2015 Rut thread....

[badnewskruse]

seen a decent 2 point blacktail chase a doe down my dads drive way two days ago and he was already swollen up. pretty early if i say so myself

[fishnfur]

I love it.  Everyone's getting all hot on an early rut.  I wish the season was open a week ago.  The bucks in my back yard stopped coming in 5 days ago.  I'm back to hit and miss does and fawns browsing at midnight.

I think what everyone is seeing is the first (early) estrous that often occurs in the first couple of weeks of October.  It seems to get a lot of bucks (usually the younger ones) cruising when there's a doe close by that comes into estrous early.  According to the researchers, the numbers of hot does will continue to trickle along for another 10 days or so and then really begin to ramp up at the end of the month. 

Of these does that are bred in early October:

1) many will not be successfully impregnated and will come into estrous again around 21 (but up to 28 or so) days after the first estrous (for Western WA Blacktails).  That should be the peak of the rut time frame - which is approximately the 7th of November (if the doe came out of estrous today).

2). fewer of those bred early will be successfully impregnated on the first breeding, but if carried to full term, will drop fawns about 203 days from the date of fertilization - sometime in the first week of May 2016.

The fact that so many big bucks are out in the middle of the day is the exciting part of the story.  We can only hope the pattern continues for awhile.  It may mean that there is a high buck to doe ratio due to a mild winter last year, which is very good for us!  Rattling and sex attractant scents might possibly bring an early end to the season for many hunters this year.

T minus 33 hours and counting.....

[huntingbaldguy]

3 bucks have been sparring over my bait pile in the dark for a month lol. 

Must be one sexy bait pile

There does seem to be something about it. 

[andrew_in_idaho]

I love it.  Everyone's getting all hot on an early rut.  I wish the season was open a week ago.  The bucks in my back yard stopped coming in 5 days ago.  I'm back to hit and miss does and fawns browsing at midnight.

I think what everyone is seeing is the first (early) estrous that often occurs in the first couple of weeks of October.  It seems to get a lot of bucks (usually the younger ones) cruising when there's a doe close by that comes into estrous early.  According to the researchers, the numbers of hot does will continue to trickle along for another 10 days or so and then really begin to ramp up at the end of the month. 

Of these does that are bred in early October:

1) many will not be successfully impregnated and will come into estrous again around 21 (but up to 28 or so) days after the first estrous (for Western WA Blacktails).  That should be the peak of the rut time frame - which is approximately the 7th of November (if the doe came out of estrous today).

2). fewer of those bred early will be successfully impregnated on the first breeding, but if carried to full term, will drop fawns about 203 days from the date of fertilization - sometime in the first week of May 2016.

The fact that so many big bucks are out in the middle of the day is the exciting part of the story.  We can only hope the pattern continues for awhile.  It may mean that there is a high buck to doe ratio due to a mild winter last year, which is very good for us!  Rattling and sex attractant scents might possibly bring an early end to the season for many hunters this year.

T minus 33 hours and counting.....

  I was thinking while reading this thread yesterday it is October 15th, also it has been unseasonably warm this year and most of the time when people don't see the rutting activity they expect in November they blame it on it being too warm, so why would everybody expect that all of a sudden the deer are going to start rutting 2-3 weeks early and on a warm snap. One reason for all the daylight deer movement the past week could be the new moon

[kodiak 907]

Thanks a lot for this thread. Now I know I won't sleep a wink tonight

[fishnfur]

Here's a good reference on deer movement related to moon cycles:

Edit:  Here's one more really good/quick read regarding deer movement studies on Whitetails:

https://www.qdma.com/articles/10-things-we-know-about-mature-buck-movements

[jkononen]

Thanks a lot for this thread. Now I know I won't sleep a wink tonight

.     

Ugh, I couldn't even sleep last night...

[kodiak 907]

Lol! I self-medicated

[jkononen]

I'll have to try that tonight...

[h20hunter]

Have a beer and chop some wood, get it stacked properly and sleep should come easily.

[JDHasty]

I love it.  Everyone's getting all hot on an early rut.  I wish the season was open a week ago.  The bucks in my back yard stopped coming in 5 days ago.  I'm back to hit and miss does and fawns browsing at midnight.

I think what everyone is seeing is the first (early) estrous that often occurs in the first couple of weeks of October.  It seems to get a lot of bucks (usually the younger ones) cruising when there's a doe close by that comes into estrous early.  According to the researchers, the numbers of hot does will continue to trickle along for another 10 days or so and then really begin to ramp up at the end of the month. 

Of these does that are bred in early October:

1) many will not be successfully impregnated and will come into estrous again around 21 (but up to 28 or so) days after the first estrous (for Western WA Blacktails).  That should be the peak of the rut time frame - which is approximately the 7th of November (if the doe came out of estrous today).

2). fewer of those bred early will be successfully impregnated on the first breeding, but if carried to full term, will drop fawns about 203 days from the date of fertilization - sometime in the first week of May 2016.

The fact that so many big bucks are out in the middle of the day is the exciting part of the story.  We can only hope the pattern continues for awhile.  It may mean that there is a high buck to doe ratio due to a mild winter last year, which is very good for us!  Rattling and sex attractant scents might possibly bring an early end to the season for many hunters this year.

T minus 33 hours and counting.....

  I was thinking while reading this thread yesterday it is October 15th, also it has been unseasonably warm this year and most of the time when people don't see the rutting activity they expect in November they blame it on it being too warm, so why would everybody expect that all of a sudden the deer are going to start rutting 2-3 weeks early and on a warm snap. One reason for all the daylight deer movement the past week could be the new moon

I don't know. 

Last Saturday I was setting stands on an island in south Puget Sound and there were blacktail bucks out like I have never seen before during the day.

Three four points, five points if you count brow tines, any of which I would drop in a heart beat, one of those is a real dandy.  And a mega two point (no brow tines).  Since I really like the look of really big two-point blacktail bucks, and wouldn't mind having one mounted someday, that makes four mature blacktail bucks that would interest me. 

I was going in figuring I would not really pay much attention to actually hunting this weekend and would just basically scout for rubs etc.  I normally like the weekend before Halloween and what remains of the season or late season for big bucks.  I'm thinking this season may be a little different for me.   

[kodiak 907]

Sleepless in skagit county tonight

[JimmyHoffa]

Sleepless in skagit county tonight

If it helps, I saw a buck running a doe today.  She wasn't ready and managed to shake him, so he went and tore up a few trees.

[kodiak 907]

Nothing is gonna help tonight. I saw a buck dogging a doe out my back window in the fire station parking lot! I think it is gonna be good this year

[h20hunter]

My yard buck....