Here is some good reading I found on the internet!
Pre-RutIn its most general sense, the metamorphosis from soft to hard antler is indicative of the beginning of the start of the pre-rut. Representative of this phase is a switch into inventory mode. As soon as deer shed their velvet, they become increasingly mobile. No longer fixed in their daily prolonged feeding, meandering, bedding, feeding patterns, they instinctively begin to monitor resident doe groups.
This is the time of year when bucks are keeping an eye on the does and assessing where they should focus their breeding energy. As pre-rut activity heats up throughout October, bucks will often test the waters and step up their efforts to inspect the pheromones given off by does. Frequently, bucks on the prowl during the late stages of the pre-rut will jump the gun and attempt to mount does, only to get shrugged off or given the literal run-around. At this point, does may tease a bit, but they are not yet ready to accept the physical advances of their male counterparts.
Along with this growing urge to breed, bucks become more interested in checking out their competition. Sizing up their peers, sparring to establish dominance and posturing, are all part of the pre-rut ritual. By this time, bucks are becoming more vocal and visibly testing each other to establish dominance. The odd sparring match complete with posturing and, periodically a chase or two, can be witnessed. A word of caution though, if it's a bruiser you're after, be advised that these old boys will often let this stage of the game be played by their younger, less-experienced counterparts. Not until things really heat up, do these established dominant bucks begin to participate with heart and soul.
To maximize pre-rut hunting time, focus on staging areas in heavier cover adjacent to prime feed sources like pea, hay and corn fields. Using your grunt tube every once in a while, during the pre-rut can attract curious bucks and does, just as rattling lightly every hour or so can prompt the same type of curious attention. Keep in mind that breeding season is just around the corner, and every deer knows it!
Peak RutFrom the coldest northern Canadian whitetail range to the warmest southern range in Mexico, there can be as much as a two-month variation in timing of the peak rut. In Canada, it occurs smack dab in the middle of November. In fact, I can set my watch by the arrival of this festive period of the breeding cycle. My personal rule of thumb is that unless afflicted with terminal illness, locked in chains or worse yet, my wife assigns household chores, nothing keeps me out of the woods between the 11th and 18th of November. This one-week period in my home province of Alberta, has produced more respectable bucks and brought in more bruisers to my rattling efforts than any other time of the year. That said, the 48 to 72-hour first estrus cycle may occur as late as the middle of January in southern locales such as Alabama, Florida and down into Mexico. Regardless of timing, bucks literally travel around the clock in search of hot does during the peak rut.
Read the whole article here:http://www.biggamehunt.net/sections/Whitetail_Deer/Whitetail_Hunting_Primer__20_Things_Every_Deer_Hunter_Should_Know_12080510.html
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Topic: Rut Activity - Seen any?? (Read 3604 times)
