Early Rut with Rain and Cold?

[Acrosstheriver]

Hi all,

I'm actually in Oregon, but might as well be in WA (born there) as I'm just across the Columbia hunting near St. Helens, OR (hence my user name).
I'm proud to say that I took up Hunting at 50 years of age (will be 52 next month) and bagged my first blacktail buck last Fall with my late grandfathers Savage 99.  He was a nice forked horn.  It was very exciting for me!
Anyway, even though I'm a noob considering just the length of time I've been hunting, I've learned quite a bit about these sneaky blacktails but then they'll go and surprise me.
I was very busy in September so I didn't get a chance to get out and target practice until just this past Friday, which was the day before the season starts here in Oregon.  While searching for a good stump with a backstop, I was surprised to flush out a nice 3 point buck bedded down in the brush with doe.  I hunt on private property which I frequent throughout the year and this was the first time I had encountered a buck in person instead of the game camera.  He didn't run!  I was downwind, but he stood and stared at me from only about 20 yards which was pretty astounding.  With one in the chamber, I even sited him in and could have shot him, but of course, that would have been WAY illegal and I knew I wouldn't feel right about it. I instead pulled out my smartphone and got a video (tried three times to attach it to the post - too large?) as he finally split, but still not in a hurry.  It was both a beautiful but torturous sight!
Anyway, to finally get to my question, would it be possible that this relatively tame behavior is brought on by an early rut because of the cold and rain?  Everything I've read would indicate that this would be pretty unusual for a rut to begin this early and it is actually brought on by the shortening of daylight time later on.  I usually don't get very serious about hunting blacktail until late October, when everyone I know who hunts, has mostly gotten their buck right before Halloween.  But is this possibly an exception with all the unusual weather?
Thoughts on this?  Anyone else witness some pre-rut casual behavior? 

[Billy74]

Im new to hunting and old too (lol) but everything I’ve read tends to say rut is brought in on by photoperiod in the day so actual rut will begin more or less the same time every year for that species and location.  I think the weather & environmental factors will definitely change behavior and may push animals to behave in more bold way or what seems aggressive behavior.  But I’m very new and ignorant of all things  so hopefully someone with real experience can chime in


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Tinmaniac]

My theory on rut is this.Weather has nothing to do with it.Cold weather may keep them on their feet but not trigger the rut.Animals have an internal clock most likely triggered by length of daylight just like plants do.Based on an animals gestation period will determine when calves are born in the spring.A month too early in the spring and calves die from exposure,a month too late and the calves don't get big enough to survive the winter.Elk have a longer gestation period which is why the rut in September and early October.Deer have a shorter gestation period which is why they rut in late October and into November.I assume both give birth at roughly the same time in the spring to give offspring the best chance of survival.

[heavyhorned]

there's cruising and then theres rut. bucks that are of age to breed with doe's will start cruising ( moving from area to area looking for doe's ) but not really with the intentions of breeding. its almost like looking at the menu before ordering your food. the rut doesn't start till late Oct thru most of Nov. it has to do more with less daylight, temps and doe's becoming receptive. now it doesn't mean buck wont be with doe's. you probably caught a buck with a doe who decided to just take a nape before he moved on. i went out last evening and watched 63 deer in one field. all Does's fawns and small bucks. i then moved about a mile and found 4 big bucks. all grouped together. yes sparing each other but not even really a fight worth watching. no doe's around and all for seemed to be content just feeding and sparing. it was snowing on me and i did notice that every doe i saw was not alone. usually in groups of 5 or more.  the doe's were out in the open while the bigger bucks hung in the brush. when rut happens those big bucks will be in the open and not feeding but checking doe after doe to see if she is receptive or not. always moving and as long as they dont run he wont run. even with a foot of snow on the ground yesterday i saw no pre rut action.

[skagitsteel]

Rut is daylight based, breeding happens roughly the same time every year.  The deer farther west, closer to the sound, in towns and in the Islands seem to rut earlier, often full-blown rut by mid-late October.  At higher elevation in the foothills, the rut is a little bit later (I have lots of trailcam pics to prove this theory).  Weather and moon can have a lot to do with how much rutting activity you will actually see.  Bucks start thinking about it a few weeks before it happens and cold snap or weather system can trigger some movement.  Last year in my areas we saw an unusually low amount of activity toward the end of modern mainly because we had a full moon for them to move at night and lack of good weather to get them moving.    Oddly enough there was a lot more activity around thanksgiving (around where I live) which would suggest that potentially there were a few more unbred does around than usual at 2nd rut timing (4 weeks later). 

[tgomez]

Daylight hours and moon phase establish rut activity.

[meatwhack]

Rut happens same time year after year for both deer and elk and it’s based on dropping calf’s and fawns at the optimum time for survival in the spring. What changes is the amount of day time activity that we are able to see which is drastically effected by the weather and temperature.

[Acrosstheriver]

Thank you for all your responses!  I feel like I can relax a bit now and get serious towards mid-October.  Hopefully I’ll encounter that same buck again.  Pretty sure he was the same one that appeared on my game camera earlier in the Summer. 

[CavemantheHunter]

I'm not sure that I agree about the consistency of the rut. Seems full swing can vary by multiple weeks depending on the year. I got a picture and a story from a friend on the Peninsula on Monday (September 30) that showed a big swollen buck dogging two does through town...

Elk seemed to be a couple of weeks earlier than normal this year and I wouldn't doubt that the deer rut may be starting earlier, as well, with the weird weather.

[fishnfur]

...a little late to the conversation.  I was out hunting the last couple days.

If that buck in the picture was the one you saw, it is entirely possible that he is just a yearling.  With perfect nutrition and good genetics, a yearly can manage four points.  He won't have mass or great tine length, but multiple points are possible.  The fact that he was with a doe also makes sense if he was indeed a yearling.  They often stay with their siblings until they loose their velvet.  If his sibling was a doe, then they'd still hang together until his testosterone got strong enough to send him off to find new digs and bro's to hang with.  I've seen this plenty of times on trail cams.  Nice forkies hanging out with does all summer, and then in the fall. they're gone from the area, never to be seen again.  Also, on private land, it is not too unusual to find deer that are not really afraid of people in the woods.  A young buck is not too wise in the ways of humans and is often easy target.  The one in question seems a perfect example.   Late October will be the first time you find bucks hanging with does with the intent to breed.

[boneaddict]

Rut happens same time year after year for both deer and elk and it’s based on dropping calf’s and fawns at the optimum time for survival in the spring.....

Pretty much sums it up....

Just because a buck is feeling horny, it doesnt mean the doe are receptive.  Any fluctuations you might perceive brought on by weather might be classified as "mood"