Looking at the charts for the peak rut in the various regions, ours is right around the open of rifle season. That's historically been accurate with my observations. They're always running really hard when I'm out there that weekend.

That said, I have a buddy that's basically been living on my property about 3 days every week and has seen no signs of the rut so far. No broken antlers (they fight a ton and they're all pencil-horned so it's obvious), nothing chasing particularly, bucks still somewhat together.

Wondering if the drought last year somehow altered this year's rut? Do extenuating circumstances ever do that?

Charts are just averages. Like rainfall averages. They are not always correct.

Did ya'll take your does last year? Is your buck to doe ratio what you are used to on your property? Rut happens regardless of range conditions and I have found on my place the more does I shoot the more rut activity I see on the following year due to competition. Just my experience.

I'm convinced they did this year in Houston County. After hunting the area for more than 20 years, this is the first time I've seen the chase phase begin two weeks into gun season. Until this year, they've always been in full swing on Opening Day.

I been in a rut for the past 5 seasons

You must still be young.

I'm on a very small property, but it's very centrally located in a heavily traveled corridor for deer running back and forth between a creek bottom and bedding area.

The rut is usually ridiculously obvious. Can see for 500-700 yards in any direction and you'll see tons of deer running all over the place. As previously mentioned, most of the bucks are pencil-horned, so by the end of the season, the vast majority of them have badly broken antlers.

So far, none of that, although I had a bigger buck respond to rattling opening weekend. It's possible that he just ran at me by coincidence, I suppose.

From what I've seen this year you can pretty much throw out what has been the norm in past years.
It's looking like the drought from last year, plus the unseasonably warm temperatures have thrown the rut in my area completely out of whack.
I've only seen one small buck pestering a doe a couple weeks ago, and last weekend I managed to rattle up one young buck, and one 3 1/2 year old, but all the does I've seen aren't drawing any attention.
My hopes are still high that colder weather in the next few weeks might turn things around.

Weather and conditions only effect the rut activity you see not the rut activity. Look at it like this you take home a hottie from the bar and she's all worked and ready to go but your AC went out in the apartment so its a little warm. Are you gonna say sorry lady it's hot in here you need to go home or adjust your situation to make things more comfortable? Deer are gonna do it when the time is right they just adjust to the cooler time of day when it gets hot and dry or whatever.

We had a nice 9 point shot at our lease today at 11 chasing a doe! Never thought I would hear that this time of year! I thought it was over.

Its been pretty warm. Most rutting activity has likely taken place at night.

I did'nt say I was in rut just in a rut

For some reason I seem to have my best rut hunts late season. I had a monster come to horns and almost bow range on a TPWD draw hunt at Granger on like Jan 7th last year. Saw lots of chasing that time as well. I normally hunt San Angelo and December 10th seems to be a pretty sure bet every year. If the moon is full hunt the middle if the day! You'll have to adjust to the conditions or you'll strike out.

i have come to the conclusion that the rut never occurred this year in my location and the deer were going to just adopt this season...

in the cross timbers area of texas the "rut" begins in october .....then it goes up a notch ,,,,,at the beginning of november ,,,,,it reaches a peak around thanksgiving ,,,,,
the it occurs again in late december (yearling does) ....and then sometimes in january when last years babies come into play and the bucks go again.....my buddy even has video of several mature bucks fighting in a pasture over one lil bitty doe fawn in FEB. ......
when its warm alot of the activity you want to see is at night around the full moon .....

I hunt in between Bandera and Tarpley and last weekend was the first time I have seen rutting activity. Usually it is in full swing around the week of Thanksgiving. Two years ago I killed my best ever buck on opening day, and he came in to the feeder area with love on his mind and wet hocks. My brother hunts with me and this past Sunday afternoon he saw four 8 pointers. Every buck we saw this weekend was probably 2.5 years old. They all walked. Maybe its early and this weekend the older bucks will show. I dont know. Maybe we lost those fawn crops and the bucks we saw are all we have.

Rut is triggered by length of daylight and causes does to come into estrus. It doesn't happen all in one night but will definatly "peak"

It doesn't change significantly from year to year

Does how ever are not all sucessfully bred during the first rut, if not bred or they dont catch they will come in season again and again untill they catch or light /season changes cause them to quit coming in heat. The final rut or heat cycle can change as one goes farther south. On the southern end of the king i have seen a buck with a receptive doe in late feb.

The next is opinion and observation on my part and is not to be considered scientific.
If a doe catches late say dec or jan then she will throw a fawn late in the year if a doe that fawn may mature sexually later then a earlier born doe of the same year and have later heat cycle her first cycle year then a fawn concieved at the first heat cycle the preceding year.
This can cause what some to percieve as a late rut and early Rut


perhaps we would be better served by looking at the heat cycles of the does in our areas and the prior years fawn drop date then thinking of the bucks as in rut. The bucks are just reacting to the does heat cycles



did you ever tell the wife/gf no we gotta wait for me to be in rut


di you ever tell the wife/gf no we gotta wait till the rut is on? Lol

wetduck, you are dead on the money.

younger does and those born late typically come into estrus first. thats those does you'll see being chased 3 weeks before the rut really kicks in, typically by younger bucks

I beg to differ. All that has an effect but range conditions and deer conditions play a large part also.

I have seen the rut hot and heavy up in Red River county during the first weekend in December. I saw my first broke off buck in Burnet county last week. With the good rains and the heavy horns we have this year I suspect we will see a lot fewer with broken horns. Last year by now half were broken.

ok....and what role would poor conditions play in their estrus cycle? if they are so bad off I know that some does won't come into estrus but at that point they are close to death anyway

Sunlight and moonphaze has alot to do with plant/animal reproduction cycles. even under the water

that determines when the majority of does go into estrus.

its all about the length of daytime vs. nighttime

I've heard people, good deer hunters acutally, tell me that "we didn't have a rut this year cause it was just too hot"

deer are still gonna make push-push with each other....its just they were doin it at night instead of in the day time infront of your blind

lol "push-push". i am gonna try that one on my wife.