observing the rut

Well, for starters, half the people beleive that the moon phases is what triggers the rut. The other half beleive that the shorting of daylight hours is what triggers the rut.

Both theories have legit claims to be responsible but, they are just not constant with different areas over U.S. and Canada.

MOON PHASES (Theory or Myth?):
The formula for using the moon phases is to first locate the day of the AUTUMN EQUINOX or "AE" for short. Definition: The AE is the day that daylight and darkness is equal, 12hrs. of each. Now, you will have some certain areas that will not be a perfect 12hr./12hr. scenario and then you will have to use the closet with in a minute or two. More than likley, elevation is the factor is this. Now, I took the liberety of running the AE from random areas from South America to Northern Canada and EVERYONE was within a day or two of the same day.

Next, the formula is to find the second full moon AFTER the AE and the is known as the "rutting moon". Now, we all observe the same full moon everywhere at the same time on the same day. So, using the "Moon" as a guide to the rut means that ALL ruts from the South Pole to the North Pole and everywhere inbetween WILL be at the same exact time. That is not possible! Rut starts earlier the futher North you go and that is a FACT. The formula works for some areas but not for all areas and that is the KEY factor, it must work everywhere to be true. So, I firmly beleive that the Moon Theory is BUSTED! Sorry folks!

I would also like to add that people really read too much into the phrase "under the moon". That is referring to the quarter to full and back to quarter phases which takes up 2/3 of the month and we have a full moon once a month.

DAYLIGHT HOURS: The rut starts earlier the futher North you go and so does "Fall". The one thing that ties these two together is the shortening of daylight hours. The shortest day in Canada will be about a month to a month and one half before the shortest day, say, here in Louisiana, where I live. When the rut in Canada is over, you can bet that the rut here in Louisiana is fixing to start! I have noticed that on the charts for different areas that almost always the rut ends around the time of the shortest day of the year for that area.

The Acorns: Plants are triggered by daylight and the shortening of the days leads to the rippening of the acorns. You can just about bet the farm that at the time the acorns start falling that that is the time of the pre rut. You will see bucks moving, feeding, making scrapes and rubs. About 3 weeks after the acorns stop falling, most are gone and the ones left start to sour. This will almost always be at the time of the beginning of rut. Mother Nature has everything on cycles and the bucks don't eat or eat very little during the rut. However, it is vital to their survival that they put on the fat to make it through the winter.

I will pay more attention to the timing of the acorns from now on. As hunters, have you ever noticed that for about 1 week the acorns fall like rain? The woods are really alive? It is also about the time of the peak of the pre rut. It's just a matter of about 3 weeks from what some call "The Great Acorn Drop" that the rut will coincide. Years back, I heard a guy talking about "The Great Acorn Drop" and I laughed at him about the phrase. I think now that there may be more to this that what he ever imagined.

This year, document your acorn crops. Possibly a poor acorn crop could entice an early rut. Document the time they start falling to the week that they just really pour from the trees and the time they finish. Watch the ground and when they disappear, document that time. Then, watch your doe for signs of them coming into heat and bucks that are in rut.