Rutting

[Farmer]

This is going to sound strange but I have Bucks still tending scrapes and does coming in to check them out . Here are some pics.


[img]http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l52 ... 61.jpg/img]

[img]http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l52 ... 41.jpg/img]

[img]http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l52 ... 24.jpg[img]

[img][/imghttp://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l524/FarmerPaul/PICT0212.jpg

[Farmer]

Where are the kids when I want to post pictures ??? Will try again !

[papa bear1]

me too

Dave

[wabi]

[Farmer]

MAGIC !!! Thanks Wabi

[masboy]

here where I live they been tearing up the ceader trees and other trees more than any other time of the year. it,s like that ever year about this time of the year.this is a good time to get a big boy where we hunt. muzzleloader went out today in md where we hunt but still two days of late rifle coming in soon. we got till Jan 31 for bow and it,s getting cold next week so I,ll be after them.

[Ont_Excal]

Bucks will be in rutting mode until the last doe in the area is bred.
Some of this years fawn does may be in estrous in their first year.
Bucks keep producing testosterone and keep their head gear as long as there is a need to breed.
When testosterone production stops, a chemical change occurs and the bucks drop antlers.
In the spring the cycle starts all over again.

[Farmer]

This is the latest I have ever seen them do this . other well seasoned deer hunters from this area have told me its all over by the 1st week of Dec .

[Lawdawg45]

This would make sense to me, here in Indiana we've (or at least me) have seen very little signs of the rutt, no rubs, scrapes or chasing, so maybe things got a late start this year. Plus, our weather this year was warm and windy!

LD

[Ont_Excal]

This is the latest I have ever seen them do this . other well seasoned deer hunters from this area have told me its all over by the 1st week of Dec .

Normal rut time in southern ont. is the middle 2 weeks of November.
Any doe that was unsuccessfully bred will come into cycle again in 28 days.
This year with the warm weather, more fawns will mature enough late in the year to extend the breeding cycle.
They may continue well into this month.
You will know when it's over............bucks will shed their antlers.

[ninepointer]

Nothing strange. Its just the good ol' 2nd rut. The breeding stage of the 1st rut can go right through to the end of November and even into early December. 30 days after their first estrus, any unbred does will into estrus again. A buddy witnessed deer breeding a couple of days ago.

The early November, 1-week gun season does not coincide with the peak of the rut (even though we like to think it does). The rut is just starting. I hunt an area with a 2 week gun season and I'll take the 2nd week every time. We almost always get more bucks the 2nd week.

EDIT: Oops, Ont_Excal beat me to it. What he said

[rayman]

In North Florida the rutt starts in the easern part of the state in late August or early Sep. and is mostly over by mid-Nov. North Central part of the state it starts in late Sep. or early Oct and there is still a little fresh buck sign around but not much. North West Florida, just getting started. That's where I'll be headed MLK weekend.

[DARTONATOR]

I saw four bucks tending a small doe Dec 28. They were out in the firld sparring with each other and whenever the doe moved to another spot, they all followed. The fawn produced by this doe will be awfully small when the season opener comes !

[DanO]

Good Point Dart and the doe doesn't get very big over the year either as she's pregnant. I had such a doe and her small fawn wandering around under my stand all fall. I don't think the doe weighed 100 lbs and the fawn was really small.

Dan O.