Fall
Deer Activity
By Ted Wawrzyniak, Wildlife Biologist
Ever wonder why some years the deer just don’t seem to be moving? It is something very common that I hear. There are several factors that influence this. Among these factors are temperature, wind, and hunting pressure. As you may be aware, extreme temperatures, high wind, and increased pressure can all decrease white-tailed deer movement. One thing many people don’t realize is that with the increased number of doe tags issued in the past few years, we have created a society of does that are starting to exhibit traditional “buck-like” behavior. There is research to support the theory that bucks and does can feel the specific pressure placed on their particular sex over a period of time. The recent increased pressure on does has created does that start to exhibit more nocturnal movement and the avoidance of heavy human traffic areas. So just because you are not seeing deer does not mean that they are not there. It just means that you will have to change your tactics for hunting them.
The one factor that can be the great equalizer here is the rut activity. Even when conditions are less than ideal, the one thing that always occurs is the breeding season. There are certain things that will suppress this activity slightly, by not halt it. I will cover those later. Based on studies by Charles Alsheimer and Wayne Laroche, we have begun to better predict the timing and intensity of the rut. There have been several hypotheses formed regarding this very subject, however, there seems to be the more data that supports the theories of Alsheimer and Laroche than anyone else’s. Laroche and Alsheimer believe that the rut is triggered by the moon. More specifically, they have identified what is called the rutting moon. This is the second full moon after the autumnal equinox. This rutting moon can fluctuate anywhere from a few days to nearly three weeks from year to year. The rutting moon this year, is predicted to occur abut two weeks later this year than last year.
I won’t get into the details of their research, but the theory is that the doe’s reproductive cycle is reset when the amount of daylight decreases to a certain amount. At that point, her estrous cycle is now cued by the moon’s bright light stimulus to the pineal gland for several nights in a row. The actual breeding seems to take place as the moonlight is decreasing, thus allowing them breed during the darker phases of the moon. After 11 years of research, Laroche and Alsheimer seem to be very accurate at using this method to predict when the rut will occur.
The rutting moon will occur on November 16th this year. This is actually good news for us QDM folk. There has been some that feel that if we set our hunting dates later, we will miss the rut, however, this year, we would put it right smack in the middle of the rut. This year is a little non-typical and along with next year, will be about as late as the rut can occur. One thing about a later rut is that you are less likely to get warm temperatures that suppress rut activity.
Laroche and Alsheimer have made predictions for the seeking, chasing, and breeding phase of the rut. They predict that the major seeking phase will occur November 12-17 (a minor phase will occur October 13-17). During this phase, much of the yearling buck dispersal takes place. Bucks are breaking out of their bachelor groups and fighting a lot. They are making scrapes and marking their territories. They are constantly cruising looking for that very first doe to come into heat. This is when scents and calls will really work well! They can work at other times, but this is definitely the best time to use them. The major chasing phase will occur November 18-24 (minor is October 18-24). During this phase, does have begun to come into heat, but are not always ready to breed. Bucks that are not on a hot doe at this time will really respond to scents now, but if they are on the trail of a doe, it may be hard to get them away. Nonetheless, this is always a great time to be in the woods and bucks can be VERY responsive to scents and calls. The major breeding phase will occur November 23-30 (minor October 23-30). This is when the actual breeding occurs and the woods can grow very quite during this time. If there has been a lot of hunting pressure, most of the deer activity at this time will be nocturnal, however, if you can get a buck in between does, you have an excellent chance of seeing a big buck right in the middle of the day. Of course much of this depends on the buck to doe ratio in your area. If you have a high number of does relative to the number of bucks, you won’t see these phases as pronounced. If the bucks don’t have much competition and they don’t have to look very far to find another doe, you will have less of a chance at getting that buck in your sight during the daylight.
Unfortunately, rut activity does not affect doe movement (at least primarily). Does tend to be the smart ones during the rut. They avoid hunting pressure and can be nocturnal. If a doe is not ready to accept a buck, they may get chased to where you can see them by a buck. Bottom line is that during the rut, if you know where the does are, you will know where the bucks will eventually be. Bucks have been known to travel miles and miles (up to 4000 acres of coverage) during the rut looking for does. You hear so many people managing for bucks on their properties and while bucks are certainly nice to see, if you simply provide good habitat for deer in general (see my Spring 2005 article), you will get bucks.
I mentioned sex ratio and hunting pressure as suppressors (rut activity will not stop). While hunting pressure is probably the biggest suppressor, increased temperature can affect the rut as well. I would say that once daytime temperatures reach about 40 degrees or higher, you may have a hard time seeing deer movement.
I hope this helps you in your hunting efforts this fall and winter. Some of you may be working on decreasing the doe to buck ratio in your area. This is the best thing you can do to help see the deer in your area exhibit these behaviors. If you have any questions on anything that I have written (or any biology or food plot question in general), please feel free to contact me at 612-282-2431 or tedw@mnsportsmen.com.