The Rut

[Cooperman]

HI All,

I started bow hunting last weekend and didn't see any sign of the rut. I'm hunting in the park rapids area. is it possible the rut has not started yet?

thank in advance for you input.

[MUSKY18]

The actual "rut" is still a few weeks away. The pre rut should be kicking in the next couple of days and getting stronger towards the Halloween time.

[leech~~]

Plus +1. I can't wait because I have a nice 10 point on the cam that is only coming out during night time and I need him to start getting a little crazy so I can pop him!

[Cooperman]

Musky 18,

thanks for the reply. Can you explain the difference between pre-rut and rut?

thanks

[InTheNorthwoods]

Everybody knows the rut starts the Tuesday before gun season. That is why the gun season always starts on Saturday, 4 days later, as the rut will really be going by that time...

[Musky Buck]

The rut since it switched from zone 4 to zone 2 along with mild weather etc. has been really non-existant for our group of 25, we rarely see bucks chasing does during shooting light, mostly a nocturnal rut going on now aday, we see them after hours on our gravels etc. chasing does, but a new season is coming and maybe it will change but there is so much pressure on them they'd rather lay low and wait for darkness or near darkness, no hurry to go eat, they got all night. The days are getting shorter and that is the key to the rut, I think weather then plays the trump card as far as how active they are in shooting light. Then pressure plays the final card in the deck.

[paceman]

I have not seen anything in way of rubs/scrapes yet and I don't expect to see much until the last week of October.

[fr0sty]

Didn't see any in my area this past weekend (240).

I have not seen anything in way of rubs/scrapes yet and I don't expect to see much until the last week of October.

[bigbucks]

I've seen 3-4 scrapes, but they weren't very serious looking ones.

[Musky Buck]

For some reason Oct.20th-November 20th have been scrape/rub time, but generally once firearms opens now aday I see little to no new activity, years back less pressure,less days afield for all, saw way more new sign once season opened, they go into survival mode due to pressure now aday. Really depends on how pressured the area is you're hunting.

[tazimna]

Had 27 deer in my alfalfa field last night at 6:30. Most were doe/fawn combo's, but had 6 different bucks amongst them. The bucks could've cared less having other bucks there and the does definately could have cared less that bucks were around. Even had a timber wolf walk the edge(3rd time in 10 days) and this time the deer just walked to other side of field and the wolf just continued on his way. Happy Hunting! taz

[Jason_Gundersen]

Ive been seeing scrapes since bow opener and rubs all over the place in my new area for a city hunt but on other properties we hunt the "rut" activity doesn't happen until late october... It really depends on the area you hunt if its mainly doe trails instead of buck trails the signs don't show up until later

[Archerysniper]

Wait till around Oct 20th-23rd by then they should be everywhere.

[Musky Buck]

1 thing for sure about the rut, the fawns sure seem to be born about the same time every year, here's a rut ? also, ok, doe, ok can a guy tell if she's been bred or not meaning opening day she comes out with her 2 fawns looking just like mama, no worry in the world, has she been bred yet and regrouped with her fawns after the buck left the area or no not yet, she'd be flying solo maybe trying to connect with her fawns again, yes seeing her bred would be a sure yes. Maybe a better ? is how can you tell if she's getting to that estrous level where she's ready and if he gets shot does she go searching for a new suitor before she has to wait for a month to come back into heat again? Sorry I stated these ?'s poorly but any theories guys?

[slimngrizzly]

Its Oct.16... if anyone isn't seeing rubs and scrapes, then your just not looking hard enough or in the right places!

The pre-rut/rut/post-rut happens in basically in all of MN at the same time. It doesnt differ by "zone". If your not seeing the results that you are hearing about someone else witnessing, its simply because at that moment, they were sitting on the "X", you weren't!

Several factors affect the intensity of the rut, but north or south, whether youre seeing it or not, its happening!

[slimngrizzly]

1 thing for sure about the rut, the fawns sure seem to be born about the same time every year, here's a rut ? also, ok, doe, ok can a guy tell if she's been bred or not meaning opening day she comes out with her 2 fawns looking just like mama, no worry in the world, has she been bred yet and regrouped with her fawns after the buck left the area or no not yet, she'd be flying solo maybe trying to connect with her fawns again, yes seeing her bred would be a sure yes. Maybe a better ? is how can you tell if she's getting to that estrous level where she's ready and if he gets shot does she go searching for a new suitor before she has to wait for a month to come back into heat again? Sorry I stated these ?'s poorly but any theories guys?

If theres 12 bucks behind her... shes in heat!

Other than that, im not aware that theres any way of knowing if a doe has been bred or not...

[MUSKY18]

Musky 18,

thanks for the reply. Can you explain the difference between pre-rut and rut?

thanks

The PRE RUT is when you are going to start to see the buck activity pick up as far as scrapes and rubs. The bucks that were in bachelor groups will start to break up and establish the order of dominance. This is when you will have bucks starting to spar with each other and respond to rattling will be the best. Bucks will start to cruise more during the daylight hours to check scrapes, looking for does that might be coming into heat early. The testosterone levels begin to rise in the bucks leading into the rut. As the tetosterone rises, the bucks will start "seeking and chasing" does.

The RUT is when the bucks are at their peak breeding testosterone and the majority of the does are "hot" and ready to be bred. Usually when a buck finds a hot doe, he will go into "lockdown" and not leave that doe's side until he has had the chance to breed her. You will see buck activity but it will be diminished compared to pre rut.

There is a lot more to both the pre rut and rut phases, but this should give you a general idea.

[InTheNorthwoods]

I responded sarcastically earlier because I didn't really want to get into this issue. Its been discussed in depth in the past.

The bottom line is that "the rut" is not a singular, identifiable or quantifiable event. The pre-rut, post-rut, and rut are all phases of "the rut". Additionally, what is typically termed "THE rut" is not a definable event within the within "the rut" - it happens over time.

Think of it as a snow storm in which we're predicted to get 12" of snow. The storm starts when warmer air leaves and collides with colder air (and all the other weather variables), the wind starts blowing in coldly, then we might get some rain, leading to sleet, then it starts to snow heavier to a point it is really coming down, then it slows down and we might have some blowing of snow and light flurries until we ultimately have 12" of snow over time. In the end, it was just one "snow storm" (i.e. the rut), but it happened over a period of time. Not to mention that the same snow storm might have dumped a bunch of snow on a great deal of MN, but it didn't all come down at the same speeds, at the same time throughout.

[tracker x-2]

Ive been seeing scrapes since bow opener and rubs all over the place in my new area for a city hunt but on other properties we hunt the "rut" activity doesn't happen until late october... It really depends on the area you hunt if its mainly doe trails instead of buck trails the signs don't show up until later

What city hunt are you taking part in?

[96trigger]

I have to agree with slim. If you are not seeing any rubs and scrapes, you are not in a very good area or looking very hard. There are rubs all over the place where I am hunting in semn. There are a few scrapes to. Some smaller bucks are starting to spar with one another. The rubs are increasing every day. I will say this however, when the pre rut is at its peak, a good deer trail or woodline will have fresh scrapes every 50 yards, often even closer than that.

[Jeff13]

I walked miles last weekend scouting for this coming weekend. Been hunting the same area for almost 20 years. I checked all the areas where there are usually scrapes and rubs year after year. Only found a few small rubs. Typically the scrapes start popping up around the 20th of this month or right near there. I'm sure I will find some more activity this weekend because last weekend there was next to nothing.

[Fever]

First off, scrapes are used all year long as a way for deer to communicate. They are there if deer are there. I placed cameras in a very remote spot about a half a mile into the timber back on the 1st of Sept. I saw 2 very distinct scrapes along a logging road that had been blocked off from people traffic due to trees down from a major wind storm from last pring. Rub lines are a differnt deal. These come shortly after velvet is shed as testosterone rises which is always in response to loss of daylight.

There ar three types of rut that occur accross the northern fringes of North America. They are the Classic, the traditional, and the Synergistic. They are differentiated from one another by moon phase, Testosterone levels, and estrogen levels. This year, with the full moon occuring on Oct.29th we will have a synergistic Rut as about 3-8 days after that full moon, testosterone levels will peak, just as Estrogen cycles begin to peak. (do google search on Deer and Deer Hunting). It should (baring crazy warm spell, or crazy low pressure front hitting on the 2nd or 3rd of Nov.), be a very exciting time in the woods. Assuming there is a healthy population and buck to doe ratio is healthy.

It is too early for a seeking phase as that is the 1st phase we would notice. Give it 2-3 weeks and we should see buck bachleor groups disapate. Then it's on to seeking, chasing, lockdown, then a post or 2nd phase assuming all does haven't been bred. If your in the woods with a bow right now, you should be hunting funnels between bedding and feeding areas. Period.

Also, you can tell if a doe has just been bred. Kinda... as she will not be with her yearlings from last year as they'd have left when the breeding was occuring, also, if she is hot to trot and in estrus, she will be nervous, skiddish, and paying more attention to her flank as opposed to feeding... even though, its the feeding she'd really rather be doing. These are the does that you let walk and watch for what is following her. Sometimes the buck or bucks will be right on her tail, others... maybe 20 plus min behind.

[paceman]

Wow good stuff fever!

[Fever]

Hope my post clears a few things up for some people. I'm jacked up for this year's rut activity. Specifically speaking Nov 3rd - the 6th, as I'm placing an educated guess on being in the woods during the middle of the seeking phase. BIG time buck movement. Older bucks throwing caution to the wind as they look for a girlfriend. This years activity (daytime) should be the best we've seen in about 7 years. Calls, scents, rattling should all work better if used properly (not too much / overkill) than they have in several years.

The guys on Deer and Deer Hunting Tv show REALLY do an excellent job. If you haven't seen the show.... look into it. I highly recomend it!

[Bear55]

Just starting to find some pre-rut activity, things should heat up this week/weekend. I expect some good deer movement this weekend, things are slowly tilting in our favor for more daylight movement. Mostly focusing on a bucks core areas or remote areas with little to no pressure, save all my rut tatics until Nov.