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Jesse's Hunting > Hunting Articles > Hunting Articles Archives > Observing Rut Behavior
Observing Rut Behavior
Chris Fullilove - JHO ProStaff
- TX
June 25, 2005
I had the opportunity to observe some amazing whitetail behavior several seasons ago. It was the kind of situation that many outdoorsmen and women only read about. But once one experiences it, literary imagery can not give the encounter justice. I was able to capture some of it with the camera. The photo quality is inferior and does not amount to much more than snapshots, but the evidence of what took place is pretty cool.
It was mid-December along the coastal plains region of Texas. Rumor had it that the rut was in full swing and bucks had been on the move lately. I was set up amid some thick ground cover and had just finished watching 3 does move through about 30 minutes earlier.
It was raining, foggy, and getting cold and dark fast. I had about 15-20 minutes of light left and so I figured that I would load up my pack and walk out a little early because I was uncomfortably wet and no action appeared to be developing.
Just as I finished loading my pack, I saw some movement down the brush line.
I put the binocs up and saw this nice buck coming through with his nose to the ground. A good, healthy, 3 1/2 year old male. He was a mainframe 8 point, with a gnarly kicker splintering off. He was moving pretty fast with is neck low and stretched out. It was obvious what was on his mind.
Nose to the Ground
Only one thing on this buck's mind! This is why the rut can be such an effective hunt. |
This guy was all over the map, dashing around and throwing his head high to taste the wind. He would circle back erratically with his nose down verifying his orientation and bearing. He was not paying much attention to his presentation or exposure; he was solely focused on trailing the does which had passed through earlier. He eventually stumbled into the woods where the does had entered.
Not far behind, another nice young buck came onto the scene also with the same thing on his mind. Even though he appeared exhausted, he was still in hot pursuit with a B-line on where he was going. Again, erratic movements, crashing through clumps of grass, and exerting all extra horsepower to maintain a reference with the scent he was following. It appeared that he had a better lead on the does because he shadowed the same path that they took with greater accuracy. It wasn’t long before he was out of my field of view also.
By now it was totally dark and I started walking back. Pinching myself trying to get a grasp on what I had just observed, I realized that this is what the rut is all about, whitetails placing safety, uncommon practices, and risks aside in order to get their say-so on the next year’s herd.
Another One-Track Mind
There comes a time every season, when the only thing a buck thinks about is building future generations. |
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