dark and he wasn't able to shoot.

While family and firends have been tagging some deer during "normal hours" day break to 10 and 3pm until dark
most of these hunters are also talking about the lack of deer movement and buck sightings.


I can't tell you how many years I have notived what seemed like bucks everywhere during the "rut"
This year seems different

so is it the moon? causing deer to move more in the dark
early rut?
late rut?

whats your thoughts


p.s of the 2 doe I harvested , I noticed 1 had been bread and 1 had not

 

[Lonnie]

woops I about forgot
while driving home for a break at 1pm on the Monday of opening week my brother and I witnessed 3 bucks (2 scrubs and 1 nice) chasing a doe in a field , the larger buck kept trying to run the other 2 off while also trying to corall the doe

 

[HICKMAN]

interesting... Bob Winke talked about this:

MidwestWhitetail - November 19 blog

 

[Yeah]

I think the weather may have bobbed them a bit.

My place in Owen country had just a wee bit of buck activity last week but starting roughly Thursday night was getting going. Hunted in Parke county on Wednesday and it was just getting started, to the tune of taking buck that had previously been all the way nocturnal. My place in Morgan is absolutely rubbed to pieces right now, and between yesterday and today I watched 3 different bucks nearly push over trees.

I'm down to doe tags now, one left here and a clean slate for a farm I hunt in Greene, so I'm hoping the rut pushes them around a little.

 

[42769vette]

by the date it should be over, i haven't seen it so im a little confused weather its late or gone. i think its just been more of a gradual rut than the slam we are usto

 

[Willie]

It is going on strong in some places....but not the place I've been hunting.

Just got back from deer camp where some of us was hunting indiana and some across the Wabash in illinois.

We killed 2 mature bucks on each side of the Wabash. Only one was a stinker with black hocks and came to a rattle bag and a grunt tube. He was grunting all the way. He was the biggest of the four.

The other three had white hocks.

Other than some pestering by small bucks I have not seen a doe chase yet...

My Indiana buck I killed came in all by himself and he was not rank either..

Dunno....it has been weird this year..

 

[JNG]

9:00 this morning I saw three bucks dogging a doe. One of the bucks had a very definite odor when I was gutting him, but not as strong as rutting bucks I've shot in the past.

I think it's late this year, but definitely on right now.

 

[windingwinds]

hmmm well we did have a lull right after gun season began, then with only moderate gunshots they are starting to move again the last couple days. If you remember gun season began right after a full moon week. Last year after the full moon during gun season we hardly seen one deer, it affects their movements. With livestock, sheep, the ewes(females) would breed close together but not all at once so I am guessing the rut is pocket based and occurs at different times in different places. And the ones that did not take or breed first time around should be coming back in soon as selniod44 said. Wind and warmth has also slowed our local deer down. The deer that weren't smart enough to learn human movements have been shot so maybe the ones left are the smart ones lmao. I have found that I thought there was no movement when in reality they sneak right by me at times. My local deer don't react much to calls and are QUIET at almost all times unless they scent you.

 

[M4Madness]

The rut is controlled by photoperiodism, thus it generally occurs on the same dates each year. External factors (moon, weather, etc.) may shift a lot of the rut activity to a timeframe outside of legal hunting hours, but it still occurs nonetheless.

 

[eatsnopaste]

OOPS, I thought this was another thread about someone getting stuck in a members driveway..carry on.

 

[Willie]

The rut is controlled by photoperiodism, thus it generally occurs on the same dates each year. External factors (moon, weather, etc.) may shift a lot of the rut activity to a timeframe outside of legal hunting hours, but it still occurs nonetheless.

Yep......

 

[Fordtough25]

It's been windy and warm here, with rain off and on half the gun season. Sucky year, I saw a couple young does opening morning and a coyote. Saw some does early Friday morning but didn't have a shot. The other 5 deer I have seen while hunting have been jumped up out of the thick stuff while walking, and of course no shots on them either. Too thick and they're off over the hills and gone. Way too windy and warm for this time of year.

 

[SWATDUDE]

I agree that alot of the activity is probably happening during the afternoon. I work as a Deputy and I work from 2pm - 10pm and normally we will have alot of car vs deer accidents from dark to 10pm, but this year I can only think of 3 accidents happening from dark to 10pm. And all were doe except for 1. I asked the driver if it was a buck or a doe and he said "Well it had horns....is that a buck?" I smirked and said "Yes sir it is". I shot my doe on opening day at 3:10pm while feeding. So it has been an odd year for sure.

 

[selinoid44]

The rut is controlled by photoperiodism, thus it generally occurs on the same dates each year. External factors (moon, weather, etc.) may shift a lot of the rut activity to a timeframe outside of legal hunting hours, but it still occurs nonetheless.

I agree with this . I was gonna mention photosyntesis but you beat me to it. I had a guy tell me today that he thinks the rut is just starting and he is only 4 miles south of me. I said whatever they been at it a while. He disagreed with me and has a right to his opinion.

 

[rao]

This was certainly an odd year for the rutt that did seem to be running late this year. I have hunted both state and primo private land and didn't see bucks starting to really hit the trees and putting down scrapes after shotgun season started (and then only very few scrapes this year). Throughout the whole month of November, while I was seeing more bucks, I only saw 1 following a doe. I think second season will be sweeter for bucks this year than in the past few years.

 

[Cavman]

The rut has hit. Ive seen several bucks chasing does. Every buck killed on the property i hunt smelled like pure rutting buck plus the does killed had that strong estrous smell. I think theyre holded up now in the thick stuff. Post rust should be hitting soon. This was all in Jefferson CO