Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: PA stickbow boy on January 15, 2011, 07:03:00 PM
-
I've been a little tardy with posting this. I hunt our old family homestead in south western PA. My dad and uncle like to hunt muzzleloader alot in after Christmas and I go along and take my recurve. This year I noticed something different while hunting. As I walked around I would see new fresh buck rubs. Then I saw more. Then more. Not only was I finding new rubs I found new scrapes and broken licking branches. Then I found more so I went to check this area where I would always find a scrape line. I wasn't disappointed! There was a line along a stand of pines that had 5 or 6 big new freshly tore up scrapes over a 200 yard span. I've seen this before in late October and early November, but never in early January! :scared: I've heard of a "post rut" or "second rut" before, but.... Is this something really rare or something we've just never seen on our property before???? We all only had doe tags left or I would've been hunting buck hard second season.
-
I'm from the same area as you and I can't say personally that there is much to the "2nd" rut. I've actually seen a lot of rutting activity during our rifle season which as you know is always after Thanksgiving. I'm sure there are a few deer that get bred late in the year, but imo nothing that I'd try strategizing a hunt around.
-
My ol man and I have hunted Nebraska during the late season the last four years and have rattled bucks in a few days before christmas. We rattle and use bleats just like we do in November and have success doing it. Just depends when the does have their second cycle.
-
When I lived in northern Illionis bucks would often go into a 2nd rut around the second week of December . Never any sign of a rut in Janurary thou . :dunno:
-
A few years back I watched a doe with two fawns being harassed by a little basket eight point in the middle of December. He just wouldn't leave one of the little fawns alone and Mama put a whooping on him a couple of times. Watched the show for about 20 minutes until Mom finally ran him off.
-
Sam, I know what you mean. It was really strange. Like you guys said, never have seen it in January. I wish I would've taken pictures to record/document it. We all puzzled. Not complaing haha just puzzled. My uncle did see a couple nice bucks from a distance as they trotted through the woods. Hopefully they'll stick around for awhile.
-
As long as there are does that have not bread the rut will continue. These does will come back in heat every 28 days until they breed.
I was in Cades Cove, in the Great Smokey Mountains a few years ago in March and two domanent bucks were still chasing a few hot does. All the other bucks had lost their antlers but not these two. So, they were probably in their 4th rut for that season.
-
I see chasing and breeding almost every January in Ct