Can someone explain how to tell exactly when the rut occurs in VA? What's the importance of the 'hunters moon' and what other factors (dry season, etc.) play a part in the rut?

Coolbreeze, Thats a very interesting question and requires more than just a few sentances to answer. There are many variables such as ambient temp. altitude, rainfall ect. The "region" of Virginia has much to do with it also.

I will attempt to answer this better for you later today when I can sit down and give a little more detailed response.

I suppose that the best place to start with this might be more towards the "end" of what happens rather then the beginning.

The ultimate objective, and I doubt that deer think in terms like "ultimate objectives" and such, but ultimately, deer, just like most all other wild animals need to give birth in the spring. That affords them the better part of a year to raise the young before times get hard again the following winter.

With that said, Deer have had millions of years to develop a natural cycle of things.

When the ambient temperature reaches a certain point, ie. COLD. Does instinctively get physically prepared to mate. Like a dog in heat, they start to put off a smell. To me and you it smells pretty tough. but to a buck, it smells like channel #5.

When the bucks start smelling it, they start getting a little bit stupid. Kind of like a teen age boy when he hits puberty.

But I'm getting a little ahead of myself. Lets get back to temperatures. Where I live, here in the mountains, there is about a twenty degree difference in everyday temp between here and say...Norfolk. For instance, it might be 85 degrees in the Virginia Beach area today, but it's likely to be around 65 degrees here.

Depending on long term environmental conditions, it might start getting colder in one part of the state weeks before other parts start getting chilly. So conversly, the deer here might get prepared to mate weeks before deer in other parts of the state.

Hold that thought while we talk about the opposite sex...Bucks.

Bucks start putting on antlers in the early summer. Most folks think that Bucks only "fight" during the rut...or mating season. But for most of the summer and early fall, the tend to half heartedly spar around here and there. By the time mating season rolls around they have a pretty good idea how to "use" those antlers.

About time that the "does" start wearing a little perfume, The bucks are pretty well developed...Or at least as well developed as their age will allow. They are also starting to get a pretty good idea what that "perfume" indicates.

What happens next is what makes hunting season,,,well,,,hunting season. I liken it to a bunch of young drunk guys fighting over women in a bar.

The first thing a buck has to do is find him a few girls to look after. Then he has to let all the other fella's in the area know not to come around. So he starts marking a few tree's around his place. These are known as "rubs". Deers rub for several reasons. One; if you had two big chunks of calcium growing out of the top of your head, you would probably want to rub them against something also. but they also rub them to indicate to other guys in the neighborhood that they are not welcome.

Sometimes those rubs are enough to keep other deer away. Sometimes a wandering buck see's those rubs, and decides that he might want a little piece of the action.

When they confront each other, if one is far bigger and meaner than the other one, it might only take a few snorts and a charge to run the other one off. However, if they are even remotely evenly matched, then they will head off each other in an attempt to intimidate one another. When they do this they will usually stand head to head about six to eight feet apart and snort,grunt and paw the ground. kind of like a bull does in a field. They each might kick the dirt up and back in a circle many feet around. These are known as scrapes.

While kicking up a scrape, and grunting and snorting, if one of them is not inclined to leave...They go head to head untill one of them has had all punishment he wants.

They endure a lot of punishment for just a few days worth of fun. But they get so aroused that nothing else matters except getting together with "the ladies". Like I said...Just like a bunch of drunk guys in a bar.

The actual "rut" occurs when the ladies are fully ready to mate. They start emmiting a little scent long before. But when they are ready...They are ready. It's a bonanza for the lucky fellow that with them at the time.

But because of the difference in climates around the state...The rut might occur at different times. Wildlife biologists spend many hours and days trying to predict when each region will have the just right weather conditions for them to mate...hence the different dates around the state. If the dates are set to early, then some of the prime bucks might not get a chance to mate...To late, and folks will be killing deer with good sized fetusus inside.

The term "hunters moon" refers to a specific full moon of the year. That term goes all the way back to when indians had a name for each and every full moon. Most almanacs will have a list of them..It's much the same as a "harvest moon" or "summer moon" ect. I'm not sure that the exact date of that specific full moon has any bearing on anything except that just like any other full moon animals tend to travel a little more readily the few days before and after it.

I hope that helps.

That helps out a lot! Thanks.