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It’s Time To Dance

Well, folks, this it, the magical time of the year for the whitetail deer in our part of whitetail country. The rut has begun as has the annual whitetail dance. How do you know this Robbins, you ask? Well experience, for one, and, secondly, first-hand sightings.

Over the years, we have seen rutty activity start around mid-October. Now I’m not just talking about scrapes and rubs, because they don’t always proceed in all areas, they do in most. But just because scrapes haven’t been opened up doesn’t mean that things aren’t getting started. There are several reasons for this, but the most important is buck-to-doe ratios. If the ratios are out of whack, scrapes wouldn’t open up right away.

Let me give you all a little clue on how I know “The Dance” has begun. This past week while I was quietly waiting over a food plot, which has been hit with great regularity by does and fawns, I started seeing less mature does but just as many fawns as before. As each day passed, mature does were coming to my ambush later and later each day. It took a couple days until it sank in, but then it was confirmed when a 1¢-year-old fork horn started to show up.

We also started to see more buck daylight activity on trail cameras. Then it happened that one of our target bucks popped out just before dark. With all of these observations, and the sure sign that does are kicking their fawns to the side, proves to me that things are beginning to pick up.

Traditionally the breeding season for whitetail deer begins in New York from end of October through January, with peak activity occurring in mid-November. Most does breed for their first time at 1¢ years of age. After a gestation period of about 200 days, females usually give birth to one or two fawns.

This phase is when bucks begin to act a little rutty. It generally occurs during the last part of October, and can last into early November, depending on which part of the state you are hunting. Rut sign is really ramping up now and testosterone levels are getting deer up on their feet a little earlier in the day.

The big question that hunters have asked over the years is what triggers the rut? Myself and others of like mind believe it’s all about light. Also known as the photo period, the shifting ratio of daylight to darkness regulates whitetail deer hormones. Hormones are connected to the breeding cycle and antler growth.

Weather doesn’t affect them very much or as much as some think. With that said, the rut is going to happen regardless of conditions. Deer will breed no matter what it’s doing outside, it’s just the majority of hunters who get out when weather conditions are bad. Whitetail deer in part of the whitetail country get bred on almost the same day every year. The peak of the rut can change because of food sources possibly, but breeding will happen, rain or shine.

During the majority of the year, there is no doubt about it there is something about how a mature whitetail buck can dodge human interaction. It doesn’t seem possible that mere animals can pull off the stunts they do, leaving us baffled time after time. I’m going to vanish like smoke now and leave you feeling like a complete jerk. Want to see?

Ah, you say, but what about the rut? Doesn’t even the smartest buck eventually start thinking with his natural instincts instead of his brain? Yes, but not the way you think, and if you assume that on one magical day every big deer in the woods is going to turn into a suicidal stud, you’re wrong.

While we recently discussed on these pages the rut in general, this week let us discuss the stages. We prefer to break the rut down into four separate stages. These stages have different names for different hunters and can actually vary in different parts of the country, but they all mean the same. What we commonly use are the pre-rut, seeking and chasing, breeding/mating and post-rut.

Each of these stages can be broken down in separate units in the stage, but that is a little too hard core for many of us. Let’s just say that each stage has its own purpose and they are very specific. Each stage will fall in the same order each year, which in turn will blend into the next like a dimmer switch.

To maximize your chances of getting a buck, understand the differences between the rut’s four phases. Then strive to be in the woods on those days when the hunting should be best. While the stages have been called different by different folks, at their core they are basically the same outcome.

The pre-rut generally begins toward the end of October, a week or so before trick-or-treat day, and will run until around Nov. 3-4. Bucks seldom fight with one another yet, unless they are mature or are chasing does, but they are in peak condition. Testosterone levels are building. Eventually, bucks shift away from their patterns of bedding most of the day and feeding at dusk and night. With cooling temperatures, they travel more in the mornings and arrive earlier at staging areas where deer congregate before moving to food sources later. At this time, bucks are searching for older does that come into estrus ahead of others in the herd. They often do this by making scrapes, marking them with scent, and checking them periodically.

The second stage (seek and chase) is often grouped with the first stage (pre-rut). The feeling is that more happens in the seek-and-chase stage and that needs to be classified as a separate stage.

Some folks only consider that the rut has three stages, but for reasons that have come to light in recent years, biologists believe that seek and chase needs to be classified as separate stages. This stage will run for six or seven days immediately following the pre-rut. It can be recognized by bucks constantly on the move now, seeking mates, and their swollen necks are evidence of peaking testosterone levels. More and more does are coming into heat at this time, and the woods are becoming chaotic. Whatever you do during deer hunting season, don’t miss out on this period. It is the ultimate time to kill a mature whitetail buck. Be it with a bow, muzzleloader, or modern firearm, you need to be in the woods now.

The third stage is many times confusing for hunters. The breeding stage is all about mating. Generally, it only lasts for 10 days. During this stage the woods have become quiet. Rather than running around looking for another “hot” doe, a mature buck will stay with a mature doe for up to 72 hours until breeding can take place. The first 24 hours the doe starts to smell right, but not quite ready to breed. Then the next 24 hours she will come into full estrous. In time she will allow the buck to breed her several times. At that point he will move on to find another doe.

I watched this unfold firsthand a couple years ago when I was fortunate enough to take a monster buck and nothing was being seen or even caught on trail cameras. I kept hearing that I took the only buck in the woods, the deer are gone, they moved out and many other statements that aren’t worthy of printing. While I continued to feel guilty and pressure, in the back of my mind I knew what was actually happening, it was a mating stage. This proved to be correct when on opening day of rifle, another monster was taken hot on the trail of a doe not 100 yards from mine.

We all thought all the deer had disappeared. Most does are in estrus now, and bucks are with mates, except during those periods when they have finished breeding one doe and are looking for another. In some areas, a buck may stay with a single doe before, during, and after her normal 24- to 48-hour estrous cycle. In regions with an abundance of females, a buck may linger only for the peak of a doe’s cycle, then move on to service other does, luck fella.

By stage four, which generally runs six or seven days, the majority of the adult does have come into heat and been bred. Bucks are tired, but are still searching for late-cycling females and any does come into heat for the very first time. While many younger bucks have totally dropped out of the rut, worn out more by chasing than actual breeding, the older males stay active as long as necessary. As they search for does, they will often venture into territory they haven’t been to this season, so don’t be surprised if you see a big buck you’ve never seen before. The first part of December is the best time to get your second chance at a monster.

Remember, in areas that have a high mature doe ratio, a second and third rut can and will take place. The key to these is 28 days. The estrous cycle for doe is 28 days and if they aren’t bred the first time around, they will come into estrus again and again until they are bred.

Folks, it’s time to use those “sick’ days, vacation and put the honey-do list on hold. Now is the time to be in the woods and on a stand.

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