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Breeding is an important natural process that drives the movement decisions of adult bucks during breeding season (i.e., the rut). A buck is sexually capable from velvet shedding until shortly after antler drop, but his decisions are influenced most after females within the area start coming into estrus and are receptive to breeding.
- Pre-Rut
- Love Is in The Air
- Rut Fest
- Persistence Pays
- Last Call
Dates: October 24th – October 30th Author’s take: With the new moon falling on October 27th, these days should see great morning movement as well as earlier movement in the afternoons. I’d certainly be in the woods the last five days of October, especially if you have slightly below-average temperatures in your area. Like anything with whitetails, ...
Dates: October 31 – November 5 Author’s take: If you only have five days of time off and experiencing the most active deer movement of the year is as important as tagging mature deer, I’d start on the fourth. Head to deer camp on Friday the first and get ready to sit in a tree for ten hours a day for the next nine days. Bucks will be running rampan...
Dates: November 6 – November 12 Author’s take: With the moon building into full on the 12th, these will be the best days of the year. Midday movement begins to increase, especially amongst mature bucks. In my experience, I typically notice things slowing down and moving toward lockdown beginning about November 10th, but this week is your best chanc...
Dates: November 13 – November 18 Author’s take: In my experience, these days have been very hit-or-miss, and it really does become a “light switch” event. Midday is going to be key; if you have a few days you can afford to take off, I’d be looking at the 13th, 14th and 15th. If you put in the time, this can still be a great time to tag a mature dee...
Dates: November 19th – November 24th Author’s Take: At this point mature bucks are still searching for late-estrus does but are a bit more wise in expending the little energy they have left. The moon is fading fast these dates, and I would focus on getting in early and hunting the mornings through midday on the 21st – 24th. These hunts can be long,...
People also ask
Do Buck receptive behavior increase during rutting?
Do Buck walk more during a rut or peak rut?
What is a post rut Buck?
Are rutted Bucks impossible to pattern?
- The peak rut is the best time to take a buck. It’s easy to have a Pavlovian response to the words “peak rut.” We can’t help it. Decades of magazine articles and deer-camp conversations have created a conditioned reaction that makes us take our vacations during the height of the whitetail breeding season.
- Rutting bucks are impossible to pattern. Deer hunters rarely complain about the rut, but when they do, this is usually their gripe. It happens because once does begin coming into estrus, bucks do indeed leave their home areas, abandon their rub lines and scrapes, and begin traipsing over the countryside in search of ready mates.
- When the action is over, the rut is over. Just about every serious whitetail hunter has spent days watching deerless woods in mid-November and thought, The rut must be over.
- You might as well stay home during the post-rut. Not if you want to tag a trophy. Although it’s almost certain that you’ll see fewer bucks immediately after peak breeding than you would during the seeking-and-chasing phase, research on Texas’ King Ranch by noted whitetail biologist Mickey Hellickson revealed an excellent reason to keep hunting—and to bring a set of rattling horns with you.
Dec 30, 2019 · Bucks In Rut. Bucks in rut are a special kind of charming - smelly, noisy, sticky and generally unpleasant. A lot of people choose not to keep bucks on their property because they don't want to deal with managing male goats, especially when they're displaying rut behaviors. It's easy to let maintenance slide on your bucks during rut season.
Nov 8, 2018 · The rut can be an exciting time because you could pull the buck of a lifetime with a simple grunt call, or see two monsters battle it out on a ridge! The important thing to remember is the rut ...
Still, the rut isn’t simply one homogenous event, and many deer experts and hunters divide it into the following distinct phases: Pre-Rut. Seeking. Chasing. Tending. Post-Rut. With each phase comes changes in deer behaviors, and as deer behaviors change, so might your chances of catching a perfect whitetail buck (or doe). Therefore, when you ...
Oct 30, 2023 · The answer is simple. Whitetail deer are known as short-day breeders, meaning day length plays a role in the hormonal balances that drive the rut. This causes an increase in observed movement and allows hunters afield during the peak of breeding season to harvest more deer. This leads to more deer being harvested for population control, more ...
