When is Peak Rut? Your Trail-Cameras Can Tell You.
Nov 15, 2017Lindsay Thomas Jr.
When you harvest a doe late in a hunting season, you can measure any fetuses the doe is carrying using a special scale and determine when they were conceived. With enough fetal measurements, you can…
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3 Ways Bucks Win the Rut
Nov 6, 2017Kip Adams
Do you believe the list of attributes a buck must possess to be a successful breeder is long or short? Does it change depending on where you are in the whitetail’s range? Much research has…
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See One Buck’s Amazing Post-Rut Decline and Recovery
Apr 28, 2016Lindsay Thomas Jr.
It’s rare that we as hunters of wild whitetails can piece together a lifelong photo album for a single buck. Antler size and character make such drastic leaps in the first three years that it…
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When Doe Fawns Breed, It’s a Good Sign
Dec 8, 2015Kip Adams
Some doe fawns breed and conceive in their first fall, at around six to eight months of age. The percentage that do this is determined by nutrition – they attain sexual maturity if they reach…
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Is Late Rutting Activity an Indicator of Problems?
Dec 12, 2014Kip Adams
I have been asked many times about rutting activity during December and January – what some hunters call a “second rut” – and whether this signals a problem. Rubs, scrapes and chasing behavior during December and…
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No Link Between Moon Phase and Rut Peak
Oct 13, 2014Lindsay Thomas Jr.
This graphic illustrates a fact that has stood up to repeated scientific testing over the years: The moon does not have a detectable influence on the timing of whitetail breeding. Scientists have known for decades that…
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Is the “Lockdown Phase” a Myth?
Oct 30, 2013Lindsay Thomas Jr.
Some hunters believe they witness an “October Lull” or a peak-rut “Lockdown Phase,” when mature bucks suddenly stop moving or hole-up with an estrus doe. Researcher Andy Olson did not see evidence of either in…
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What Triggers the Whitetail Rut?
Oct 18, 2013Kip Adams
Whitetails are rutting somewhere in their range from August through February. Amazingly, they breed over this seven-month period just in the state of Florida! Let’s look at the factors that lead to widely varying breeding…
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Hunt Does to Find Bucks in November
Oct 30, 2012Matt Pudenz
When November arrives, everyone is on the lookout for that big buck. However, it’s easy to overlook the main factor controlling buck movements in November – does. As the rut kicks in, bucks will be…
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How Many Rubs Does a Buck Make?
Sep 10, 2012Kip Adams
Not seeing many rubs and scrapes in your area? This may be directly related to an absence of older bucks. Just how many rubs does a whitetail buck make each year? That depends on the…
