trmichels

for most states

It is that time of year again, if you want to know when the peak Whitetail Rut Dates are, Google "Free Whitetail Rut Dates Chart".

If you want to know more about animal biology and behavior, or hunting techniques - feel free to ask me here or e-mail me at [email protected]

God bless,

T.R.

salukipv1

where's the ELK chart? Bugling? SW Montana...?

anyone can hunt a whitetail...lol.

trmichels

If you would look, you might find it - in the elk forum. As much information as could be gathered.

It is tough to hunt whiteail in the arctic, or anartic. Seems they feeze before the can breed.

God bless,

T.R.

superstrutter

Tr, I looked at the rut dates you posted just to see how accurate thet were. I hunt in north central LA., Union Parish to be exact. You had northwest LA. peak date at Nov. 15, which is usually about right. Where I hunt, I see activity throughout Nov., but the peak is usually during the last week in Nov. I see most of my more mature bucks during the last two weeks of Nov. We move over about 100 miles or so to Tensas Parish, and you are right on spot there. It's crazy how my rut will be over at the end of Nov. and only 100 miles to the east of me the rut won't peak for another month and a half.

trmichels

It's is not if I am right, it is whether of not the biologists in the states did their job, because they usually get it right. But, what you see may not reflect what they know. The problem often arises because many of you interpret peak rut to mean peak sightihgs of bucks, or bucks acting stupid, and that is not what it means. It means the week when more breeding occured than any other week.

And that is not always reflected in buck sightings. In fact, because it is peak breeding, you may see very few dominant bucks (unless you are watching estrus does) because the bucks are with does, not looking for or chaising does. I hope that makes sense to you.

And the reason that deer in different parishes and counties on river basins down south breed at different times, is because they come form different genetic stock. Or Or Or the deer in one area breed at one time on dryland, while the deer on the flood plain (which may geet flooded during fawning time) breed so that their fawns are born after the floods, not before or during, or the fanws would not survive.

God bless, and good hunting,

T.R.

fshafly2

TR
I provided our MD State QDMA (Ed Grimes) fetus data from a managed hunting program in So MD for the past two years. Ed complied additional fetus data from other regions of the State. In 2008, the "moonies" were predicting a rut two weeks later than "normal". In 2009, the "moonies" were predicting a rut closer to "normal". Ed's data (the conception dates of 193 pregnant does bred in 2008, and 208 pregnant does bred in 2009) showed that the average breeding date was 15 Nov for both years. You are spot on. I averaged the conception data for pregnant does harvested in So MD over a 16 yr period - the overall average for breeding was again 15 Nov. The conclusion is that the moon phase does not likely affect breeding dates at our latitude.

-fsh

trmichels

Boy, you guys sure are being nice to me today. But tell Jeff Murray or Charles Alsheimer, or Laroch, or Kroll and Koerth, becaue they say it is the moon. I was the first person to be able to prove it, and the first to say it in print, back in abouy 2000 or so, because I had the breeding dates of 1600+ does, over and 8 year periond, that showed peak breeding in Minnesota occurred during the week of Nov 12 all eight years. And again the moonies predicted as early as the last week of Oct, to as late as the last week of Nov. They were wrong, and the scientists were right.

7.62NATO

Looks like I need a bow. Rut dates in VA are during bow season.

iSnipe

What part of the state is that?

I find it hard to believe it's the same for the whole state. The grass greens, the trees leaf out, the birds come back from the south, the hummingbirds show up sooner... all in the south about 4 hours south of me. And by sooner, I mean 2 weeks. Same for the weather. It melts about 2 weeks sooner down south as well. (hence the thaw and spring coming sooner.(obviously))

iSnipe

trmichels

It was for the entire state, so it would be an overall average. But, if you looked at the chart, you will see that I found peak breeding to occur earlier in the south than it might have in the north.

God bless,

T.R.