The "Rut"

It's the white-tailed deer's breeding season, known as the "rut", and the buck's have one thing their mind, find as many does as he can. White-tailed bucks are more active, less cautious than usual and more visible during the daytime



It's a wildlife dating game and the does are out showing off for the bucks.

Rub-a-Dub-Dub

The cooler fall weather has triggered some local deer's mating urge and the bucks mark their territory with "Buck Rubs". "Buck Rubs" are created by scraping or gouging on a tree or sapling with the buck's forehead or preorbital gland. Not only is this a visible sign of the buck's territory, but also carries the buck's scent to act as a calling card that identifies the buck that made the rub.

The size of the rub usually varies with the size of the deer. While most buck rubs won't kill larger trees, they will slow the tree's growth and may disfigure some trees.
 

Buck Rubs

In a recent posting I described the white-tailed deer's breeding season, known as the "rut" and how the bucks are looking for does (female deer). While walking around the neighborhood I found some of the bucks calling cards, "buck rubs".



During the "rut", bucks rub trees and shrubs with their antlers and head transferring scent from the forehead glands to the tree, leaving a scent other deer can detect. The scent on a buck rub communicates a challenge to other male deer while also attracting potential mates.



The size of the rub usually varies with the size of the deer. While most buck rubs won't kill larger trees, they will slow the tree's growth and may disfigure some trees.

The "Rut"

On our way home from voting we noticed a buck deer wandering back and forth in the road,  not paying any attention to our truck. It is the white-tailed deer's breeding season, known as the "rut", and the buck has one thing on his mind,  find as many does as he can. White-tailed  bucks are more active and less cautious than usual during the "rut" and this makes them  more susceptible to being hit by motor vehicles



This buck would walk up to the 5 foot high fence, look through it, return to the road, walk up the road a short distance and repeat the process.



After determining the fence didn't get any lower, the buck made a standing jump and easily cleared the fence.



After jumping the fence to enter the pasture the buck soon realized he needed to be on the other side of the pasture fence...



From another standing start the buck jumped over the fence, onto Joyce Road and walked into the woods.



Within a couple hundred yards of the buck jumping the fence we saw a doe run across Joyce Road and soon followed by another buck (with one thing on his mind).



As we approached our driveway we watched six more doe cross Joyce Road.

Young Buck

As the days of summer are getting shorter and the temperatures turn cooler, a young 4-point buck is grazing along the pipeline right-of-way near our cabin.



The young buck is busy fattening up for winter and the fall "Rut", breeding season.



Later in the afternoon the young buck joined up with a doe and fawns. This buck has been hanging around our cabin all summer and acted like "Uncle Buck", babysitting and playing with the fawns when they were young.

Curious Buck

For the past week or so I have been installing drainage pipe around the cabin as another phase of this year's cabin project. Several times while digging the ditches for the drain lines with my backhoe I would notice a small buck near the pond watching me. Unlike most deer, this buck didn't run away but stayed near the pond, bedded down and continued to watch me work.



After several days of us watching each other, I was able to walk within several feet of the buck as he hid in the tall grass around the pond.



The following photo was taken within 15 feet of the buck while he was hiding in his "nest".



Whenever I find the buck in his "nest", he will watch me take pictures then jump from his "nest", run for about 20 yards and then stop and watch me for a minute or two before heading to a clump of bushes. Within 20 to 30 minutes the buck will return to one of his "nests" near the pond.

Neighborhood Deer

In the past couple of weeks I've started to see a lot of fawns with and without their mothers. Saturday evening I was in the back field at the farm with our neighbor, Harley, and saw three fawns come running out of Harley's field and into our food plot. After a few minutes at the food plot the fawns ran at full speed back to Harley's field. Tonight triplets were in the clover field with their mother.


Caught this young buck behind the barn.