Quote:

---

We are going down to our place 12-14 through 12-16 I believe to do some huntin. We will definately do some sittin and lookin but like I said we are still nursing our deer herd back from hard hunters. More than likely will continue to work on our roads and a couple food plots in the afternoons and maybe get a hog or two to get some cookin ribs.

What we have been doing to make our place as appealing as we can is to provide as much food and water as we can. On our 330 acres we have 4 proteen feeders, 4 corn feeders a tank and two huge water troughs(20' cement round in the pasture)that draw them in. This combined with trying to keep the place as quiet as we can pulls lots of deer from neighbors. Next year will have 2 or maybe 3 irrigated food plots, this combined with the hopefully aging structure of our deer herd will bring out some good bucks.

matt

---

Quote:

---

Rut caused by weather is a myth. Deer in general move around in colder weather so hunters perceive the weather causing the rut. Deer might never breed down south if it was caused by weather. There have been studies by almost every state that dissproves this myth. That is why the rut is usually predictible but the weather is not.

---

Splittin hairs dude, but you are right, just saying that a good cold snap helps deer movement. So, in all these studies, what triggers the rut doctor?

Quote:

---

Rut caused by weather is a myth. Deer in general move around in colder weather so hunters perceive the weather causing the rut. Deer might never breed down south if it was caused by weather. There have been studies by almost every state that dissproves this myth. That is why the rut is usually predictible but the weather is not.

---

Some decent reading here:

You should also be aware that much what is reported as fact is actually theory. We simply do not know all the answers about why deer do whatever it is they do or when they do it.

Generally speaking bucks are capable of reproduction the moment they shed their antler velvet. But the does are not ready at that time. We have identified four stages that lead up to the peak-rut, where most does are ready to be breed, or follow that period.

Pre-Rut
As the temperatures begin to fall the bucks shed the antler velvet and begin their sparing matches. These are not life and death fights but simply a push and shove affair where bucks get rid of some frustration and test their competitors. It’s almost a joke on the bucks from Mother Nature that they are ready to breed but the does aren’t. At this time bucks still live together in bachelor groups.

Chasing Phase
About two to four weeks after the Pre Rut the chasing phase begins. The mature bucks begin now to leave the buck groups and lead a live in solitude, beginning to follow the does around, chasing them. At about this time the does begin to produce pheromones as the estrus nears. It is believed that this pheromones advertising the estrus cycle causes bucks to produce more male hormones.

At first bucks follow the does in some distance, shadowing the does. While there may be several bucks that follow a doe, it will be the dominant bucks that follow the doe at a close distance. As the doe nears her full estrus cycle the bucks chase becomes more intensified.

The Rut
The estrus period, where a doe is most fertile, only lasts about 24 hours. The doe will now stand still for the buck rather than run away from him the moment he tries to come very close to her. She will now tolerate that the buck mounts her. After breeding the buck will stay with that doe throughout her estrus period before he goes off to find a new estrus doe, commonly referred to as “doe in heat”. Bucks breed several does in a very short time frame. Not all the does come in heat at exactly the same day.

If a doe has not been breed the first time she will come in heat again after 28 days. Researchers have found that some does can go trough six to seven estrus cycles. However, most does are breed the first time around.

It is the few does that repeat their estrus cycles in 28 days that lead up to the post rut.

Post Rut
The post rut is the same as the Rut but very much less intensive as the first rut. Bucks are still wandering about and checking out doe feeding and bedding areas to find the last un-breed doe.

What triggers the rut? As I said before the doe entering the estrus cycle triggers the rut. The next question then would what makes the doe come into the estrus cycle? Well there are many different opinion and theories. In my experience, that is shared by many experts. The trigger is a sharp drop in temperature. The first cold snap may be what causes the doe to come into estrus. This also would explain why the rut takes place at different times in different areas and years. While in the north the rut may come with the first frost of the year in the south it may be just the difference of a few degrees in temperature. There are also theories that the moon plays some part in the rut too, but I have no data or experience to verify this phenomenon.

Spoon

At any rate, in my experience, a 45 degree day with light mist will produce a good hunt percentage wise.JMO