I've heard a couple guys around here say they've seen a couple bucks up cruising again.....Nothing like a few weeks ago, but a slight increase in activity.
It certainly happens. But from what I have seen it can be pretty spotty and definatly harder to pin down like the first rut.
I haven't had any luck trying to use it to my advantage, but I have seen bucks pursue does around first couple of weeks of december.
All it takes is one hot doe to drag a parade of bucks past you. BUT you have to be in the exact right spot. Because there won't be very many hot does around. It does happen, but there is a lot of luck involved in being in the right spot.
hah. secondary rut? man if i didn know any better id say there hadnt even been a primary rut in my area this year. but it generally takes place around a month after the primary i believe
So will all the bucks still be ready, and it's just a doe issue, or will the bucks be less active also? I have only seen a couple of young bucks follow does during the late rut. I've always read that the second rut can be your last best chance to take a mature buck, I just don't know how to hunt it.
Does will come back into estrous 28 days after they did the first time. If you consider the peak of the rut, oh say roughly the 16th of Nov in the Northern hemishere, then 28 days later will be the so called peak of the secondary estrous period. Of course like mentioned, it will be very spotty. If necessary, then 28 days after the second, the third estrous period will happen.
The bucks only get to have this party once a year. ALL of the bucks will be ready for round 2. That is all of them that are still alive.:d It's the hot does that are few and far between. Hunt it the same as the first rut. Between doe bedding areas and on the trails to the food.
In allot of places the gun season has already passed and usually that will turn the deer nocturnal for a period of time. Might not be a bad Idea to hunt a little closer to there bedding areas as they seem to move a little later In the evenings after the gun season Is over, at least In my area they do.
that's what I'm counting on this next 2 weeks. I have heard of people still seeing rubs & scrapes being fresh still.
I've never much believed in the "second rut". I did when I was younger and thought the rut was 2 weeks long. I know better now. The breeding season of whitetail takes place over a long period of time. Sure ALOT of does will go into estrous for those amazing middle of November days.. but really the rut is a long 6 week marathon. They haven't stopped rutting. They're still at it even as I sit and type this here in Illinois. There are just slow times.. lock downs.. and at this point.. alot of rest by some worn out bucks. It is true that does who are not bred in the first attempts.. will go back into estrous again.. usually. And its only common sense that would tell you that the more dominant male be with her. Since.. she likely knows where to find him and how important mother natures plan for survival of the species is. That and the younger bucks are just tired and hungry from running for the last 4 weeks. Survival mode has kicked in for many bucks at this stage.. even the older ones. And not to mention hierarchy of whitetail. Which in my opinion is more about bedding rights and food rights than "who sleeps with who" rights. It's mother natures intention to stagger the birth of fawns. Otherwise imagine how happy the yotes.. bears.. cougars.. hawks.. eagles.. wolves would be if 1,000 fawns fell from the does all on the same day. In one neck of woods. But stagger the fawns for 6 weeks.. and plenty will survive. So shall the species.
Aren't bucks actually ready to breed all the time they have hard antlers and the does coming in to heat cause all the activity because of photo periodism and to a small degree the weather for the main breeding times? Also doe fawns born late sometimes won't come in to heat until December. Does that don't get bred this year are sometimes the first to come in next year, I've heard. I'm wondering if hunter activity might be causing a change in breeding season, specially in areas of high activity. You know with all the commercial scents being sprayed, dripped, and dragged all over the woods? dukemichaels is right, I think to a certain degree. While I believe most does get bred during the peak breeding period, they can't all be bred at once unless you have a 1 to 1 buck to doe ration. I imagine that has a lot to do with how long it takes to breed all the does. If you don't have very many bucks to does, it might take a while. There are so many variables I don't think you can nail it down. One thing for sure, once peak breeding is over and bucks rest up a bit they will be rarin to go again. I've seen some of the biggest bucks in the late rut period in mid December here in Eastern Ok. Saw a big 9 chasin a doe in mid January one year. Also my huntin buddy saw "the big boy" last March with his antlers still intact. He's pretty sure of the date cause he was scoutin for turkeys. There used to be big bucks killed at the ammunition depot every year in December without antlers. (It was an antlerless shotgun only hunt). Talk about variables! lp
