2022 Rut vs Previous years??

[Wi transplant]

I have noticed for 2nd year on my farm that oct 25 to nov2 was full of mature deer on there feet during daylight. And went fairly dead untill about nov 11th then good for couple days . From now on im concentrating on that last week of oct. For vacation days and not putting so much weight on that early November on my farm!! Live n learn!!

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[2-bucks]

Rut just seemed weird on my farm. Saw light activity over multiple weeks. Never the crazy few days.

Not really related but I have a lot of messed up genetics and or injured racks too.

 

[Windlooker]

Very warm the first two weeks of November with the exception of 11/04 thru 11/06. Front moved in with high pressure behind. A lot of deer killed that weekend. Got cold again the week before Thanksgiving. Many hit the ground then as well. Warm Novembers seem to be the theme the last several years. Rut still happens mostly at dark when things cool off.

 

[Hardwood11]

I think Oct 20-November 25/26 can all be good . You need a weather change or simply cold weather to get the really good days.

A hot doe in the area will change everything!

November 7-12 is still my favorite, but of course that is in areas that have not been overwhelmed with hunters .

 

[Windlooker]

Couldn’t agree more. Love 11/03 or so to 11/15 ish. Best time. I’m actually depressed it’s over. Live all year for it and bang, it’s gone.

 

[[email protected]]

In Illinois I think unlimited out of state archery tags, outfitters, and crossbows have finally caught up to the state. Now it seems like most of the bucks that reach maturity are cull type bucks. The bucks that have good genetics get shot when they are 2-3 years old. I really hope Iowa can avoid what has happened to Illinois. I have also really grown to like the last week of October for going after target bucks. A cold front really helps this week.

 

[Windlooker]

I’ve heard the Illinois thing over and over again. I agree. But, the primary goal of the DNR and wildlife biologists is to maintain a healthy herd, not a trophy herd. That said where’s the line?? Did Illinois take advantage of their popularity 20 years ago, sure. Hunters still come and the herd is maintained in their eyes.

Iowa is next, Kansas after that. At the end of the day it’s money and management. I’ve said this many times and it’s ignored. Iowa’s resident video stars, we know them, have/will destroyed the state. They are the reason people want to come. Look no further than Iowa’s own.

 

[Ishi]

I’ve heard the Illinois thing over and over again. I agree. But, the primary goal of the DNR and wildlife biologists is to maintain a healthy herd, not a trophy herd. That said where’s the line?? Did Illinois take advantage of their popularity 20 years ago, sure. Hunters still come and the herd is maintained in their eyes.

Iowa is next, Kansas after that. At the end of the day it’s money and management. I’ve said this many times and it’s ignored. Iowas resident video stars, we know them, have/will destroyed the state. They are the reason people want to come. Look no further than Iowas own.

Nailed it!!

 

[Jbohn]

I love October 28th to 15th , was slow for me but other neighbors had great hunts few days before Novembers then temps got up and slowed it down a bit .. Cameras showed 9-15 big deer where moving if you where lucky and in the right place on my farm .. Also around the 20th it was super cold mature deer everyday I seen for a few days .

 

[Bucksnbears]

Not only did this year's rut (main time, Nov 6-15 suck ass, but now, what is usually always a great week for a second flurry, sucks as well.

 

[Windlooker]

No. It’s fine. The problem is all the bullshit edited shows that focus on the one deer, out of 10, that responds to a grunt or rattle as the norm. The rut happens every year at the same time. No easy button. Called hunting for a reason.

 

[Nightvision]

Hunting shows have helped ruin hunting everywhere. Now everybody wants to be a YouTube star and to do that you have to kill critters.

I’ve said it before but it bears repeating. Y’all need to do all you can to limit NR tags and never allow NR landowners to get tags.

Also, your state needs to stop allowing more and more rifles to be used. And don’t forget that late doe season y’all had years ago when most of your bucks had dropped their antlers.

I am a NR. I have been hunting Iowa and the Midwest probably longer than many on here have been alive. Would I like to come more? Heck yeah. But the hunting will go downhill. There is a reason we are willing to wait 5-6 years on a bow tag.

As far as the rut, I’m in middle Georgia. Mine was horrible until it got cooler. That was around the 10th or 11th of November. After that it was wide open. I’m sure my rut is of no concern but thought I would toss it out there. We also had some great movement the last few days of October. That has been the case for the last couple of years. I plan to be hunting that week in 23.

 

[203ntyp]

Pa had the same rut activity as most of the states, horrible!

I am convinced that the best chance at a mature buck is between mid-October through Halloween before they lock on a doe. I've learned to be patient and don't hunt until conditions are right for a specific stand. Last year the 1st and only day I hunted was the morning October 28th, conditions were perfect and I had an awesome hunt. In the stand for 2 hours and had 6 buck wander by along with a group of does and scored on the nicest buck on cam the meandered in after all the other deer. This year I hunted twice and scored on October 17th. Rut hunting can be great....if there's a traditional rut like we're used to and you're lucky enough to be where the hot doe is.

 

[HWC]

2022 was the worst action I’ve experienced in over 20 years of hunting in Southern IA and North MO.

The rut isn’t what it used to be in my opinion. It seems like the bell curve that used to peak about Nov 15th is flattening out creating a trickle rut every year.
1. Overall there seems to be less bucks cruising requiring a hot doe to really drive the action.
2. We’ve noticed that late October through the first 4-5 days of November have been better on our farms for at least the last 5 years than Nov 5th – 10th, which was my favorite time to hunt for years.
3. We’ve seen more bucks starting to lock down around the 5th and even earlier in the past 5 years or so. We had 2 yearling bucks locked with does on Nov 6, 2021 and have had cam pics of a doe being bred on Halloween.
4. Overall it seems more and more does are being bred early and later. Anyone seen any spotted fawns during the season? We had one with spots in November a few years ago.

Steve Bartylla made a post on Facebook about the goofy ruts that made sense to me. In short, the shorter, warmer winters in the more Northern locales, which include Iowa and North MO, no longer kills off early and late born fawns. These survivors are biologically programmed to come into heat earlier or later than the “peak bell curve” depending on when they were born. When enough early and late born does are in the population you have a flattened out bell curve and trickle ruts like they have down south. Their breeding cycles are still triggered by photoperiodism, just earlier or later than the traditional bell curve. That’s a good a theory as I’ve heard.

Multiple spotted fawns in Late November this year in separate locations.

I burn firewood. Springs are way colder than they used to be overall. I now have to run the stove some 8 months a year. I think that is affecting the birth times. It used to be May was hot and boats were out in force for 2-3 weeks prior to Memorial Day. Now Memorial weekend is when you take the boat out to see if it runs because it's been too cold to even think about boating.
I will disagree about shorter warmer winters. That guy obviously doesn't burn wood or ride motorcycles.