It was the middle of the day. My wife Nancy was putzing around the house when we had a visitor. A young male deer was on our carport peeking inside.
“Well, hello,” Nancy said. “Can I help you?”
The deer said nothing, just turned and walked away. He had one thing and one thing only on his mind. Ladies.
This, you see, is the the rutting season for deer. It’s a time that hunters savor and insurance adjustors dread. During the rut, deer could care less about cars or humans or feed patches. All the males want to do is breed while the female deer that are not yet in estrus and are not ready to breed want to get away.
The young buck in our driveway was simply following the scent of a group of does that regularly wander though our neighborhood. Earlier that morning they had crossed from our neighbor’s yard, nibbled their way through our front yard and then moved on. Our unexpected visitor was simply following the trail.
There are four phases of this “rut thing” that so motivates whitetail deer.
The first phase is the pre-rut. This usually happens in early to mid-October when the bucks first begin their rutting activity by marking trails with their scent and rubbing their antlers against tree limbs to remove the velvet. It’s a way to warn other bucks not to mess around in their territory, and to let the ladies know that they’re available.
The next phase is the seeking phase. This is when the males began to wander around in the middle of the day to see what’s out there – where to set up shop. And even though the does aren’t quite ready, bucks, especially younger bucks, will begin chasing the does. Body counts along our highways begin to add up.
The third phase is called the chasing phase, when all the deer are going nuts – big deer, small deer, does and bucks. They lose all sense of inhibition and will dart in front of cars and the hunters’ deer stands – both of which can be fatal.
The final phase, the tending phase, is when the actual breeding occurs, often in dense vegetation and brush. Deer have a certain sense of decorum, you see.
Most scientists agree that the rut is not triggered by weather, but by light, or the lack thereof. When days begin to become noticeably shorter, females begin releasing bodily hormones which eventually puts them into about a three-week cycle of estrus. If the does aren’t bred during this period, they repeat the process, often in December. Males are likewise affected by light. Less daylight triggers an increase in a buck’s testosterone, which stimulates desire, plus antler maturation and growth.
When breeding is successful, the gestation period for whitetail deer is about 200 days. Females that are bred on Nov. 15, for example, will bear from one to three fawns around the first week of June – perfect timing when cover and food are at a peak.
In the meantime, don’t be surprised – in fact, expect – to see deer to dart across the road without a bit of warning. Just make sure the liability insurance on your automobile is up to date.