rut

[macfish]

What effect does the moon play in starting the rut activity?

Will a call work this time of year?

[Skunkedagain]

Only effect I can think of is that there will be more activity at night and less during the day! (full moon)

[bkr43050]

There are a lot of theories on the effect of the moon phase. Some people subscirbe to the belief that the new moon phase or exxentially the dark phase following the full moon phase is the change that triggers the rut to kick into full speed. I have read a quite a bit on it the last few years but have never really found anything that I can hang my hat on. I think the rut occurs right around the same time every year within an area regardless of most of the outside factors.

[Procraftboats21]

second week of november, regardless of the moon phase is absolutley deadly.

[bkr43050]

It is certainly something special when you can hit it right and be in the woods when it is happening big time. You get to see a ton of deer running everywhere. Once you have been in the woods when the "frenzy" was on you will certainly be able to recognize it from that point on.;)

[ARGEE]

The Rut Is Always The Same Time Of Yr...its The Amount Of Daylight That Triggers The Rut...

[bkr43050]

The argument supporting the moon phase explains that the rut it triggered by the total amount of light activity. This would include both daytime and nighttime. And once you go from the full moon phase over to the new moon phase you lose almost all of you night light and thus giving a rapid change in the overall light. This rapid change theoretically triggers the start in a lot of the deer.

I am not saying that I believe in this theory but simply stating what I have read over the years concerning it. If that were the case the next new moon is like October 31st and that would start the peak rut earlier than I have ever known it. The next new moon phase beyond that is almost the end of November and that would be a lot later.

A few years ago I had gotten my buck two consecutive years only one day apart and both years the frenzy was on. Those dates were November 10 & 11. Right around that date it pretty much when I usually expect things to get crazy. I really like hunting the week or two prior to that because I have found that I stand a better chance of nailing a resident buck then before he takes off all over the countryside. Once the does kick in it is hard to tell where the bucks in your territory end up and also where the ones that show up come from. They really spread their travel area out at that point. I think that is why you hear so often of someone shooting a big buck curing the rut or even slug season and commenting that they had not seen him prior to shooting him. He may not have been around the area for long.

[crankus_maximus]

I'll be in te stand the first and second weekend in November. Come on bucks!

Excellant analysis BKR. Good read.