This years moon phase/rut

[Cooter]

First off I don't pay much attention or have any faith in the moon phases/rut prediction theory but still am curious. I see we have a full moon on Oct 14th, guessing this is the 'harvest moon' or the one that is supposed to kick off the rut. According to the theory, the rut ought to be a bit early this year?

Nonetheless, right now I'm looking at taking some vacation time election week, say the 5,6, and 7 of Nov and maybe a day or two the following week. Later.

[96trigger]

I would look at the last week in October and the first week in November. I don't know if its so much the moon phase, but when its like daylight outside because of the moon, the deer don't need to come out during the day. Next week will be kind of bust with the full moon, unless its cloudy, then hunt as usual.

[harvey lee]

I have never cared to hunt a full moon as I always see less deer movement. As far as the rut goes, seems in ND, its in full swing the 10th of November every year.

[HARDTIMES]

The ruting moon is the second full moon after the fall equanox. So November 13 if that is the case rut sould be later then last years it was Oct 25.

[Kyle]

Its different everywhere you go. I have hunted one part of the state and seen absolutely no sign of the rut at all, and at the same time had a friend 100 miles west of me and say that bucks were chasing does like crazy. I think it is totally different everywhere.

[slimngrizzly]

The week before or after Nov.1 should be great! A new moon at that time should make it even better day bite!

[Bear55]

I haven't noticed a great deal moon phase/rut action. I would say when the full moon is out I more movement mid-day but that is about it. Every area the rut is going to be a little different, I have kept a log book and in our area (northern Itasca County) most of the big buck sightings are between nov 8th and the 12th.

[Cooter]

So a late rut according to the harvest moon kicking things off with it being Nov 13 the eh?

[harvey lee]

I have always watched for the does to kick their fawns off for the rut. When they do, the rut is not far behind.

[fishinmajishin]

My log shows the rut starts Nov. 3rd in my area by Detroit Lakes. Not the 2nd or the 4th. By rut, I mean when the bucks are actually nose/tail to the does. I bowhunt 3-4 days before the firearms and have seen minimal mature buck activity during daylight until the 3rd. Then bam...like a switch was thrown. IMO it is triggered more by amount of daylight than moon phase.

[MooseTrack]

This is a good article I came acroos a few years back and I can not even remember where. I think it decribes the rut accuratly.

While most hunters think that the rut is an event that only takes place a few days or weeks, a number of rut phases lead up and follow the actual rut, the peak rut. All of these phases involve sexual activity and are part of the rutting process. This process can take many moths starting as early as August in some southern areas of North America and lasting well into February in some northern parts of North America.

The most important aspect to learn about the rut is the timing varies from area to area as well as from one year to another. In short there is not a set date when the rut starts and ends. If you heard or read, as I did, that the rut starts everywhere during the second week of November then you would be very wise to doubt that statement. Because it just doesn’t happen that way, at least not in my experience.

You should also be aware that much what is reported as fact is actually theory. We simply do not know all the answers about why deer do whatever it is they do or when they do it.

Generally speaking bucks are capable of reproduction the moment they shed their antler velvet. But the does are not ready at that time. We have identified four stages that lead up to the peak-rut, where most does are ready to be breed, or follow that period.

Pre-Rut

As the temperatures begin to fall the bucks shed the antler velvet and begin their sparing matches. These are not life and death fights but simply a push and shove affair where bucks get rid of some frustration and test their competitors. It’s almost a joke on the bucks from Mother Nature that they are ready to breed but the does aren’t. At this time bucks still live together in bachelor groups.

Chasing Phase

About two to four weeks after the Pre Rut the chasing phase begins. The mature bucks begin now to leave the buck groups and lead a live in solitude, beginning to follow the does around, chasing them. At about this time the does begin to produce pheromones as the estrus nears. It is believed that this pheromones advertising the estrus cycle causes bucks to produce more male hormones.

At first bucks follow the does in some distance, shadowing the does. While there may be several bucks that follow a doe, it will be the dominant bucks that follow the doe at a close distance. As the doe nears her full estrus cycle the bucks chase becomes more intensified.

The Rut

The estrus period, where a doe is most fertile, only lasts about 24 hours. The doe will now stand still for the buck rather than run away from him the moment he tries to come very close to her. She will now tolerate that the buck mounts her. After breeding the buck will stay with that doe throughout her estrus period before he goes off to find a new estrus doe, commonly referred to as “doe in heat”. Bucks breed several does in a very short time frame. Not all the does come in heat at exactly the same day.

If a doe has not been breed the first time she will come in heat again after 28 days. Researchers have found that some does can go trough six to seven estrus cycles. However, most does are breed the first time around.

It is the few does that repeat their estrus cycles in 28 days that lead up to the post rut.

Post Rut

The post rut is the same as the Rut but very much less intensive as the first rut. Bucks are still wandering about and checking out doe feeding and bedding areas to find the last un-breed doe.

What triggers the rut? As I said before the doe entering the estrus cycle triggers the rut. The next question then would what makes the doe come into the estrus cycle? Well there are many different opinion and theories. In my experience, that is shared by many experts. The trigger is a sharp drop in temperature. The first cold snap may be what causes the doe to come into estrus. This also would explain why the rut takes place at different times in different areas and years. While in the north the rut may come with the first frost of the year in the south it may be just the difference of a few degrees in temperature. There are also theories that the moon plays some part in the rut too, but I have no data or experience to verify this phenomenon.

Researchers are constantly researching the rut and one day will perhaps find the answers we are all seeking. In the meantime, the best advice I can give to hunters is to be out in the woods as much as possible. The odds of harvesting a big buck are directly linked to the amount of time spent in the outdoors.

[Cody Lubeley]

Good article thanks for the info

[fishinmajishin]

Let me add that in conjunction with the diminishing daylight, the temps are progressively dropping. If the breeding cycle was triggered by the first sharp drop, it could happen in Sept in northern MN. The gestation period of deer would not allow that to happen as the does would drop their fawns too early in the spring.

Just MO.

[B. Amish]

The ruting moon is the second full moon after the fall equanox. So November 13 if that is the case rut sould be later then last years it was Oct 25.

Correct. I've paid attention to the moon phase theory and I think it holds water. It's coincided perfectly since I started keeping notes three years ago. And it does vary from year to year by as much as one to two weeks.

[Kyle]

so I bought a buck bomb in doe estrus. When can I let her rip? When does the pre rut start? Im hunting an area with several large bucks, would letting that buck bomb go off hinder me or benefit me right now?

[sticknstring]

I don't have much success with scents so if it were me I'd try to keep the woods as natural as possible. Maybe make a mock scrape and pee in it and put a camera up. One tactic I've been toying with is digging up the dirt out of real scrapes and putting in my mock scrapes... Only had a few sits on it last year - I'm hoping for better results this year. Some guys swear by scents though... I think it goes hand-in-hand with rattling. If you're hunting undisturbed deer with a healthy age structure you'll notice better results. Where I hunt I gave up on scent/rattling. Hard to beat a good grunt tube though.

[Kyle]

I agree for the most part with keeping it natural. Ive been slowly changing my tactics a little bit every year though. If you think about it, scents are natural. They are there all the time, its just that we cannot smell them. Most of my life i have used nothing, but I do believe that if you use them correctly and at the right time, they'll work. I think the reason why alot of people dont get alot of results is because they are not using them in the right setting/time, and they dont use nearly enough. Those chincy little bottles of P you buy at the store are 1/4 of what a doe will release at one time. I know a guy that uses gallons of the stuff throughout the year, and he has alot of success using more. thats why I think the buck bomb would be interesting to try. It distributes alot of scent, and it puts in right in the air. It is all about parts per million in the big picture.

[sticknstring]

A little scent goes a long way. If I had to guess - I'd say most guys use too much than the other way around. If I use anything at all, it'll be a little James Valley at mock scrape or I'll hang a tarsal gland from a doe.

[Finlander]

I put some doe pee on the backside of a small tree so the deers head is on the opposite side so they cannot see or hear me draw my bow back! Nothing better than to have a still relaxed deer to aim at and to know it won't jump the string!

[ovation62]

I was out hunting archery this week-end and saw 4 does and 1 hug buck on are land, there I saw was a early rut, he was chassing, and was scrapping and the things all big boy's do.

So it is on in northern mn.

[DRH1175]

I hunted the early doe season this weekend near almulund MN. There were scrapes and rubs everywhere. I have never seen this many this early in my life. Not sure what it means. But was just very interested to see this. I have a huge 4' scrape 15 yards from my stand.

[PerchJrkr]

Im not entirely sure what to think about all this moon phase stuff.. seems to me like the bucks are just like us.. they're ready to rock whenever. I had pics of a little basket rack 8 chasin a doe around in circles last week. lots of scrapes around here too- set a cam on 2 scrapes that were at least 4' across and within 3 feet of each other.. we'll see whos tearin up the woods!

[Cooter]

Well I've got this Thurs off, will hunt but also need to do some last minute stand hanging/ground blind moving. Took off Tues thru Thurs of next week hoping to get some good pre-rut movement - got the rattlin bag and decoy ready to rock.

[matthothand]

That darn moon....I agree 11-3 is a day we should all take off of work and sit all day. I have said before that I don't agree with the alleged role the moon plays in the rut or the overall impact it has on deer movement. The photoperiod or decreasing amount of daylight combined with dropping mercury are the two largest factors determining deer activity in the fall...in my very expert opinion. You can't beat the 3rd through the 10th of November. You just can't. Besides, deer don't disappear. If you aren't seeing 5 1/2 year old bucks I wouldn't be too quick to blame the moon. Knowing the locations of bedding areas and travel corridors in thick cover is priceless information that will trump the moon card any hand.

[dave12341234]

they say that during rut, bucks drop the feeding areas and chase does, well what if does are feeding wouldnt they follow them into the does feeding area? i guess if youve been hunting an corn pile or a small 1/2 acre food plot you wouldnt really have to move. kinda like killn 2 birds with one stone, and saves alot of hassle.