Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Deer Hunting => Topic started by: DoubleJ on July 17, 2011, 07:08:44 AM
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I am under the assumption that Central Washington mule deer breed later in the calendar year than Eastern Washington whitetail and Western Washington blacktail, is this correct? If so, does that mean they drop fawns later as well? Does anyone have a good estimate on when each species breeds and when they drop fawns? I know blacktail breed late oct, early nov. and drop fawns in May.
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I always see fawns over here by Memorial Day.
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Blacktails and mule deer are pretty much the same, as far as I know. Not sure about whitetails since I don't live or hunt over there, but I think the rut for them falls somewhere in the first half of November, which would also be the same as the other two species.
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By the way, what the heck does "ITT" mean? :dunno:
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By the way, what the heck does "ITT" mean? :dunno:
Intense Testicular Tension :dunno:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=itt (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=itt)
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Ive seen mulies sparring and chasing eachother off during the 08 modern season in the middle of the day so Im gonna say they rut about the same time depending on the area maybe?
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By the way, what the heck does "ITT" mean? :dunno:
Intense Testicular Tension :dunno:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=itt (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=itt)
Hopefully for him there is a cure.... OUCH!
:chuckle: :chuckle: :yike: :yike: :yike:
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I've seen BT rut into early December...... I''ve also seen MD rut like crazy in one drainage during early ML season and no rut activity at all in the next..... Sometimes all the cards are out the window on predicting the rut..... :twocents:
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The RUT is always about the same time, But some does come into estrus early and then some late.
So there is truly no way to know the answer.
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I think the rut is actually very predictable. The does come into heat at the same time every year. Sure you may see earlier, or later, rutting behavior by the bucks, which can be affected by differences in weather and possibly differences in buck to doe ratios in different areas. The really late rutting behavior you see in December would be due to does that come into heat for the 2nd time because they didn't get bred a month prior, when they came into heat the first time.
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How do bucks behave when the doe to buck ration is largely offset. IE 30 to 1. I have a trail camera soaking on private property and see nothing but does, and lots of them...
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I agree I think does come into estrus at the same time but choose not to be bred by lesser bucks. So if the more mature bucks are not present they don't get bred on their first cycle. I think the light triggers estrus but weather determines when the mature mule deer arrive. Wt and bts seem to be less migratory imo...
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i think it depends on the year .my blacktail that i shot last year was in full rut oct.23. and hes been in rut for some time .becouse the neck had been streached long enough to have the neck the same.on my mount.i seen a few mulys opening weekend last year that the necks were starting to swell.
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From what I have seen around here..the Mule deer are abit earlier than the whiteys.. I have seen whiteys rutting hard while the mule deer seem to be done with very little rutting activity...this is lowland. Now the high counrty mule deer and whitetails seem to rut abit earlier than there lowland counterparts
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I agree with huntnnw. I see muleys (NE corner) that are rutting HARD during rifle elk. Had this guy within 15 yards and he didn't care about me.....
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Joe will tell ya the same from sherman creek outfitters,but many on here bashed him for it and said no way they rut at the tail end of the rifle season. I have hunted the Sawtooth in WA and watched muley bucks in the high country completely obsessed with the does
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The Mule deer my buddy shot last year on opening weekend was getting rutty. His neck was swelled up. The BT I shot last year on 10-25-2010 was definetly in full rut.
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It can vary from year to year place to place. Just as the does can have several different estrus cycles and get the boys going.
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doe have differant cycles but the rut is kicked in by the light of the moon, differant lunar cycles change the exact timing of the time that bucks, mature buck come visit miss doe, thats why it varies every year by a few days here or there and it all depends on where you hunt, i mainly hunt B/T in 2 differant areas and late buck is great in one of them and the last weekend is the best in the the other. weather is also a big factor if the weather is to warm it can delay the doe from cycling into estrus and then of course that will also keep the bucks down :twocents:
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Bucks will "visit" a doe when that doe comes into heat and is ready to breed. The doe is the deciding factor, not the buck. I don't believe the moon has anything to do with it. The length of the day is what determines when the does come in heat, and that's why it's the same time every year.
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yup..it never changes like some will say..if its to warm..they still breed the activity just isnt as much you would see when its cold. The fawns and calves have to drop in a specific time period to not freeze to death if to early and too late that they arent big enough to survive the upcoming winter
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By the way, what the heck does "ITT" mean? :dunno:
:yeah:
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Generally the first half of November, and start to go on the prowl for does end of October from my experience. I too have seen bucks fighting during general rifle, and have seen them starting to chase does.
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I shot a mule buck when I was 18 the first day of late buck which opened around thanksgiving. He was in the rut w/7 does. 27" spread he wade over 300 lb's. BTW, the rut was on the back side.
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Generally its elk, moose, Muledeer, Blacktails, whitetails in that order. High mountain Muleys rut the middle/end of October and on into the first of November. Lowland ones are starting about Halloween for the most part. They then take a break about the time whitetails go Full bore around mid November, or November 19th if you want the peak. Muledeer then catch a second estrous which takes them into the first part of December and so on. Blacktails are just a smudge later than the muleys, but you could certainly lump them together.
as noted by some, behavior can be very localized. It can be isolated or regional. For instance, there were a dozen bull moose rutting the middle of November in one basin in Idaho a year or so ago. One hot cow had them all worked up. At the same time just east of there, bulls were dropping their antlers. Same climate, same topography same latitude.
Rut activity and breeding are two different classifications.
This hunt was an example of high mountain rutting activity. I'm sure moon, weather, etc. played a role. I would have thought/classified this was early, or a bit earlier than the norm. I have been in the same place at the same time period with different weather and have seen little evidence of rut activity.
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,2182.0.html (http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,2182.0.html)
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ITT = in this thread, I do believe.
It varies by place and animal, and seasonaly. The deer my gal friend shot in 2009 third day of rifle season in the Entiat was a young 3 point... fully in rutt.
But interesting topic, for certain. :)
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The lowland blacktails in Whatcom Co. rut in late October during modern rifle season and drop in late may and June. We hunt them in the rut usually, of course if go a little higher they rut a little later.
