The rut....do bucks follow does or does follow bucks

Spur0701 · November 15, 2005, 09:35 AM

Back in June I put a food plot and a PVC gravity feeder with corn up on the hill behind my house right at the edge of the woods, it's about 150 yards away. The deer were in it right away and we had a lot of fun watching the different groups come in and feed, screw around and play......surpriseing how much they liked to eat milkweed back in the summer.....they were stacking up like airplanes at an airport, one group would move out and another would move in and they were there every morning and every night, back in Sep before the time change sometimes as early as 400 sometimes....mostly does but some small groups of young bucks and spikes. I bow hunted it but never took anything, was waiting for the pre rut or rut and a nice buck....so finally one evening the last week of Oct a nice 8 pointer came in by himself and I took him. I haven't hunted it since then but shortly after that the activity seem to really drop off, now I don't see any does but might see a lone spike or 4 pointer. I don't think the pattern change is due to me taking the 8 pointer or over hunting it. I thought they might be hitting the acorns somewhere else but the crop seems low this year. I live in Maryland and it's been warmer than usual so maybe that's a factor. But I can tell they're still hitting the corn at night and the rut is on so if a dominate buck has taken over these herds of does are they going to adapt to his patterns...is that why they're only coming in a night now, way after dark?

Art Eatman · November 15, 2005, 10:16 AM

Generally, bucks go on a sort of "feeding frenzy" in the late fall before the rut. They build up body fat and weight. That's why in early season you'll find all that white tallow on the hams, but late in the season it's more of a yellow color and isn't as thick. Once into the rut, a buck will hardly eat or even drink much. That's why early-season bucks will weigh more than late-season bucks. They run off their weight chasing and chousing does. (There's a lesson there for young guys.

)

A dominant buck will try to keep a collection of does together; his harem. He'll stand guard and fight off other bucks, unless Ol' Biggie whips him and takes over the harem.

Does just keep on eating, even through oestrus. Does will go to a feeder, but the buck usually stays back in the brush. Watching a busy trail away from a feeder is more productive hunting than sitting close by a feeder.

With more human (or "different") activity in the woods, deer get a bit spookier than usual. Different, to a deer, is by definition BAD.

Art

Pointer · December 14, 2005, 12:33 AM

What ART said

And after the feeding frenzy it's just a frenzy...

During that time they are really stupid and easy to hunt... sex is all there is!

From that point of view they are always "following" the does, in or out of the rut.

shureshot0471 · December 14, 2005, 12:45 AM

Those guys hit the nail on the head when the feeding frenzy is over the big bucks get really stupid for like 2 or 3 days and they will chase their little hind quaters off breed like 10 or 12 does ands go back into the woods not to be seen till the late rut and there is your second chance but like the first rut you only have like 2 days to get that big one so hunt very often but switch your sites because the deer will learn to pattern you and you will see less and less deer but still see some so have like 2 or 3 stands and hunt them at diffrent times I mean get in them at diffrent times each day they will not be able to pattern you

youp · December 19, 2005, 05:12 PM

Baiting for deer is a way of life for some in Michigan and Wisconsin. If you pile the bait on and then start to mess around the deer around here go nocturnal. Why not? The food is always there and you aren't there at night. As the deer become more reliant on the bait over the years this behavior will become more apparent. Another thing that happens is suddenly in the fall many people start baiting and you no longer have the only show in town.

Wild Bill Bucks · December 30, 2005, 03:00 PM

Arts telling it right DIFFERENT is dangerous to deer.

But they aren't SUPER. you just have to train them to your way of thinking.

Lots of Bow hunters, like myself figured out long ago that you have to get them use to things, for instance.
I smoke, so every time I go to my feeder during the year I always take a few burned butts with me and scatter them around the feeder, I take a sweatty t-shirt with me and put it under a rock near the feeder, In my stands you will find a black trash bag hanging above the platform. This keeps the deer that come to my feeder used to smelling my smoke, smelling my body odor, and makes them less jittery about movement in my stand.
Obviously this can't be done every where you hunt, but if you have a lease and know where you want your stand from one year to the next, it will almost gaurantee you that the deer you see during season won't be quite as hard to hunt as they used to be.

November 15, 2005, 09:35 AM	#1
Spur0701 Senior Member Join Date: February 2, 2005 Posts: 208	The rut....do bucks follow does or does follow bucks Back in June I put a food plot and a PVC gravity feeder with corn up on the hill behind my house right at the edge of the woods, it's about 150 yards away. The deer were in it right away and we had a lot of fun watching the different groups come in and feed, screw around and play......surpriseing how much they liked to eat milkweed back in the summer.....they were stacking up like airplanes at an airport, one group would move out and another would move in and they were there every morning and every night, back in Sep before the time change sometimes as early as 400 sometimes....mostly does but some small groups of young bucks and spikes. I bow hunted it but never took anything, was waiting for the pre rut or rut and a nice buck....so finally one evening the last week of Oct a nice 8 pointer came in by himself and I took him. I haven't hunted it since then but shortly after that the activity seem to really drop off, now I don't see any does but might see a lone spike or 4 pointer. I don't think the pattern change is due to me taking the 8 pointer or over hunting it. I thought they might be hitting the acorns somewhere else but the crop seems low this year. I live in Maryland and it's been warmer than usual so maybe that's a factor. But I can tell they're still hitting the corn at night and the rut is on so if a dominate buck has taken over these herds of does are they going to adapt to his patterns...is that why they're only coming in a night now, way after dark?

December 14, 2005, 12:45 AM	#4
shureshot0471 Senior Member Join Date: October 1, 2005 Location: In the sticks of East Texas Posts: 185	Those guys hit the nail on the head when the feeding frenzy is over the big bucks get really stupid for like 2 or 3 days and they will chase their little hind quaters off breed like 10 or 12 does ands go back into the woods not to be seen till the late rut and there is your second chance but like the first rut you only have like 2 days to get that big one so hunt very often but switch your sites because the deer will learn to pattern you and you will see less and less deer but still see some so have like 2 or 3 stands and hunt them at diffrent times I mean get in them at diffrent times each day they will not be able to pattern you __________________ "Prefection is not attainable,but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence." -Vince Lombardi "Gun control is putting that second bullet through the same hole the first one made." - Ted Nugent

November 15, 2005, 10:16 AM	#2
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	Generally, bucks go on a sort of "feeding frenzy" in the late fall before the rut. They build up body fat and weight. That's why in early season you'll find all that white tallow on the hams, but late in the season it's more of a yellow color and isn't as thick. Once into the rut, a buck will hardly eat or even drink much. That's why early-season bucks will weigh more than late-season bucks. They run off their weight chasing and chousing does. (There's a lesson there for young guys. ) A dominant buck will try to keep a collection of does together; his harem. He'll stand guard and fight off other bucks, unless Ol' Biggie whips him and takes over the harem. Does just keep on eating, even through oestrus. Does will go to a feeder, but the buck usually stays back in the brush. Watching a busy trail away from a feeder is more productive hunting than sitting close by a feeder. With more human (or "different") activity in the woods, deer get a bit spookier than usual. Different, to a deer, is by definition BAD. Art

December 14, 2005, 12:33 AM	#3
Pointer Senior Member Join Date: April 8, 2005 Location: Utah Posts: 2,559	What ART said And after the feeding frenzy it's just a frenzy... During that time they are really stupid and easy to hunt... sex is all there is! From that point of view they are always "following" the does, in or out of the rut.

December 19, 2005, 05:12 PM	#5
youp Senior Member Join Date: December 15, 2005 Location: south of Canada, eh? Posts: 438	Baiting for deer is a way of life for some in Michigan and Wisconsin. If you pile the bait on and then start to mess around the deer around here go nocturnal. Why not? The food is always there and you aren't there at night. As the deer become more reliant on the bait over the years this behavior will become more apparent. Another thing that happens is suddenly in the fall many people start baiting and you no longer have the only show in town.

December 30, 2005, 03:00 PM	#6
Wild Bill Bucks Senior Member Join Date: December 28, 2005 Location: Southeastern Oklahoma, Next door to Sasquatch Posts: 1,266	Arts telling it right DIFFERENT is dangerous to deer. But they aren't SUPER. you just have to train them to your way of thinking. Lots of Bow hunters, like myself figured out long ago that you have to get them use to things, for instance. I smoke, so every time I go to my feeder during the year I always take a few burned butts with me and scatter them around the feeder, I take a sweatty t-shirt with me and put it under a rock near the feeder, In my stands you will find a black trash bag hanging above the platform. This keeps the deer that come to my feeder used to smelling my smoke, smelling my body odor, and makes them less jittery about movement in my stand. Obviously this can't be done every where you hunt, but if you have a lease and know where you want your stand from one year to the next, it will almost gaurantee you that the deer you see during season won't be quite as hard to hunt as they used to be.