Rule of thumb on deer behavior Oct 1st to Dec 31st

[R.J.]

Although things change from year to year , and the best way to pattern deer as to where they are in their routine is to get out scouting and spend time in the field , then spend more time in the field ..... here is a basic rule of thumb I picked up many years ago from a local Biologist .

3 behaviors .... Feeding , Bedding , Rutting .

1st 2 weeks in October

Fedding = alfalfa , soybeans , apples .
Bedding = small upland deciduous forests .
Rutting = boudary scrapes , rub lines .

Last 2 weeks in October

Fedding = standing corn , corn and bean stubble .
Bedding = large deciduous forest , standing corn .
Rutting = secondary scrapes , rub lines .

End of October , 1st 2 weeks in November .

Fedding = does/ fawns - beans and corn stubble , bucks little feeding due to the rut ( approx 1st week in Nov. )
Bedding = large deciduous forest valleys .
Rutting = breeding scrapes ( watch for sign in your area to pin point the peak , this is important so you can refrence and count 28 days ahead for the 2nd rut , another 28 days for the 3rd rut if it happens in your area .... 28 day increments should give you a ball park estimate )

Last 2 weeks in November

Fedding = corn and bean stubble .
Bedding = deciduous and coniferous forest valleys .
Rutting = secondary scrapes , rub lines .

End of November , 1st 2 weeks in December

Fedding = does/ fawns - beans and corn stubble , bucks little feeding due to the rut ( refrence 28 days from 1st rut peak )
Bedding = deciduous and coniferous forest valleys .
Rutting = secondary scrapes , second rut ( doe fawns )

Last 2 weeks of December

Fedding = corn and bean stubble , browse and burried apples .
Bedding = coniferous forest valleys .
Rutting = secondary scrapes and rub lines . ( refrence 28 days from peak of second rut. )

The above is a good rule of thumb I use , year to year .... Timing will vary according to such factors as moon phase , weather patterns etc.

I'm no expert but I do spend a lot of time in the bush studying deer behavior through the season ( I take lots of pictures as well ) .... I hope this info will give some of you " a leg up " .

Some guys think I'm crazy when I say 3rd rut .... I heard it a few years ago from a guy at one of the sportsman shows ..... I never really put much thought into it , but last year I was a believer ! I saw a beauty big buck rakeing trees and chasing doe's ( large 10 point in the next picture ) I tried to sneek up on him but only got close enough for a picture ....



In around the end of November I took these series of shots showing a small 7 point at the tail end of what I thought to be the 2nd rut .







The last 3-4 days of the season ... I took the picture of the nice 10 point and then took an 8 point and an 6 point from the same tree on Dec 30th , 31st.... they were following hot doe's at the time .... This had to be the third rut !



I find the bucks necks don't get as swollen during the 2nd and 3rd rut , like they do in the 1st rut ( like the 10 point below )




Anyway ..... I have posted these pictures before and some of you may be sick of seeing them but I used them to illistrate my opinion of the 1st , 2nd and 3rd rut , based on what I have seen with my own eyes ...

PS : Sorry for the odd sized pictures ... I still have not got the hang of the resize trick ?

Good luck to all this season and to my brother Ontario archery season hunters starting tomorrow a.m. Shoot Straight .... but most of all have fun in the field ! ( dedicated to Mikey V. .... he will be watching the adventures unfold , not reading posts this year ! ) .... got to go .... getting choked up ...

[Partikle]

I have posted these pictures before and some of you me be sick of seeing them

NEVER get sick of seeing nice deer. Great picks R.J.

[Deer Dave]

RJ

Thanks for posting! Awesome looking bucks! and nice pics...

Good Luck this season!

Dave

[LoneWolf]

Good post, R.J.

Whack 'em and stack 'em!...

[Camper]

I hope I meet one of those guys relitives tommorow evening!!!!!

Great pics just awsome !!!

Camper

[ALINALBERTA]

The buck in your top picture is fantastic! A perfect example of a typical whitetail. I would love to get my sights on a deer like that!

...Al.

[GaryL]

Thanks for the lesson and the most super picture's R.J.

[chris4570]

Great info, great pics. Thanks for sharing.

[Sliver]

Great post R.J. Thanks

And BTW never get sick of seeing good photos like those

[huntman]

Thanks for the info RJ and good luck to you and all others ....

Play safe and make memmories!

[DesertRat]

R.J. Check your PM's.

[R.J.]

Good question Paul .... I thought I would copy part fo my reply for other members that are interested in rattling ....

As for the rattling .... you pretty much got it pegged in your post ... for me , unless the sign shows otherwise I will be doing some light spar rattling Oct 25th to 28th .... will break out the Tinks 69 and heavy rattling Oct 29th to Nov 3rd or 4th ....

What I see in the field from Oct 25th till 29th will determine how hard I rattle .

Basicallt like you said .... light spar rattling pre rut .... heavy rattling peak rut !

Lot's of good articles @ Google search " rattling bucks "


If you get a property that has little hunting pressure and you do some rattling , you will usually get the dominant buck rushing in to see who is on his turf ....

Here is an quote from an article that covers the basics

Why It Will Work: Rattling in bucks works on the principal that apon hearing you rattling any buck hearing the fight will make the following assumption. Two bucks are fighting, possibly over a doe that is ready to breed. What buck wouldn't come running to that situation? So, if you can simulate realistically enough to fool a buck into believing what its ears are telling it then there is a good chance that it will come to investigate and offer a shot. Different bucks may come to rattling for different reasons, but antler rattling has something to offer deer of all ages. Mature bucks may come in with the mindset to whip the bucks that are in his territory trying to breed a doe that rightfully should be his. Or maybe an inmature buck will come to try to sneak away with the doe while the two fighting bucks are too distracted to notice. During the rut, as all seasoned hunters know, bucks loose a good bit of caution. They just seem to do stupid things that they might not normally do. Whatever the reason and there are more than a couple, there are good reasons to believe that rattling in a deer should be a good method to use to harvest your next buck. So rattling has something to offer all size(age) bucks and the rut is one of the urges that deer have a hard time controlling. These two factors are what make rattling so effective. Its why you see it on outdoor shows so often.

Why It Will Not Work: After what I have just written you might believe that I am rattling all year. Calling in bucks year round. I wish that where the case. But there is a flip side to antler rattling that you rarely hear more than a comment or two about on the outdoor shows. Just like there are reasons that it will work, there are numerous reasons as to why it will not work as well. In fact there are more reasons that it won't work. Here are a few.

First, the most obvious reason. It's not the rut. Rattling for deer should only be done during and around the rut. It will not be very productive to rattle if the bucks aren't interested in the does. So you need to pay attention in the field and learn when the rut usually occurs in your area. Because if its not the right time of year the deer will likely move away from the sound instead of towards it.

Secondly a buck that is already with a doe is not likely to leave her to come to you.

I'm a rattling believer ..... have had good reponses to my rattling for my group during the shotgun hunt ( 1st week of November in Ontario )

[wabi]

RJ,
I'd have to agree that there is a very late rutting phase for maturing young does. I posted a pic in a recent post of a fawn still in spots, and very small sized. It is very likely a result of a young doe reaching maturity very late in the year.
http://www.excaliburcrossbow.com/phpBB2 ... hp?t=10705

[R.J.]

wabi : that's funny , I posted the same thing on your thread when I saw it ... we must have been typing around the same time ...

[leonk]

Great info, very nice photos.
If you need help resizing them - I can explain how to do it.

PM me.

LK