By today, November 23rd, most does have been bred where I live in southern Missouri – and throughout most of the whitetail’s range. There are exceptions including parts of Alabama, south Texas, etc. How can I say that confidently?

Each year throughout the whitetails’ range most fawns are born before June 15th (except in parts of Alabama, south Texas, etc.). The gestation period for white-tailed deer is approximately 200 days. Therefore does bred on or before November 23rd would be born on or before June 11th. Most fawns are born during mid-May to early June.

This picture was taken May 25th and the fawn is probably a week or less old. Not many fawns are seen traveling with does at this time of year at my farm.

Fawns are usually two to three weeks old when they begin actively following does. It’s certainly possible to see a doe moving a fawn (encouraging it along) before the fawn is two weeks old, but when you begin seeing fawns in multiple places you can be confident they are at least two to three weeks old.

A great tip is to pay attention to when you see fawns or begin noticing fawns on trail cameras and then subtract 190 days and estimate when the peak of breeding occurred (and will occur again) in that area.

I’d much rather hunt a week or so before than after the peak of breeding! When the majority of does are receptive, bucks don’t have to move far to find a doe and begin tending her. Bucks will move the least amount possible while tending a doe. More movement simply means another buck is likely to attempt to cut in on the action.

I like hunting before the peak of breeding more than the week after the peak of breeding. There are two reasons for this statement. First, there will likely be more bucks available to hunt during the pre-rut. Some bucks will be killed by hunters, injured or killed while fighting, etc., during the peak of breeding. There will simply be fewer bucks available to hunt after the peak of breeding. Second, the level of activity/movement seems higher before the peak of breeding compared to after the peak. The party is just starting and everyone wants in on the action!

Paying attention to when you and your friends begin seeing fawns next summer can be a great clue to when you should schedule time to hunt next fall!

Growing Deer together,

Grant

As usual, I’m hearing mixed reports about the intensity of the rut from different areas. I’ve received a BUNCH of email from GrowingDeer.tv fans that have tagged huge bucks in Kansas. Most of these pictures are accompanied by a note describing the intense rut action the hunter observed! Friends from other states are discussing the lack of rutting behavior they’ve observed this week. Mixed reports of rutting behavior from different areas are common each year.

This is because there are many factors that influence the amount of rutting behavior (seeking, cruising, and chasing) that hunters see during daylight. One of the biggest factors that determine how much deer activity hunters observe is the weather.

At my place, located in southern Missouri, I’ve seen more bucks than normal for this property (at this time of year) out seeking, cruising, and/or chasing the past two days. It seems rutting behavior is more visible during daylight hours this year compared to past years. You can see the bucks (their behavior/my hunting techniques, etc.) I’ve been watching on November 26th on GrowingDeer.tv.

The temperatures at my place have been in the upper 40’s/lower 50’s during the day and the upper 20’s/lower 30’s at night. These temperatures are approximately 10 degrees cooler than normal. That’s about perfect to encourage daytime deer activity! These same temperatures in northern parts of the whitetail’s range for this week would probably be warm enough to cause deer in that area to be active primarily at night.

It’s easy to swap stories with buddies, etc., and get confused about exactly how many bucks you saw and what the conditions were when simply trusting your memory. For years I kept written records of what I saw while hunting. Based on my observations I could adjust my hunting strategies to the current conditions. However, to make use of those observations, I had to enter all of it in a spreadsheet, try to find weather and moon data for those dates, and then work to get all of it in some format that I could understand.

This year I found a much easier and more accurate way to track how many deer I see, the sex ratio, average number of points, and weather and moon data for exactly when I saw the deer! I simply bought ($3.99) the ScoutLook DeerLog app. I always have my smartphone with me while hunting. Just after I see a deer, I simply open the app and enter, using an easy form, the gender, age, and points (if a buck) of the deer I saw. DeerLog then automatically grabs the weather and moon data for my location and that exact time! I’ve shared just a few lines of the data I collected this morning! I simply made a few strokes on my phone and DeerLog did the rest!

ScoutLook DeerLog app allows me to track my hunting observations

I can keep this information to myself, compare with buddies, etc. I find that by reviewing just a few days of my records, I can predict with great accuracy which stand and when I should be hunting. If the weather conditions are roughly the same next year, I’ll know exactly where to hunt or what stage of the rut to be expecting. If the weather conditions are substantially different, I simply compare to my own or a buddy’s observations during similar conditions at that time of year. That’s a very powerful tool!

I’m headed back to the stand now. I hope I get to record some more observations and a kill! If I punch my tag, I’ll share pictures soon.

Growing (and hunting) Deer together,

Grant

I enjoy hunting the rut! I’ve hunted everyday this week and have seen deer every time out! What’s not to like about those odds? It may have something to do with where I hunt. I hunt a property that is primarily covered by oak timber. I’m sure mature bucks are seeking/chasing does as aggressively here as they are throughout most of the Midwest. Then why am I not seeing mature bucks? The answer is simple. In areas where the primary land use is agriculture crops, deer often stick to the areas with cover, even when searching/chasing does. The areas with cover are limited, therefore where deer are traveling and stand locations are easy to find!

During the rut this buck ventures into the open to feed

When cover is the primary habitat type, deer simply don’t have to venture into the open except to feed on forage that requires sunlight reaching the ground. If there are plenty of acorns in the timber, then deer don’t tend to use the forage plots often – especially during daylight.

Bucks cruise through food plots during the rut, just not on a predictable pattern

Bucks will cruise through food plots, and other openings during the rut, but not on a predictable pattern. The two pictures in this blog were from 700+ images from October 30th through November 8th. Hunting there would have produced some excitement related to seeing a mature buck only twice.

Data like this is why I hunt primarily known travel corridors (such as ridge tops where the topography is steep), etc. when hunting woodland habitat. Any type of bottleneck due to cover, topography, water, etc., can be an outstanding location during the rut.

Deer can also be relatively easily patterned during the late season when most acorns are gone and deer are hungry and trying to maintain/regain body weight. The late season can be a great time to pattern mature bucks, especially if there is quality forage/grain that hasn’t been hunted so much during the early season that deer associate the area with danger and only feed there at night.

The rut can be a very exciting time to hunt, especially if you hunt in an area where the primary land use is ag and most of the crops have been harvested by mid October. If the land use where you hunt is primarily timber and there are quality forage/grain crops in food plots, then the best time to pattern a mature buck will probably be during the late season when the food supply is limited and easy to scout.

It’s always about being able to identify and hunt the limited resource. Receptive does are the best limited resource during the rut.  They are tough to pattern as they often change the portion of their range they use for 24-36 hours when they are receptive. That’s why the best odds to harvest a mature buck during the rut are to hunt cover where it is limited and travel corridors where cover is the primary land use.

Growing Deer together,

Grant

This is a common question among hunters this time of year! Are mature bucks moving during daylight? Are bucks using scrapes, seeking does, chasing does, or are does receptive?

The Scraping Stage Of The Rut

By making a few observations while in the field hunters can get a good indication of the stage of the rut where they hunt! The adult sex ratio is a huge factor in the intensity of the rut. One of the first considerations is the past adult deer harvest sex ratio. If primarily bucks have been harvested and you typically see and/or have trail camera pictures of mostly does from your area, then don’t expect a rip-roaring, mature bucks cruising everywhere type rut. If there are substantially more adult does than bucks, the bucks won’t have to travel very far to find a receptive doe. Your observations of rut behavior will likely be very limited if you hunt a herd where the adult sex ratio strongly favors does.

If you and the other hunters where you hunt have harvested deer with a goal of creating and/or maintaining a balanced adult sex ratio and allowed a large percentage of the bucks to live to at least three years of age, then you have the opportunity to experience a hunt with deer expressing a lot of rutting behavior.

In such areas, the first sign I look for is lots of scrapes being actively used. The scraping stage of the rut occurs between when bucks shed their velvet and before a majority of does are receptive. Certainly bucks, does, and fawns may use scrapes, especially the licking branch, throughout the year. However, the vast majority of marking and checking the ground portion of scrapes occurs between velvet shed and when a majority of the does are receptive. If you are seeing lots of fresh scrapes – the chase phase of the rut is probably one to three weeks away at that location.

After the scrape phase, its’ common to see (in person or on trail cameras) mature bucks actively walking with purpose. They seem to be going somewhere. They are not taking a few steps and stopping to eat or check for threats (normal mature buck behavior). This is the seeking stage. Mature bucks are moving – but very few chases (bucks chasing does) are observed.

The seeking stage often changes to the chasing phase within a few hours or days. During this stage all bucks (unless they are injured) will actively chase does that are receptive. It’s common to see multiple bucks chasing a single doe. A more common observation during this phase of the rut is to see fawns without a doe. Does tend to abandon their fawns while they are receptive to breeding. If you are hunting and see several fawns without does (and it’s not because a substantial doe harvest just occurred), you know two things: the chase phase is on and the receptive does (and therefore the bucks) are using a different area. You probably need to change stand locations!

I’ve asked the GrowingDeer.tv Team that uses our Facebook page to keep us updated on the stage of the rut they are seeing – real time useful information to help those that haven’t been in the woods for a few days. This is a very exciting time to hunt! Join us on Facebook and get up to date information!

Growing (and hunting) Deer together,

Grant

I just shot a doe three hours before writing this. I saw her and a yearling buck. They were feeding on acorns. It’s October 25th and I’ve been hunting with three other guys for three days. None of us have seen a mature buck. I think it’s easy to explain why. The temperature each day has peaked at 80+ degrees.

No Mature Bucks Moving But Harvesting Does For the Freezer And Herd Management

I’m sure there will be some that will say deer are breeding late due to the drought, etc. However, that’s not the case. Years ago several researchers and I compared 1,000’s of conception dates collected from does harvested during the late season. The data was collected over several years and represented several states.

The strongest factor that predicted when the rut occurred was when it took place the previous year – not the phase, declination, etc., of the moon or any weather pattern. Timing of deer breeding is based primarily on genetics – not day to day factors.

Timing of breeding and daytime deer activity are not necessarily related. Several of my buddies have arrowed some whopper bucks during the past week in the western states – where the temperatures have dropped below normal. I was hunting at The Kentucky Proving Grounds early this week where the temperatures have been above normal. Even though the deer herd at The Kentucky Proving Grounds is a well managed deer herd, even healthy deer remain inactive during days with high temperatures.

From 20+ years of keeping records, there’s a strong trend that once deer start putting on fat along with their winter coat they simply don’t like moving during daylight, especially when the temperatures are above normal during daylight hours – no matter the date on the calendar.

I hunt when I can, but I expect more success when the daytime temperature is 10-20% below normal. I watch the weather forecast much more than moon phases or the state of the rut. The daytime temperatures are predicted to drop 30 degrees the next couple of days. I’ll let you know next week if the big bucks begin moving during daylight after the temperatures drop!

Growing (and hunting) Deer together,

Grant

Adam and I just returned from hunting with the guys at Foxworthy Outdoors in Georgia and at the Kentucky Proving Grounds. At both places almost every doe we saw was with fawns. Does typically separate from their fawns before they become receptive to bucks. Seeing most does with fawns is a reliable sign that most does are not receptive to bucks. In addition, the only mature bucks we saw were just at dark or while going or returning hunting (before sunrise or after sunset).

Does with fawns in a field of Eagle Seed Buck Monster Wheat and radishes

The bottom line is that we didn’t see any signs of pre-rut activities. We did see several scrapes and rubs. All deer in the herd, bucks, does, and fawns use scrapes throughout the year. They certainly use scrapes more during the early portion of the pre-rut than other times of year. Some of my buddies in northern states have seen a few bucks scent checking does. The temperatures have been cooler in the northern states and I suspect the bucks are feeling a bit more like chasing.

I predict that the next cold front will bring an explosion of pre-rut behavior! I’ll be hunting food sources or stands that are best for the early season pattern of deer moving between food and cover until the next cold front. About a day before a cold front is predicted to reach my place, I’ll start selecting stands in travel corridors, etc. Once the bucks start seeking does, travel corridors that have a history of being used during the rut will likely offer a better chance of being used during daylight by mature bucks than those areas used by deer during the late summer for food or cover.

I live and hunt mainly in southern Missouri. If you hunt in the deep southern states it will likely be awhile before you need to switch hunting strategies. If you hunt north of Missouri, I suspect deer are already displaying pre-rut behavior.

If you would like my current observations about the stage of the rut, you can check my Facebook page as I’ll regularly share my observations.

Growing (and hunting) Deer together,

Grant

It is Friday, October 12^th and Grant and I are finishing up a week long hunting trip in Georgia at Foxworthy Farms. It’s been a great week of fellowship but the hunting has been somewhat slow.

View from a Muddy treestand in Georgia

Temperatures here are averaging in the 70’s during the day and dipping into the upper 50’s at night, not enough of a change to get mature bucks on their feet during daylight hours. The good news is the temperatures are lower than yearly averages and we’re having reports of people seeing some mature bucks on their feet during daylight hours. We received a phone call from Brian, who was working on the The Proving Grounds this week, and caught a glimpse of Split Brow at 9 AM walking along the edge of a food plot! We hope he keeps that trend up! Grant and I also had a taste of this movement last night when we had a GREAT buck come into a green field just before last light on the opposite end of the field (just like the big boys usually do). Now with each day we’re noticing more and more scrapping and rubbing activity.

With all these reports coming to us from across the Midwest Grant and I decided to test our theories this morning with some grunting. Only a few minutes after grunting a nice 3.5 year old made an appearance, he was definitely looking for the source of the grunting. Even though he was only 3.5 years old it undoubtedly got our attention when it comes to call or don’t call.

I hope you get out and enjoy the cooler temperatures these next couple of days and hopefully harvest a nice buck! One thing is for sure it’s a beautiful time of year to get out and bow hunt! Make sure you’ve packed your grunt call!

Dreaming of Giant Whitetails together,

Adam

It’s early in the 2012 bow season. October 1^st Brian and I went to a stand we call Boom North. It hadn’t been hunted this year (or most of last year). Using the Reconyx time lapse feature, we had a pattern of deer entering the food plot by the stand and the wind was predicted to be favorable that afternoon.

I told Tracy (my wife) that I’d be late as I expected to tag a deer that afternoon. Once in the stand, Brian and I noticed the winds were swirling. We’ve come to trust our scent control system as we’ve had some great experiences already this year (GDTV 149).

We’d only been in the stand about 20 minutes when I heard a deer behind us in the forest. Brian and I caught a glimpse of a deer through a hole in the treetops (the ridge slopes down steeply from the stand). It took more than 10 minutes for the first deer to enter the field. Either our scent was going over the deer or our scent control was working perfectly!

The doe held up just behind a limb blocking a clean shot. During the next 10 minutes four more deer entered the plot. None of them offered a broadside shot. Brian and I were in ready posture for 38 minutes before we had the option of a broadside shot. The doe was head down and eating when I drew. She was 31 yards away and seemed relaxed.

When I released the Muddy BloodSport arrow and watched the green Nockturnal nock speeding toward the doe, I had the same feeling as when you shoot a basketball and know you ripped the net long before the ball gets to the goal. Then, in disbelief I watched the doe drop and my arrow just miss the top of her back. All deer scattered and my confidence drained.

The top shows where the arrow would have been had the doe not dropped. The bottom shows what actually happened.

About ten minutes later one of the does returned to the plot. When she offered a 22 yard broadside shot, I tried again. That resulted in a short drag and tenderloins in the freezer! What was the difference?

This white-tailed doe offered a 22 yard broadside bow shot.

The speed of sound is about 4 times faster than my bow shoots an arrow. Hence, if the deer is alert and reacts to a sound, they typically drop their body to prepare to sprint from the source of the sound. If you watch the video, you will notice the doe didn’t start dropping until the arrow was well under way. After being within 40 yards of two hunters for more than 30 minutes the doe was alerted by our presence. I’m amazed she hadn’t busted us earlier given the swirling winds. Once again the scent control system we use seems to be working!

The first doe apparently was alert enough to react to the sound of my bow and obviously had ample time to react and dodge the fate of becoming tenderloin for the Woods family. This was a great reminder to not shoot at deer that seem alert with a bow.  Unless you are shooting the fastest bow on earth (1,100+ feet per second) deer can dodge the arrow – or worse yet, cause the arrow to hit a non-vital zone.

Tracy wants more tenderloin for the freezer, so I’ll be back in a tree soon – making sure to not shoot at deer that are alert.

Growing Deer together,

Grant