TrophyHuntr:

I like your theory pretty well. It may be valid. There may very well be just as much sign as in years with alot of acorns, just not in the areas where most hunters frequent. Deer tend to stay in the thickets and browse in the thickets and briars more when there' s not much food. I' ll bet you' ll find more sign there.

I espouse my on rutting theory. I think hunting pressure affects the rut, too, at least for the really big bruisers. Have you ever noticed that most chasing is done by younger bucks, say 2.5 to 3.5 years old? Now sure some of those are nice bucks, but I don' t think they are the super bucks in the area. I believe in areas where there is alot of hunters and hunter activity, the really big bucks go nocturnal in their rutting activity. Further, I' ve observed really big bucks hanging out with the does rather than chasing them( A harem of sorts). I think they' re just waiting on them to get ready. These deer don' t get big by following the same pattern and getting ' stupid' over a doe. Is it safe for me to theorize that really mature bucks don' t allow the breeding instinct to overrule their survival instinct? Like I said, it' s just a theory.