yes - within a week from year to year.

Based on fetus studies from doe taken in Jan/feb. and from drop times of fawns in the spring. I see no evidence of larger peek breeding fluxuations. I also see a drop off of scrape activity at about the same time - one of the only real indicators I use.

Even though buck activity seems much more random - at times non-existent - those fawns drop right on time

Just for discussion purposes if photoperiodism is the main factor in deciding the seaking, chasing and peak phases of the rut why then would they not be the exact same dates from year to year. The only dates that do change even if only by a few days from year to year are the dates of the harvest and rutting moon. Rack I do agree there are other factors that can add to a deminished rut. Weather. who wants to run around during mid day during unseasonably warm weather with thier winter coat on when you can do it in the cool of the night. Buck to doe ratio out of wack. Who needs to run around. Like the old bull said "lets walk down there and $%^& em all. Hunter pressure. Force them to stay in the thick (go where no man will or cant without being detected) or wait till an hour after dark. I want to learn. That is why I will never stop asking questions or trying to find answers for the reasons those animals do what they do. Alsheimer has raised an intresting point. I just dont want to say to myself he's full of $^&% and not believe a word he writes and find out 3 years from now he has data to back up every word he wrote. The one thing I know for sure is the more I read about the deer we hunt is there are no givens. Except right place right time. I know guys me included that are at this all year. Then I know guys that show up and shoot a big one. Right place right time.

I think the triggering of the rut is photoperiod, like rack attack mentioned earlier. Peak rut here is ALWAYS first week of november to around mid november. Has little to do with the moon. Deer are gonna wanna breed whether there is a full moon or a half moon, simple as that.

slayer

toby, you're speaking my language! i feel the same as you. that's why i started this thread. i want to give myself the best opportunity possible.

rack,

that's interesting...alsheimer monitors a radio-collared research group. so, he knows the days fawns are dropped in the spring and has found that using the 199 day gestation (sp?) period for fetuses he is able to know the day the fawns were conceived. and he states that all (well, i guess 80% give or take) fall into the breeding window following the rutting moon. (the other 20% were conceived during the breeding window of either the pre-rut moon or the post-rut moon.)

i just wish there was a simple answer because i'm being pulled both ways here. i just keep going back to the rut in my area never seems to happen at the same time from season to season...there must be reason why...

In the book tending and breeding phase. "When breeding begins scraping nearly ceases and bucks curtail much of the activity that took place throughout the rut's dominace, seeking and chasing phases. The phase usually begins five to seven days after the rutting moon and last for about 14 days. During this time 70 to 80 percent of the mature does will be breed".

That will usally cover the time period you are talking about. The question is what is the starting date????

Bobcat 10:



I'm from south Texas so I think I'm about as "deep south" as you can get. And like I said in my first post on page #1, the rutting activity seems to start once we get are first cold front in Dec. Down here people seem to be worried about other things then when the rut is going to start. Everybody knows that from Dec. 7- Dec. 25 the rut is going to be in full swing. Some years during this time we dont get cold fronts, which makes the hunting really hard because the bucks and does arent running around as much. But if we do get a cold front, it really makes the deer get in the rutting "mood".

The deer are going to rut and breed no matter what, weather its raining, snowing, or even if hell freezes over, there still going to rut.

Which is exactly why I dont believe weather or moon phase has anything to do with the rut.
It's been the same time period (2nd week of November) here for as long as I've been hunting.

I look at it this way. Moon phase , weather , lining of the galaxy , etc. has nothing to do with a woman getting her period the same time every month. I used to have a cat that you could set your calendar by every time she went into heat.
Why would a deer be any different than the rest of the animal kingdom?

i agree! you hear the weather thing from a lot of hunters,but it is just coincidental that it about time for the rut.does are going to come into heat every year at about the same time.weather only affects movement in my opinion.here in north ms.,the deer gun season opens the week prior to thaksgiving but the rut begins during the muzzleloader season the first week of dec.while i have taken some good buks the second week of dec with a ML, my best bucks have all been from dec. 24-jan 5th. since does start dropping fawns here in june,the younger does that were not born until the previous july/august cause the rut to continue into the end of january andd into feb. but the activity is not as furious as in dec.

so BOWFANATIC and loner, is it safe to assume that neither one of you believe in photoperiodism?

Why do deer rut? Why do migratory birds fly south? Or north for that matter in the spring? Why do carbou migrate?

Natures Clock: Photoperiodism