RUT

[mnhunter79]

Been thinkin about the rut lately, when & why.

WHEN: Dont know for sure, but ive heard it happens when the daylight is the same hours as nightime. ( ex. 12 hrs. of daylight and 12 hrs of nightime)

WHY: i have no idea! Besides doe's go into heat.

When does pre-rut, full rut, and post-rut occur? late oct. / early nov.?

One would think there is some facts out there on when this all takes place, besides guessing. (ex. air temps, moon phase, barometer).

Just lookin to get more knowledge on this subject, like when are the big boys cruisin for doe's durring daylight.

[JBone]

Pre Rut: Mid Oct to Late October

Full Rut:Late October to Mid November

Post Rut:Mid November to Late November early December

Weather, Geographic location, Genetics, Food/Water play a role

[lungdeflator]

I found in our area (solway, MN) that it varies from year to year. last year we didnt see good rut activity til mid november, some years it has been beginning of november. Ive read that the 2nd full moon after the harvest moon is the "rutting moon". this would place it around the 23rd of Nov. I think. Who knows really? its different every year. just talk to other hunters in the area and listen to what they see

[Bear55]

The sunlight deally is called photoperiod, basically the amount of sunlight in a given day triggers the estrus cycle in a doe. The bucks are ready to go now but they have wait for the does.

The thing to remember about the rut is it's a marthon, not a sprint. Does can and doe get bread in October and December. Also there are three main phases of the rut that all kind of overlap and blend into each other. The seeking phase is usually early season through the end of October where the bucks are on their feet searching for does and leaving their sign behind. The chase phase is what most people would call the RUT and bucks are actively chasing and following does who are at or close to ready to breed. Finally the breeding phase can be either hot or cold, but mostly cold because many of the bucks are locked down with a doe or two in some remote area and there is very little movement but you can catch bucks moving from doe to doe.

For my area (North of Grand Rapids) we have had the best luck from Nov 7-14 with some of the best hunting from Nov 9-12. Opening day rifle season is also very good and often when many big bucks are shot. These dates can and do vary from area to area so the best thing to do is keep a detailed log of mature bucks following does and mature buck sightings to help and find your peak dates.

[MUSKY18]

Now I just watched a TV show about the rut and when it is going to happen this year. Due to the fact that the full moon in November isn't until the 23rd, they are predicting that the rut will be very long and drawn out due to the fact that does will be coming into heat at different times (and by that I guess they mean different than normal years). Supposed to be some of the best hunting that is going to occur and another senario like this won't happen again within our lifetimes.

How much stock to put into this, I really don't know, but I know I am looking forward to finding out.

[gr8icefishinmind]

This is information from the Minnesota dnr HSOforum!!

Conception Dates / Peak Breeding Dates Graph

Graph of conception dates of 1,600+ White-tailed deer, from 1980 to 1987 in MN. Data provided by the Minnesota DNR.

The above graph plots weekly breeding dates for 2.5 year old or older does, 1.5 year old does, and .5 year old doe fawns in Minnesota. It shows a spike of conceptions on Nov. 12. There is also a peak in .5 year old doe fawn conceptions from Nov. 19-dec. 24. 7. The data shows that the first doe was bred the week of Oct. 1, with the last doe bred the week of Feb. 25.

The graph shows that the average peak breeding date of white-tailed deer in Minnesota from 1980 - 1987 occurred during the week of Nov. 12. This study was done before the "moon phase" hypothesis came about. It was not done to disprove the moon phase hypothesis, and, to my knowledge, it is the largest single study ever done on the conception dates of white-tailed deer.

rut graph

[gr8icefishinmind]

I really liked this statement...........

Some studies have shown the peak sightings of bucks occurs during the full and last quarter phases of the moon, and this may be especially true when peak breeding is occurring during November. So, if you want to know the best time to see bucks during November, just figure out when the full moon and last quarter phases occur during the year you hunt, and hunt those days most of the day. And if this is what you are looking for, you need not read any further

[Bear55]

How much stock to put into this, I really don't know, but I know I am looking forward to finding out.

I don't put much stock into it, according to my notes the late rut according to the moon stuff doesn't hold much water. In past years we were still seeing bucks on the peak dates I listed when the moon guy said to hunt later in Nov.

[maros91]

According to the thing I go by the dates with highest buck activity will be Nov. 19-28. Every body has there own little thing they go by. Just sit in the stand all day every day in Nov. and your bound to find out what days are best.