Alsheimer's rut predictions?

[threeunder]

Just wondering how you guys feel about Dr. Alsheimer's rut predictions year to year.

He seems to be very accurate most years for the area I hunt the most.

This year he is predicting a very early rut and I need to start scheduling my vacation time...lol

[Orion]

Hmmmm.  In my neck of the woods, the rut occurs the first two weeks of November.  Not too hard to predict. I read the moon phase stuff.  Agreed the moon phase (and local weather conditions) has an effect on the time of the day or night they rut most, but sheds no new info on the overall timing of the rut.  The peak only varies by a few days from year to year. The predictive stuff related to moon phase is about as good as an educated/experienced guess.

[NBK]

I'm with Orion on this. Weather plays a MUCH bigger role than moon phase.  If it's November 4 th and 55 degrees nothing's moving. If it's October 20th and a light snow it's game on.

[Jakeemt]

Lol hmmm the name of this fellow says a thing or two.....

[Michael Arnette]

I personally think it happens at exactly the same time of year every year...almost to the day. For Oklahoma, thing start on holloween and end the first week of December. Peaking every year on the 16/17th of November.

[maineac]

I like the theory, but I don't think the biologists examinations of fetuses back up the changing dates.  I don't see enough deer around here to ever see chasing to make any observational comments.

[Stixbowdrew]

Pray for cold between the 5th to 10th of November anywhere in the Midwest, my best days historically are the 7th,8th,9th. With my best buck ever coming on the 9th. No real science just observations, have also had great days around Thanksgiving, I will say this, I feel that I have seen more older more mature bucks later towards thanksgiving, but I feel this is solely based on lack of receptive does. Just my 2cents

Drew

[TxAg]

Originally posted by Michael Arnette:
I personally think it happens at exactly the same time of year every year...almost to the day. For Oklahoma, thing start on holloween and end the first week of December. Peaking every year on the 16/17th of November.

I'm with you. Seems like in around the Abilene area give or take a couple hours in each direction the rut always starts the week before Thanksgiving. The last two weeks of Novemeber always seem to be the best hunting....deer running everywhere.

[Nuctech]

In several published articles on the matter the hours of daylight are what trigger rutting activity.  This seems plausible with so many different areas of the country being able to nail down specific weeks of peak rutting behavior. Where I hunt in Kansas the second week of November has always been the most action packed.

Gabe

[Ray Lyon]

Originally posted by Stixbowdrew:
Pray for cold between the 5th to 10th of November anywhere in the Midwest, my best days historically are the 7th,8th,9th. With my best buck ever coming on the 9th. No real science just observations, have also had great days around Thanksgiving, I will say this, I feel that I have seen more older more mature bucks later towards thanksgiving, but I feel this is solely based on lack of receptive does. Just my 2cents

Drew

For Northern MI this is spot on with my observations.  Dates first, temperature second, moon phase third.  The second two just affect the time of day, not the breeding itself.

[NIGEL01]

I agree with the second part about bigger bucks later.  Don't know about the first dates because the gun hunters get those days.  I will say I've never really agreed with Charles predictions(hell of a photographer and writer though), but for the last 6 weeks my kids and I have been going up to mow at the hunting shack.  Right before dark we pop popcorn pile in the truck with binos and drive around looking for deer.  It's been very low numbers, half a dozen or so most times.  Until last Saturday evening, deer everywhere, we actually lost count!  I asked my son later what was different this time?  All we could come up with was maybe the blue moon?  But wouldn't that have made them come out later?????

[Sawpilot 75]

I wish Gene or Barry would chime in on this..    

[ChuckC]

In my hunting career, the rut has always been some time during the first two weeks of November, with chasing and pre-rut activity building throughout later October, depending I guess on weather and human interference.  This is, up north, not certain bout down south.
ChuckC

[tracker12]

I have a friend that is a staunch supporter of his predictions.  The last five years he has taken a 130+ deer based on the top week recommended.  I'm not a big rut hunter preferring the first week in Sept when I bucks can be patterned.

[Jerry Jeffer]

Keep an eye on what the deer are doing through the season up until rut time. Like most, I think the peak is always with in a few days or so each year. There are subtleties each year. Last year around me, sparing was early, but chasing came when I expected. Get in tune with the area you are hunting. If you can only hunt when you have vacation time... well, make your best guess.

[northern lights]

Out of the 27 pa. bucks I've taken, 9 have been on Nov. 7th, either 7 is a lucky number or that's darn close to the peak of the chasing/seek phase in these parts, good bet I'll be in a tree in a  pinch point/funnel bout then.

[bamboo]

I bet my vacation time on the rut every year-and used to play all my cards on the middle 2 wks of November--and have slowly adjusted my preference to the last week of October/first week of November--my thinking is peak rut often finds bucks "henned up" with harems of does -the days leading up to the rut I have experienced more seeking movement and chasing--the colder/wetter the better!that said I hunt every minute possible of November-before and after work when possible!