Second Rut?
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: J-rod76
11-Nov-18
I’m making a second trip to Illinois sometime in December and am looking for some feed back. In your experience hunting the state of Illinois,or in the area. When does the second rut typically hit during December?
From: Franklin
11-Nov-18
Approx. 8th-12th....I will say in 25 years of bowhunting Illinois I have never seen any rutting activity associated with the "2nd rut". A few does may come into estrous but I have never seen any changes to the deer behavior. Now this is in N. Illinois....others may have had different experiences.
From: Charlie Rehor
11-Nov-18
Either side of second shotgun is good or if fawns reach 80 pounds in your area after Christmas there will be a limited fawn rut. If it’s managrd ground with no gun hunting it could be your best hunt. Food plots and bitter cold are needed. Good luck!
From: Woods Walker
11-Nov-18
One of the places I hunt is in west central Illinois, Brown County. For gun season we always see more deer first half (this week), but while we don't see as many deer during second half, that's usually when we see and kill the biggest ones.
From: LBshooter
11-Nov-18
Well it depends on where your hunting. If your hunting pric Fate land with a well managed herd then the 2 week of December is good. On public land with a buck to doe ratio out of wack you see rutting going on throughout dec, some day better than other. I see my best rutting activity in December , due to the fewer does in heat.
From: J-rod76
11-Nov-18
Thanks guys! I think I’m going to try it around the 10th of December and see what happens!
From: Zbone
10-Dec-18
I believe this doe fawn was mounted last night or sometime very recent... She was alone this morning without her mother and twin button buck is another indication... Notice tread marks on her back...
From: Zbone
10-Dec-18
From: cnelk
10-Dec-18
I was in Nebraska over the weekend ML hunting and there was plenty of rutting activity.
I saw 8 different bucks searching and chasing does all weekend.
From: MQQSE
10-Dec-18
In December I would be on food sources and forget about banking on any rut activity for success.
From: bowhunter24
10-Dec-18
They were rutting here in MO this weekend Dec 8-9.
From: DMTJAGER
10-Dec-18
I have been told by to many hunters who I trust wouldn't BS me that they have seen unmistakable evidence of a second rut multiple times in their lives so I do believe a second rut occurs. However, in 30+ deer seasons I personally have never seen ANY indication the deer I was hunting were in rut during second season gun in west central IL and late season bow in both WC/IL and NC/IN. Guess Ive never been that lucky. Going to try ML season with my boys and bow hunting myself later as well and should be during if it happens in my area a 2nd rut. Will see.
From: cnelk
10-Dec-18
Here is a decent buck that walked by me at 40yds Saturday evening. Yesterday morning I watched 3 different bucks chase does for over an hour. Then a doe came burning right by me chased by a buck. I went 'Meeehhh...... Meeeehhhh'.... real loud and they kept right on going
From: drycreek
10-Dec-18
Bucks are willing and able to breed as soon as they peel. Does are the driver. Most come in fairly close together which most of us call "the rut", but a few does that don't get bred plus the fawns that achieve the body weight necessary to breed will cause what some refer to as the "second rut". In reality, there are stages of one rut, and it starts when the first doe in your area comes in, it stops when all does are bred that will breed. Some of those fawns may be bred two months after the adult does are. That's what causes the tiny fawn you see in September that still has spots when other fawns are twice its size and the spots are nearly faded out. That's not my theory, but the consensus of several biologists. In the state of Texas, the start is all over the map. From September on the Gulf Coast, to December in South Texas, and just about everything in between depending on where you hunt.
From: Zbone
10-Dec-18
Depending on the ratio but not uncommon to see multiple bucks chasing or tending a single hot doe when pickens get slimmer this time of year... Happens twice around here, pre-rut when the first hot doe comes into estrus and post-rut when the doe fawns come into their first estrus, sometime even in January and February... Once seen a buck tending a hot doe in April, would have thunk it was November... I understand it's rare but does happen, even in northern latitudes...
From: Zbone
10-Dec-18
drycreek - Yep, totally agree/concur...
From: Shawn
11-Dec-18
Charlie is correct, here in NY in the bow only area I hunt we actually get fawns and quite a few does coming into heat around now. We have tons of deer though. Last Friday I had no less than 40 does and fawns on a single rye field and a buddy who was less than 300 yds away had 20 plus. Right before dark I had 2 bucks come in and almost immediately they cut a doe from the bunch and the chase was on. We actually see more chasing and true rutting activity late season than the first part of Nov. Bucks do not have to go out looking or chase much here in early Nov. cause there is a doe in heat everywhere you look! Find the food and the does and you may find a buck out looking for that last doe/fawns in heat during the late season. Shawn
From: Cornpone
11-Dec-18
Yesterday afternoon a nice doe came running past my stand with a small buck in hot pursuit. About five minutes another small buck came by beagling her. My guess it was her second estrous. Upstate NY.
From: Ogoki
11-Dec-18
I run numerous camera on farms that I hunt here in Ohio. One farm i saw very limited deer movement all fall. Pulled cards there in January that year and had 7 bucks on camera on December 7. No more pics of bucks after that. Last year I kinda kept track of my most bucks on camera and November 7 was the most activity of bucks. I don't go in and check cameras ,unless I am going by one on way to a stand. Curious mind i guess. In northern Michigan on my property , it seems like my most bucks activity is late October.
From: Franzen
11-Dec-18
It's extremely hit or miss, but I've seen rutting action about this time of year before. Fawns. As was said above, don't bank on that making your hunt.
From: Zbone
11-Dec-18
Took a road trip this evening trying to get a deer count of survivors of the blaze orange army, and watched a buck enter a corn stubble field and head directly to the only other buck in the field and they lower their heads and locked horns... It didn't turn into a all out braw, but was more serious than a little sparring...
From: drycreek
11-Dec-18
I agree with Shawn. Happens here too, I often see more "rutting behavior" the first part of December than the first part of November. It's happening in November, but lots of it at night. Colder weather helps, as I'd guess it's not much fun chasing your paramour around when you're wearing fur BVDs !
