Does coming into estrous

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hunter_mike
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Does coming into estrous

Unread postby hunter_mike » Thu May 12, 2016 9:03 am

Anyone know if an individual doe will come into estrous around the same day every year? I know I have read in a book somewhere that this is true but of course was wondering what the beasts had to say about it.


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Re: Does coming into estrous

Unread postby Lockdown » Thu May 12, 2016 1:40 pm

It would make sense to me that they do. My Dad has horses and from year to year each mare will have consistencies. Some have long cycles, some are short, some are quirky and don't show heat (estrous term in the equine world) with a foal at their side. They can be very different respectively.

I'm pretty confident there's a granny doe in the farm grove that I hunt that comes in to estrous early every year. I've got trail cam pics and video of her (as long as it truly is the same doe) while hunting, and a couple years ago she had 3 fawns. She's huge bodied for a doe. It would seem feasible to me that an older doe would come into estrous earlier than a young doe, which IMO is why there is a late October flurry of activity in that tiny grove despite an abundance of does in that general area, along with better properties.

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Re: Does coming into estrous

Unread postby magicman54494 » Thu May 12, 2016 2:17 pm

I believe that this is true. I have no supporting evidence. I will even go one step further and say that the mature bucks know this as well and keep track of individual does. I will go way out on a limb and say that a buck also knows when a doe is bred and stops visiting them once they are.
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Re: Does coming into estrous

Unread postby DaveT1963 » Thu May 12, 2016 10:56 pm

I definitely agree with yearly cycles and journals have shown that it's more clockwork, or in this case calendar based, then I once believed. When I see a buck chasing a doe, breeding or hanging out in a particular area I take note in my journal. If he survives there is a very good chance he will do the same thing within a day or two the following year.

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Re: Does coming into estrous

Unread postby msailor » Thu May 12, 2016 11:15 pm

My wife goes into estrous about the same time every month...seems logical a deer might too.
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Re: Does coming into estrous

Unread postby stash59 » Fri May 13, 2016 2:38 am

It would seem logical. Based on the studies. Photoperiodism is controlling both sexes hormones in regards to the rut. So the does should cycle about the same time each year individually.

Think about passed opening days of gun seasons. Some years the neighbors seem to have all the bucks. Some years you did. Since these dates usually fall on a Saturday. The actual dates are very different at times.
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Re: Does coming into estrous

Unread postby Rubline » Fri May 13, 2016 5:37 am

magicman54494 wrote:I believe that this is true. I have no supporting evidence. I will even go one step further and say that the mature bucks know this as well and keep track of individual does. I will go way out on a limb and say that a buck also knows when a doe is bred and stops visiting them once they are.


I agree. I will add that I think mature bucks remember when certain does came into estrous from previous years and therefor know when to check that does home range during the rut. This could be why certain bucks show up during the same times year after year.
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Re: Does coming into estrous

Unread postby DaveT1963 » Fri May 13, 2016 5:47 am

stash59 wrote:It would seem logical. Based on the studies. Photoperiodism is controlling both sexes hormones in regards to the rut. So the does should cycle about the same time each year individually.

Think about passed opening days of gun seasons. Some years the neighbors seem to have all the bucks. Some years you did. Since these dates usually fall on a Saturday. The actual dates are very different at times.


One thing to keep in mind in Midwest/farm country is the pattern (or at least where we see it) may very well be every two or three years depending on what the crop rotation looks like. I also annotate what crops are planted and where in my Ohio journal to try to keep up with crop rotation movements/patterns.
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Re: Does coming into estrous

Unread postby hunter_mike » Fri May 13, 2016 2:20 pm

Good info 8-) thanks

I have one hunt in particular planned out because of trail cam photos of a big buck chasing a bit early.

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Re: Does coming into estrous

Unread postby JoeRE » Sat May 14, 2016 8:23 am

Yea I think they do. I have no hard evidence, would think researchers have studied this somewhere?

One time I had a 3 year stretch where I think an old mature doe came in heat about the same time every late October - around Oct 25th. The third year I had it figured out and she came through followed by several bucks including one gagger - just too thick of cover to get a shot off. Ever since then I keep an eye out for does coming early into estrus.
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Re: Does coming into estrous

Unread postby Dewey » Sat May 14, 2016 8:31 am

Interesing thread. I have one area that always seemed to have a flurry of rutting activity the second or third week of October. It happened for about 3 years as well. Wondering if it's not one old doe that had a screwed up cycle that repeated every year. It's been a few years and haven't seen it since so maybe she was killed.

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Re: Does coming into estrous

Unread postby JoeRE » Sat May 14, 2016 1:53 pm

Dewey wrote:Interesing thread. I have one area that always seemed to have a flurry of rutting activity the second or third week of October. It happened for about 3 years as well. Wondering if it's not one old doe that had a screwed up cycle that repeated every year. It's been a few years and haven't seen it since so maybe she was killed.

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Yea, not all does come into estrus at the same time or even the same week. Its a bell curve that stretches out several weeks in each direction. Most are second week of November yes, but far from all research has shown. The more does an area has, the higher the odds you can find one of them that will come in a week or two early...or late. That's where I look for it, the places with the biggest clusters of does.
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Re: Does coming into estrous

Unread postby stash59 » Sun May 15, 2016 6:27 am

The Wensels used to claim that the oldest most mature does. Came into a short estrous 28 days before the estrous when they usually got breed. This early estrous would only last a few hours. Instead of the norm of a couple of days. The oldest of these mature does would have the longest early estrous cycle. Up to maybe 12 hours. Sometimes this allowed them to get breed.

Any way their point was that these early short estrous cycles would clue the mature bucks into when the main rut would start. Hence the bucks activity would slowly ramp up from this point of early estrous and on.

So the Wensels would key in on these same areas/doe groups. Starting about 23-24 days after this early estrous frenzy.

Just remember. They were hunting in areas with good buck/doe ratios. With good mature buck and doe numbers.

If every doe came into heat at exactly the same time. More would be missed and have to be breed on their 2nd cycle. Since the research doesn't really show this happening. It would be reasonable to assume that each doe has their own geneticly predetermined date for starting estrous. Or maybe the older they get the sooner they come in.
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Re: Does coming into estrous

Unread postby whitetailassasin » Sun May 15, 2016 6:34 am

I believe that just like in women who live together and there cycles sync up, doe groups do the same thing. It's why I believe we can see the same buck in an area with same group for a couple days. I believe he breeds that entire group. Or try's.

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Re: Does coming into estrous

Unread postby ThePreBanMan » Mon May 16, 2016 3:12 am

I read somewhere (can't remember the book) that the does have 1 matriarch and she comes into heat/estrus in early/mid October depending on latitude. Then that triggers a 28 day cycle where the rest of the herd hits. But I don't know if that's an absolute or even true in the majority of times. Just that it's an observed behavior. I'm sure ratio, weather, etc. all play a part.


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