First rut phase will start soon

The moon was big and bright last week, and what few deer moved then, did so right at the end of legal shooting time. An hour later, the fields were full of deer.

This brings up the eternal question: Is hunting during the full moon a waste of time? No type of deer hunting, in my humble opinion, is a waste of time.

My experience during full moon periods is probably quite similar to yours. The deer often move late, and not many deer move during legal shooting time, but I've seen exactly the opposite on several occasions over 55 years o hunting whitetails.

There haven't been an over-abundance of good deer hunting days during the full moon period, but there have been a few spectacular nights that I well remember. However, I take a different approach to hunting than many do.

I love deer hunting, regardless of the moon phase. Shooting a deer every time a person hunted would soon rob this pastime of its enjoyment. For me, being afield with a bow in hand is more important that the time of year or the moon phase.

It's very obvious that it's impossible to hunt from inside your home. We have to be out in the field, and each morning and/or evening hunt, is very important. I don't pay much attention to the moon phases -- I just go hunting, day after day, putting in my time as I wait for a big buck to move my way.

The rut is still about two weeks away, and I'll hunt every chance I get during that period but trying to pin down the peak of the rut to a specific day or days is much too scientific for my tastes. I figure if I hunt every day, regardless of the moon phase or rut phase, I'll have my opportunity. It's up to me to cash in on those occasional moments when I happen to be in the right spot at the right time.

The one thing I do know is that during the rut the bucks seem to move more during that period from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and hunters who can be afield then often find bucks moving. I've seen many days during the full moon and the rut when bucks move fairly well during the middle part of the day.

Hunting deer is my life. So why should I concern myself with counting days after the second full moon during the fall, or picking an arbitrary day to pinpoint when the rut starts.

Hunters who are in the woods will know when the rut starts. Those same hunters who are afield at various times from sun-up to sundown during the full moon will also see bucks. It's a matter of persistence, patience and practice that puts bucks at risk around me.

There are three basic rut phases: pre-rut, the rut, and post-rut. Approximate start-end dates for each time period would be Oct. 23-Nov. 5, Nov. 6-15 and Nov. 16-30, respectively. These dates can fluctuate two or three days, and warm weather, heavy hunting pressure, and other factors can  speed up or slow the rut.

Watch the deer for clue. If you see a doe, and it stops and looks back, and then runs off as a buck approaches, you are in the pre-rut or chasing phase of the rut. If the ground scrapes you've been watching or hunting over show a distinct lack of deer sign, that means the rut has started.

The primary rut or peak of breeding activity takes bucks and does away from the scrapes, and if a buck you've been hunting suddenly disappears, he may be a mile or more away tending to a doe.

For all intents and purposes, the peak of the rut can produce buck sightings during the mid-day hours. Most breeding takes place at night but a buck will breed a doe whenever she will stand for him. Hunting the post-rut can be really good or really bad, and much depends on the deer in your area. Remember this: humans do not all gain sexual maturity at the same time, which explains why some fawns are still wearing spots although its something of an oddball situation.

Some does have fawns late in the summer because they were bred in December or January. Such late births only mean the young does were born late, matured late, and came into their first estrus late.

Since we don't really know when does in our area will reach their first estrus, it well could be early next year. However, most of the does will be bred between the end of October and middle of November.

I suspect most hunters do not understand the rut, and the only way to learn is to be out in the field often, and watch the deer. The more time we spend hunting, normally means the more successful we will be.

It certainly works that way for me.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors