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Texas rut predictions

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    #16
    When I managed the ranch in Kendall County in the early 90's we kept records on every deer killed. When we killed does I checked lactation, if they were bred and then fetus length. I found quite a few does that were 1.5 yrs old that were lactating and had produced fawns when we killed them. Doe fawns do not breed unless they are born early enough or reach enough body weight to breed. One doe killed had a fetus that when we measured it found she had to have been bred around the first of October. Was common to measure fetus length that would show the last 2 weeks of October breeding time. The earliest I ever found a whitetail fawn was April 5th on that ranch. I regularly found fawns around April 25th every year. Around Sept. 25 one year I saw 2 mature bucks that would not leave a doe when I was corning roads one morning. We had a cool front come thru and temps were in the upper 40's. Day length may trigger it but we get pockets around the state that have earlier ruts than rest will have in the same county. For the most part it is triggered by day length.

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      #17
      So, with all of this said, when do you guys typically start breaking out the lure and start rattling? From what I am reading, it's all year long almost haha

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        #18
        If it truly is by the daylight, then why do the deer rut so differently? Why do the deer in the midwest rut early november while the mississippi delta rut is mid to late december. I used to hunt a large property in south louisiana in St. Mary Parish in the marsh. It was a boundary line where cypress swamps gave way to saltwater marsh. Opening day of archery season the rut was already in its peak. At my home in Bedias, the deer prerut 3rd-4th week of october and are full swing second week of november.

        There has to be other factors other than the amount of daylight that triggers the rut. Weather is too inconsistent to be a huge factor because in your given area, the rut is the same year after year.

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          #19
          Originally posted by Matt_C View Post
          Rut beginning totally depends on the daylight period. That is what triggers it.
          YEP--The amount of light entering the deer's eye influences one of the glands (pituitary I think) which makes it happen. Same thing with fish in hatcheries where they manipulate light levels to cause the females to spawn multiple times per year to get more production.

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            #20
            You can rattle a buck in from when he sheds his velvet till he drops his antlers. Just have to change how aggressive you rattle. I have seen bucks make a scrape after a rain in June and most of the summer months in South Texas. Was he rutting or going through a routine? First hard horn this year on TC was 8/21/16 in western Goliad County this year. Could probably have raked an antler on brush in the right location on a travel corridor at the right time and had a curious buck show up the next few days.

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              #21
              Webb county is between the 9-20 of December


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                #22
                Originally posted by dustoffer View Post
                YEP--The amount of light entering the deer's eye influences one of the glands (pituitary I think) which makes it happen. Same thing with fish in hatcheries where they manipulate light levels to cause the females to spawn multiple times per year to get more production.
                The amount of light on my place here is the same as it is 40 miles to my SE. The bucks are rutting there now and will not start thinking about rutting for another 45 days here.
                I have a buddy who hunts in Southern Florida. He told me you can see rutting late July, find bucks in velvet and hard horn all in the same day. Rut starts early and continues into Sept. is what he told me.
                You can take a doe from Webb County to East Texas. She will breed the same time there as she would have in Webb County.

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                  #23
                  I just won the pot of cash started by a side group for when someone would ask when the rut starts!!! Wooohoooo!!!

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                    #24
                    Kind of 2 different questions really. As mentioned previously, a doe's estrous cycle is ultimately triggered by photoperiod, or day length, and physiological age (why all does don't cycle the exact same day). There are a few other factors that can delay estrous, such as animal health, disease, etc., but for the most part the onset of the rut pretty much occurs at the same time each year. As also has been mentioned, deer activity is influenced by a variety of factors, including forage availability and environmental factors. But, what most folks also perceive to be the 'rut' is also greatly influenced by the sex ratio. In areas with a heavily skewed sex ratio (more than 3 does per buck), buck activity is greatly reduced for the simple reason that bucks do not have to search near as much to find receptive females (i.e., less visible). When the sex ratio is tight, a buck has limited breeding opportunities, so they search more (more visible). Also, in areas with a skewed sex ratio, many does do not get bred on their first estrous cycle, which extends the overall 'rut', which suppresses activity (difference between 20 does all coming in at roughly the same time versus 20 does coming in over a 2-moth period). In fact, some does do not get bred until their 3rd or 4th cycle (which is unfortunate for the fawn since it is born so late the following year).

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                      #25
                      Originally posted by Fishndude View Post
                      I just won the pot of cash started by a side group for when someone would ask when the rut starts!!! Wooohoooo!!!
                      You're welcome!!!
                      Last edited by Fordtough68; 09-28-2016, 08:43 AM.

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                        #26
                        Rut is almost irrelevant for us in Chambers, Liberty, Hardin co. We catch the tail end of it this weekend.

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                          #27
                          Originally posted by MisterSanders View Post
                          Rut is almost irrelevant for us in Chambers, Liberty, Hardin co. We catch the tail end of it this weekend.
                          Same with Matagorda Ft.Bend and Brazoria...most are almost done by now

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                            #28
                            Makes it hard to "look forward to the rut", when it's over by the time season starts! Definitely different than Ohio! Lol

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                              #29
                              Near Elkhart it has been pretty consistent for the 12 years I've been hunting there. It almost always seems to peak for us sometime between the 5th -12th plus or minus a couple days

                              Up in Throckmorton it seemed to be around the 24th of November a couple years ago. I didn't get to go last year
                              Last edited by Pineywoods; 09-28-2016, 11:03 AM.

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                                #30
                                Not my experience, late December around Christmas is when things get good.
                                Originally posted by jaker_cc View Post
                                Webb county is between the 9-20 of December


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