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With the tempertaure dropping I am sure the deer are progressing towards the rut.
I did hear some sparring last week, it was short lived and not very loud at all.
Anyone hearing anything different? Anyone hearing any grunting?
Anyone tried rattling? Grunt calling?
Anyone seen any bucs chasing yet?
The other day I did see a buc come charging out of a corn field and run across the road, he looked like he was on a mission
I sat last Saturday night. Had a mature doe come out with twins and browse for about half hour.
Half hour after that a forky came out hound dogging her never stopped long enough to do anything. He traced her steps and ran off after her.
Does with no fawns, coyotes, other hunters.
Not to start anything, but temps have no effect on rutting activity, hormone levels are all related to daylight hours dropping.
Cheers
YUP. With that said hunting will only be getting better from here on out so start maximizing time in the woods. temp / pressure swings just adjust deers movement during time of day. I'll still be concentrating on a few bedding area / trails that i've found - one has a real good buck in it so i may keep out of that one for a week or two.Quote:
Originally Posted by smitty55
Seen a couple of bucks last weekend in a field, same field I seen them 2 weeks ago.... did a little grunting....they were about 80 yds out in the bean field. Had both of them come toward me, one stopped at 40yds and freshened a scrape...The other came in to my left (lots of bush between us in that direction) and spotted me as I turned, less than 10yds away....Too much brush in the way for a shot.......... So grunting seems to be working....
Seen quite a few scrapes too.... So it looks like it is getting closer to that magic time, and with this cool weather they are more likely to move during legal light...
Last weekend we found one scrape and a number of rubs, seemed early but it was there, this was SW Ontario.
Seen couple does and a small buck. Buck had nose to the ground when I saw him. Much much rub and scrape yet. Going to make my mock scrape this weekend and keep the cameras rollin.
Think we got the main doe last year
And have a new leader this year their bedding down in different spot different main travel trails
Their loitering around in different areas
Scraps started showing up this past Monday with cooler temps crops are coming off more deer heading into the bush
Neighbors can see my east side from their house saying they count 16-17 coming out in their bean field each evening
that area is know as the bench very productive area
It’s early deer will change their routine again and again
“When government becomes a law breaker, it breeds contempt for law”
I've been seeing rubs for the last couple/three weeks and have just started seeing scrapes this week.
I'm going to put my two cents into the weather debate. As there's a pile of research on this.
There's rutting activity and then there's breeding activity. In warmer weather you will see less rubs and less scrapes, that's a fact.
Deer have their winter coats now and if its too hot, it results in less rutting activity during the day.
Scrapes and rubs are territory markings for other bucks, not doe's.
Doe's go into estrous for a 24 to 26 hour period sometime during roughly the first 2 weeks of November depending on your area. What day a doe comes into estrous varies over that 2 week period.
If it's too warm, the breeding will happen at night, "but they will still breed".
The hormone levels related to daylight hours are for doe's, not bucks. It's the estrous scent of the doe that sexually arouses the buck.
So warm weather has little effect on breeding per say, but, much more effect on rut activity(scrapes and rubs) during the day.
lots of scrapes and rubs and been seeing lots of younger bucks harassing does the past few days. Was out with my son this morning he grunted in this young buck to 30 yards
http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/t...sfqapvuu3.jpeg
Totally disagree about hormone levels in bucks not changing do to seasonal changes, regardless of weather. We have always heard about testosterone levels skyrocketing as the fall season progresses, that's also what causes the swollen necks and rubbing and fights and pushes them to wander and check scrapes in search of hot does leaving messages.Quote:
Originally Posted by onelessarrow
Rubs are territorial for sure, but scrapes are more meant as "message boards" for does to visit than anything else. That's why they pee in them.
This from deermanagement .us Just sayin...
"Most of the major events in a buck’s life occur because of a single hormone, testosterone. For the most part, testosterone simply makes bucks more aggressive.
Under this assumption, you would guess that testosterone levels in whitetail bucks during the summer would be low—and you’d be right. However, testosterone levels increase into the fall, causing bucks to rub the velvet from their antlers and fight with brush, trees and each other into the rut. A doe in estrous is all the more reason to fight for breeding rights."
Cheers
Last week I had a doe on camera at a scrape. Minutes later a small 8 pt. Came in and hit the licking branch and freshend the scrape. The next morning the same event took place. The buck appears to be following the doe. This is all just upwind of some heavy bedding. All daylight hours for now.
Just got home driving into my laneway it’s half mile long through bush 6 does standing in drive one with tree branch in its mouth eating leaves
“When government becomes a law breaker, it breeds contempt for law”
Have managed to get out for evening hunts about a half dozen times. Seeing the same does and fawns every day. The bucks have been showing up on the camera only after legal light, but their patterns are shifting. At first they were active around midnight to 1 a.m., now they are showing up at about 15 to 30 minutes after legal shooting light.
Local OPP have issued warnings about deer on the move, reports of deer/vehicle colllisionss almost daily. Big buck hit last week, a buddy never made it to the stand yesterday he came across a car
/doe hit... free meat in the freezer and his tag still in the pocket. It's picking up, and lucky me just starting 5 weeks vacation and 2 tags in my pocket!
I agree with this theory. Why else would bucks start their early rut phases in oct if does are not in heat til nov.Quote:
Originally Posted by smitty55
FINALLY seeing buc movement, Had a fork come in Friday eve and then again Saturday morning,
Have other smaller bucs on the cams during legal shooting
seeing lots of scrapes now too
Seen 4 does Yesterday morning and 1 nice buck following the 1 doe around came within 60 yards of me but no shot .
Lots of scrapes around the field edges
Hunted the last 3 days in WMU92.
Bucks are starting to move at last light & many doe & fawn pairs seen. Population is way up.
Back at it again this weekend. I have an additional archery seal & am enjoying bow hunting again in Ontario... :)
This was the first weekend we hadnt seen a deer this season. Winds were pretty crap this weekend so did t see any deer. Did see two coyotes and shot the bigger one. Found one scrape. No real fresh rubs yet. I don't normally have rubs and scrapes in my bush. I have a doe honey hole and come the pre n rut that's when I start seeing a lot of bucks.
We can agree to differ Smitty. You said "temps have no effect on rutting activity, hormone levels are all related to daylight hours dropping".
I think there's more then enough evidence to dispute that, the weather plays a huge roll in seeing daylight activity, for the reasons I've said already.
The area's dominant buck will be well established before the breeding begins in November.
There's a couple of the reasons you'll see young bucks, usually yearling bucks following does at this time. One, because they don't have the memory of getting their butt's kicked for paying too close attention to the does that the dominant buck has rights over. They will before the the ruts over though lol. Also, it could be that doe's offspring and he may even try to mate with her at some point, but she wont let him.
Right now bucks are busy marking their territories. This years temp's so far have been ideal for daytime activity.
Rubs are for a more visual marking and scrapes are for more of a scent marking. Once breeding starts to occur, that dominant buck will abandon the majority of his scrapes because he has no time as he'll have to stay with that hot doe. He will however freshen ones in the area where breeding is taking place.
If someone has some evidence of "actual breeding" in October, I'd love to see it.
Hey I agree on temps affecting daytime activity. Remember two years ago it was so warm no one was seeing many deer during the day but were still seeing lots on trail cams at night. What I'm talking about is testosterone levels, which are the major contributor to rutting activity, not general daytime activity.Quote:
Originally Posted by onelessarrow
Cheers
Have a new buck on the property was moving some dirt with backhoe he was watching me not nervous at all
Later seen fresh rub
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When neighbours get couple more corn fields harvested will see more
I’m in no rush to see them come off just yet
Have a doe honey hole also. Just wait for the boys to show up lots of scrapes
“When government becomes a law breaker, it breeds contempt for law”
Walked the corn field edge tonight with the dog. Seen 3 small scrapes but no broken branch, just tore up ground by the looks of a young buck.
Seen a 11 point taken not far from here in Oct. 20th with the bow and the bucks neck wasnt very swollen.
Hope it stays cold for controlled hunt as I think it helps with daytime movement
There rubbing hydro poles now
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“When government becomes a law breaker, it breeds contempt for law”
Fresh scrapes this weekend. Haven’t found any rubs though. Saw a doe Saturday morning and ya e deer on the camera all day, everyday this week past.
Quiet in 72a. Couple does so far