The Rut –

The Rut –

The rut happens once a year in late November, generally.  This is when bucks go crazy to breed does.  It begins mysteriously, perhaps because of a combination of less daylight and cold weather.  Bucks fight each other with their antlers for the chance to pass on genetics to the next generation of fawns.

For hunters, the rut is the best time to get a buck.  A buck’s main priority now is to find does, not watch out for danger.  For about ten days straight they run out in the open fields, go out in the daylight, and generally act like stupefied teenagers.

You can see in the photo how this buck has his head low and he is following the doe very closely.  When deer act like this, anything can happen at any point in the day.  In early December the rut dies down and deer start acting civilized again.  Watching wildlife up close is a good way to get an education about a lot of things.