Pre-Rut and Post-Rut

[chasinsmallies]

Pre-Rut

Post-Rut

Was amazed at the amount of weight this guy lost. He was a complete nocturnal roamer all through season, and now walks in the day light without a care in the world.

 

[BSK]

Bucks can lose so much weight over the rut, that often hunters think they're seeing a "new" buck when they get a post-rut picture of one of their peak-rut bruisers.

One of my favorite "rut to post-rut" comparisons:

Just before the rut (what a bruiser):

Post-rut (early January). Hardly looks like the same buck:

 

[DOC1187]

cool pics

 

[Str8Shooter]

nice buck

 

[Columbia Scott]

Wow!

 

[primos32]

What a difference!

 

[ttf909]

nice

 

[stickler]

cool pics

 

[spitndrum]

Lost some inches there-Jenny Craig!

 

[Boone 58]

Is he at least 5.5 Bsk?.....wondering about age man he looks mature.

 

[BSK]

Is he at least 5.5 Bsk?.....wondering about age man he looks mature.

Yes, he is 5 1/2.

 

[rbreedi1]

Neat!

 

[BSK]

Here's another one. This muscular 3 1/2 year-old 11-point buck was photographed Halloween night chasing a doe (along with 6 other bucks):

Here's the same buck in mid-January. He doesn't look any older than 2 1/2 in this picture:

 

[BSK]

A buck can lose 30% of his body weight during the rut. That's a 200 lb buck before the rut being only 140 lbs after the rut. BIG difference, and why aging bucks post-rut can be so difficult.

 

[Lee Creek22]

Wow!, thats nice.

 

[buckhorn40]

 

[JohnnyBond]

 

[Tall Timber]

wow

 

[Huntingwithoutdad]

nice