Here in southeast Va, the rut was sporadic at best. I have yet to see any chasing or cruising going on..all said, the rut should be winding down for now until the 2nd week of Dec or so..then we will get a lil action for a few days..but overall, I never saw any rut action in the daytime..some people around here saw some chasing but not much...what gives? where are you and how was the rut?
The last two weeks of the season for me it was great, I just need to figure out how to score more vacation and get a few more all day sits in.
Bow hunting season was great.I was seeing good rut action in late Oct.Now that gun season has opened in NY I haven't see one deer.I saw my 12 pointer for the second time 3 days before the end of bow season.He was just a little to far to shoot.
The best hunting I witnessed, was the last couple days of Oct, throuhg Nov. 4th. When I say the best, it wasn't even really that great, although the best activity for the season. Never saw any good bucks on stand, the biggest was lucky if he'd go 110in.? I feel most of the better activity that had the better bucks on their feet happened under the cool of the night, as temps were a little warm? Very evident as for most and here, this year was an extremely poor year for big buck harvests and sightings for that matter? As for my area, didn't hear of hardly any good ones taken, as compared to previous years. And looking at the PA hunting board, I felt there were not that many good ones on there either? Although most of the harvests, did seem to correlate with the best hunting I witnessed? For some reason, just not a good year for Big Boys?
Brett I agree 100%...I think we got the brunt of a warm front and then 7" of rain that followed...I guess it happened, but under darkness...
I'm not sure of how well you are educated on the dynamics of the whitetail deer, but.... the 'rut'(breeding phase for the whitetail deer), is FAR from over. The breeding phase of the whitetail can/will last well into March. From the Fall to the Spring equinox. This has a lot to do with melatonin and the effects on the endocrine and reproductive systems of the whitetail deer. Many folks believe it to be true that there is a first and a second rut- this is wrong. There is a 3rd, 4th and a 5th "rut". The ovulation period of a whitetail does is "prime estrous/standing estrous, this is when a doe is actually bred. Does are seasonally polyestrous, unlike humans. The pineal gland is stimulated by the optic nerve, which detects the change in amount of day-light and thus, stimulates the production of melatonin. The suprachiasmatic nerve of the hypothalamus(hypothalamus-responsible for linking the nervous system to the endocrine system, just like humans) is then stimulated. The hypothalamus is responsible for stimulating the secretion of neurohormones, which directly effect the anterior pituitary gland(just like in human physiology. Anyone who has completed an A&P course will understand). The anterior pituitary gland is directly responsible for the secretion of the FSH[follicle stimulating hormone] and LH[luteinizing hormone] hormones(reproduction hormones). The change in amount of daylight during the fall and spring equinox triggers the production of hormones responsible for the hormone cycle of a doe and the testosterone increase in a buck. So, with this new found knowledge that I have provided, you will see that the whitetail breeding season will last for many more months, after November. The rut is far from over . With that said, the bulk of the breeding takes place from mid October to mid December. However, the breeding will take place until either every doe is bred or the spring equinox arrives. There ya go !!
Droptine---minus all that fancy lingo and transplant it with reality and you get....a suck-a rut here. I hunt all the time, from October into January every year, and can tell you where I hunt, either you get on those bigger bucks from late-October through Mid-November or you are in for a real treat trying to find that needle in a haystack in the form of a mature buck.
This may be so, but, you can still use "rut tactics" for the duration of the season. It's not secret that the best time to hunt a mature buck is during the PEAK breeding times(commonly known as November), but I wouldn't get your panties in a bunch if you dont drop one during the "usual" times, because, it can happen at any second, of any day during the breeding phases. The "rut" has been crappy here in NJ. Mid to late October was ON FIRE, here. It died off a bit, picked back up a little and leveled off. We have a TON of doe, here, so the rut is not short and elevated, rather- dragged out and mild. (probably what you're experiencing). I shot my biggest buck on Thanksgiving day a few years back. He ws cruising, looking for love.
I hear you and I am going to continue to hunt, but the real window for cruising bucks has come and gone. But I have fun regardless, so who gives a dang!
I'm telling you...From now until December 12th-15th should be good !! Go afield with confidence...Just trust me on this one....
What you say is true to some extent. But as a hunter, I feel and others might too, that the hunting at the beginning that is usually the best, with most of the seeking and chasing, the so called frenzy, just wasn't that intense? Sure breeding can be strung out, but just never seems as intense as early activity in years with better intense ruts?
When you go to a buffet dinner, dont you always load your first plate the most ? Absolutely true. I agree. But, what I stated is FACT. It cannot be argued because it is physiological fact, based on the effects of daylight on the circadian cycle of the whitetail body(humans are effected, as well). Like I said, I agree. I was just trying to lend a bit of confidence to everyone, but, I guess I failed !!!
Not at all, we all appreciate your opinion, and a very good one. I was just trying to point out that most including myself, were dissapointed in the start of the rut which is typically looked upon as some of the best hunting when big ones start cruising, then chasing during hunting hours. Most of this activity just seemed to go unnoticed by many. Still realize as you stated, anything can still happen, but normally the best hunting I usually see at the start of it all, kind of sucked this year. And not that it can't happen, but I never personally saw a year get better as the rut drags out?
Didn't hunt the rut this year. From observations from my father on the property, chasing really was picking up right around last weekend.
No, Fall equinox begins it and Spring Equinox ends it. The equinox effects the circadian cycle which is controlled by the hypothalamus.
10 days or so ago It was fun, lots of chasing and cruising. The last week my deer sightings have went down the tubes but It really doesn't surprise being the rut Is In between transitions and the gun season just got over so the deer have become very nocturnal because of It.
