Estrus cycle ? Trickle rut?

[hammer33]

Im trying to get a handle on the estrus cycle of does. If peak rut is Nov 18th in my area, does that mean that almost all the reproductively mature deer will be cycling within a few days of that date?
If a doe gets missed, how many days until she cycles again? Is that a hard number or can they cycle early for a second time?

We seem to have a second bump of buck activity around December 20 each year here at the farm.
I have also seen wobbly new born fawns as late as September.

 

[deerhunter10]

If I'm not mistaken. If I doe doesn't get bred when they are in estrus they will come back in about 30 days later. Bsk or someone smarter then me will chime in. But that's the "2nd rut" people always talk about. For us some of our best days especially if we get weather and arent tagged out are December 12 through the 15th.

 

[ROVERBOY]

I would say a lot of the does get bred. But, I'm sure some don't. I remember seeing a mature buck following a doe closely, a few years ago in February.

 

[killingtime 41]

Why would All the doe's come in at the same time or even a week apart. I'd say they don't. I'd say some come in just about anytime in November and some even in December. They were all born on different dates. With the one's that didn't get bread coming back in 28 days later. And this years fawns coming in sometime in December Or January depending on when they were born. So the rut by definition is November to after season closes. Term peak rut is just when a larger percentage of the doe's are in heat.

 

[Biggun4214]

Why would All the doe's come in at the same time or even a week apart. I'd say they don't. I'd say some come in just about anytime in November and some even in December. They were all born on different dates. With the one's that didn't get bread coming back in 28 days later. And this years fawns coming in sometime in December Or January depending on when they were born. So the rut by definition is November to after season closes. Term peak rut is just when a larger percentage of the doe's are in heat.

The majority of does get bred about the same time. It's Nature's way of more fawns surviving.

 

[Savage]

For what it is worth- I have pics of a buck following a doe last year on Feb 14 and on Feb 28th.

My wife watched a doe in the stand last weekend she swore was pregnant. I hung a cam and got a pic of it. I would not be surprised. She is huge.

 

[MickThompson]

Why would All the doe's come in at the same time or even a week apart. I'd say they don't. I'd say some come in just about anytime in November and some even in December. They were all born on different dates. With the one's that didn't get bread coming back in 28 days later. And this years fawns coming in sometime in December Or January depending on when they were born. So the rut by definition is November to after season closes. Term peak rut is just when a larger percentage of the doe's are in heat.

Why? Fawn survival as @Biggun4214 said. Through most of the whitetail range it's to synchronize fawns dropping 1) to swamp predators and 2) avoid weather issues. Deer in south Florida rut in July so they are dropping fawns outside of hurricane season, for example.

 

[lol]

I have no idea what's going on with my place on the mountain. I've had a doe with a younger doe that I'm assuming is one of her offspring, and they haven't separated. A lot of new small bucks the last couple weeks and one or two older deer I've not seen before passing through. Saw what looked like a brand new rub about a week ago. No daytime activity. But I basically have a 1 to 1 ratio, if not more bucks than does in the area. Down in the valley, they were acting stupid a week and a half ago. Either I've missed it or they rut late up there.

 

[deerhunter10]

I have no idea what's going on with my place on the mountain. I've had a doe with a younger doe that I'm assuming is one of her offspring, and they haven't separated. A lot of new small bucks the last couple weeks and one or two older deer I've not seen before passing through. Saw what looked like a brand new rub about a week ago. No daytime activity. But I basically have a 1 to 1 ratio, if not more bucks than does in the area. Down in the valley, they were acting stupid a week and a half ago. Either I've missed it or they rut late up there.

There's always a ton of rut activities that we never see at night.

 

[Dean Parisian]

This doe was bred last March. The Fawn was born on or about October 9 when I almost ran over it laying in a 4 wheeler track. This was taken on my Montana ranch yesterdayv morning. It is 19 degrees now. Hard to believe coyotes haven't got it killed yet.

 

[killingtime 41]

This doe was bred last March. The Fawn was born on or about October 9 when I almost ran over it laying in a 4 wheeler track. This was taken on my Montana ranch yesterdayv morning. It is 19 degrees now. Hard to believe coyotes haven't got it killed yet.View attachment 254871

I have the same type of photos over the years. Which leads me to believe what I posted earlier. A majority come into estrous at the same time. But that leaves some that didn't take. And others that come in after the majority. And this years fawns even later. Maybe in a 1 to 1 ratio.it all happens synchronized. But we don't have that anywhere I've hunted in Tn. Unless it's heavily managed land.

 

[hammer33]

More data, might not be valid.
We have sheep that get bred in November. Put the ram in Saturday before MZ. He checked out all the girls (12) and bred one immediately. Next morning he was pestering a different doe. That afternoon he was back with the first girl.
Over the next 2 weeks he paid attention to 8-9 of the girls that we could track. So by best estimate, 3-4 girls were not "in" during the first 2 weeks.
Those open ewes will likely get serviced as they come in during the next 2-3 weeks. ( based on historical data) One or two will need as many as 3 breeding cycles to "take".
Historically, the mid-older ewes with the best body condition get bred first. The younger ewes seem to take a week or so to cycle after the ram is put in.
Then the late ewes are a crapshoot. One or two old ones, one or two young first timers, toss in a middle aged one every year or two with no measurable pattern. Those late oddballs drive us nuts at lambing season as they typically surprise us when they drop unexpectedly as we are about to give up on them being fat instead of pregnant. These oddballs also may breed on schedule 3 years in a row, then randomly be a late breeder. So being off calendar can be a one off event.

I am guessing that the does have a similar pattern. Healthiest peak fertility does are ready first, followed by the bulk of the does. Then you have the oddballs. Older declining does that cycle a little late, younger does that cycle a little off peak. Then for the most part the rut is over...... Except there is the odd doe that goes into estrus randomly outside peak dates.
A month later, the second rut happens when the unbred does from the first cycle, kick off again +more late cyclers including young does that have just matured. Then the trickle happens as the rest of the oddballs randomly come into estrus. Old does, Does with health issues, young late maturing fawns, yearlings that are off calendar.......
Does this theory sound feasible?