Later Rut this year?

[cjensen]

I've heard a few people mention that this year's rut may be later than normal with the strange and late summer we've had.  Does anybody think there's much truth to this?  On the west side I've heard most often that the peak rut is towards the end of September (everyone has different experiences on this).  Maybe the muzzle guys will get a good part of the rut if the "late rut" theory is true.  Any thoughts?

[TheHunt]

I am not sure but right now the elk are bugling...

[Woodchuck]

 

[cjensen]

I was out this last weekend and saw a few good bulls and ran into several groups of cows.  The bulls were still by themselves and the cows were all alone.  I slept among them and had them coming into my camera a few hundred feet from my tent and didnt hear a single bugle or see much sign of the rut.  In all the pictures on my trail cam from the past few weeks the cows and bulls were separated as well.    Obviously activity can vary from place to place, but it seems to be a bit behind where I hunt.

[JackOfAllTrades]

The flowers have bloomed, the leaves are turning, the needles are dropping, the berries are ripe, the grasses are green, fog is in the air, and temperatures are dropping. The critters know when fall is. They know that breeding time is right around the corner.

-Steve

[MtnMuley]

I think if anything, the rut might be extended with the weather we've had.  As for the start, they seem to be right on track right now.

[dawei]

Well the rut is brought on by photosynthesis photoperiodism each year acording to Max Zahn, WFDW biologist for all of the 600# GMU. It has to do with the amount of light in a 24hr period entering the rods and cone cells of an ungulates eyes. Science 101, or in my case Science 01; LOL!

[CedarPants]

Well the rut is brought on by photosynthesis each year IAW Max Zahn WFDW biologist for all of the 600# GMU. It has to do with the amount of light in a 24hr period entering the rods and cone cells of an ungulates eyes. Science 101.

Photosynthesis?  The rut is brought on by the chemical process in plants that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds using the energy from sunlight?  Just when I thought I had the rut figured out .... 

[runamuk]

Well the rut is brought on by photosynthesis each year IAW Max Zahn WFDW biologist for all of the 600# GMU. It has to do with the amount of light in a 24hr period entering the rods and cone cells of an ungulates eyes. Science 101.

yep this is why we can manipulate cycles in horses by keeping them under grow lamps so they will cycle and take for January foals....its length of daylight not temps....temps do affect fertility in rabbits and sustained temps over 85ish will render rabbit males sterile for up to 90 days....

I wanna see some bulls dont care if they are bugling or just standing around......I need to get out 

[JColony]

I don't think CedarPants was questioning the issue of sunlight having an effect on it, just the usage of term photosynthesis.  Unless my science teachers were lying to me all those years.

[bobcat]

I'm not sure why it would be late. The length of the days is the same as it has been for the last several hundred years, I believe. 

[CedarPants]

I can tell you why bobcat - the single most influential factor having an impact on the timing of the rut is the weapon I choose to hunt with.  Being that this year I'm hunting with a muzzleloader, the rut will be peaking the first week of October.

If I ever draw a multi-season tag you all are going to have a 4 month rut on your hands 

[runamuk]

I don't think CedarPants was questioning the issue of sunlight having an effect on it, just the usage of term photosynthesis.  Unless my science teachers were lying to me all those years.

umm I had typed my response before seeing cedarpants and he is correct to question the photosynthesis term only plants use photosynthesis

[Woodchuck]

photokinesis maybe 

[cjensen]

With as out-a-shape as I am and all the huffing and puffing I did hiking around the hills I'm pretty sure I up'd the CO2 levels in the air thus slowing the progress of all the photosynthesis in the area.  Should be peaking late this year by my photosynthesis estimations.   

In all seriousness, the length of days thing make sense.  I think the activity that we hear and see will certainly pick up with a bit of cold weather or rain.   I'm with CedarPants hoping for an Oct 1st peak.   

[JackOfAllTrades]

Damn... I was trying to keep it simple and now ya'll just went and got all scientific on me. Jees!

I'm SO Confused!


-Steve

[GoldTip]

The word you all are looking for is "photoperiodism".  This is what determines the initiation of the rut, the length of daylight each day determines the cycle.  The rut will happen same time each year, every year.  Our observation of the activity of the rut may depend on the weather, but the actual breeding cycle does not.

[boneaddict]

SPot on!

[DIYARCHERYJUNKIE]

The word you all are looking for is "photoperiodism".  This is what determines the initiation of the rut, the length of daylight each day determines the cycle.  The rut will happen same time each year, every year.  Our observation of the activity of the rut may depend on the weather, but the actual breeding cycle does not.

good to know

[cjensen]

I guess that pretty much sums it up!  Good work GoldTip. 

[Pathfinder101]

Goldtip beat me to it.   Photoperiod   
Rut is the same every year, it's just that certain weathers make them more active than others.  If the weather has the cows moving, the bulls will be moving after them.  If the cows hunker down, so do the boys...

[dawei]

Thanks, photoperiodism is the word I was looking for. I edited my post with this correction.

[Wtrfowlr62]

its getting cooler where i hunt definitly. last week they were bugling for me. my friend and i went bear hunting on tuesday had a nice bull bugle for us to in the morning.

[washingtonmuley]

I watched a herd of elk today and they were rutting.

[Pathfinder101]

I was out last night.  Didn't see or hear anything.

[cjensen]

If there's fresh sign then they're there...just quiet right now from my observations.   They're also moving really late too.  Too darn hott!   When the rut really gets going and it cools down a bit they'll be moving a bunch more and more vocal too.

[Kain]

How it was explained to me.  The rut happens the same time every year but the hunting season does not because it is tied to the labor day weekend which is a moving holiday.  So we should have a 7 year cycle (+/- leap year) when the rut falls into different times of the hunting season or should I say the hunting season falls into different parts of the rut.

So when someone says "will we have a late rut?", in relation to the hunting season it very well could be true.

[BOWHUNTER45]

Well I can say this ... usually right now on any given year the elk would be going nuts around my house ... but the last couple herds I have watched have been doing nothen but eating ... I mean seriously pigging out ....Today they were in the field at 1 pm just eating mad and I filmed this dandy 6x6 and in 20 minutes of watching him he never picked up his head to look around when usually they would be screaming mad chasing the cows around So my  says its off at least a solid week from now with the elk ...At least here anyway .....and Bucklucky is hot on there a$$