Watch your trail cams...Last year I had a doe with black hocks on cam in September, now this is in NC...If a buck is in your area grunting, I bet that he has smelled a hot doe...

The does are what actually key the rut...I don't remember exactly how many days but its about 5 to 5 1/2 months after she drops her fawns that she will come into heat the first time...In eastern NC the weather is milder in the spring and does down there come in about 30 days before they do here in the Piedmont of NC, and the bucks start looking for does earlier as well...

As the days get shorter a bucks testosterone level goes up and that's when he loses his velvet and is able to breed at that time...So you can actually start using esterous at this time...It will scare other does as they don't want to be around a hot doe if they aren't ready....