Rut Circuits

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Wannabelikedan
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Re: Rut Circuits

Unread postby Wannabelikedan » Sat Nov 04, 2017 2:32 am

huntinsonovagun wrote:I feel like a lot of the comments are geared more towards annual patterns instead of rut circuits. What I think and am trying to say is that it seems there can be a rut circuit WITHIN a buck’s annual pattern, but they are not one in the same.

For example, a buck may come through October 5th his year and then again next year- I would not call this a rut circuit but an annual pattern. Now a rut circuit would be a trail or loop that a buck repeatedly travels on a semi-regular basis from say late October and at least through November or so. During that time, a buck may travel a little farther annually on say November the 7th but that’s the only time frame you see him in that particular area year to year. I would not call this part of his regular “circuit” because it’s more of a “one and done” type situation whereas a circuit would be visited/traveled fairly regularly. Make sense? I guess the purpose of this thread was to see what sort of nuances and trends have been observed in bucks’ rut travels...


Magic- would you agree or have anything to add?


When you’re referring to “annual” patterns I’m thinking more along the lines of a buck’s shift or seeking out of seasonal food sources and/or bedding. It’s mostly dependent on the consistency of preferred food availability and preferred bedding areas is whether you really see a pattern. To answer yinzer’s question, IMO yes, this behavior is more evident in older age classed bucks but by no means is it an “always” thing for every mature buck, annual or rut. I think younger bucks tend to be roamers until their dominance allows them to successfully hold a core area. Of course there are many other factors to take into consideration but those two main things I think are what fuel the annual circuits.

The rut circuit is a travel route that a buck takes that he feels safe traveling to and from doe bedding areas checking for receptive does. I think in most cases, the rut circuit is more evident than the annual circuit. The timing of a does’ estrous cycle is more consistent than food or bedding. For example, you get years of drought that reduce food and cover abundance and some years that are wet resulting in the opposite. A mature buck may show in one place this year because certain crops or acorns were there at a certain time but the next year those circumstances didn’t line up. A doe or doe groups estrous cycle will happen roughly the same time every year though and mature bucks pick up on that. The size and frequency of the rut circuit varies with certain factors like density and habitat.

There is a certain old buck (8+) that visits a property I hunt with frequency from mid October to roughly mid November. After about the 3rd week of November, he is mostly MIA the rest of the season though I do get pics of random days outside that time frame. There is another property I’m running a cam over a particular horizontal rub again this year to determine if this same rut circuit behavior holds true there. Oddly enough, the only bucks I had on that camera last year using that particular rub were 5+ year old bucks. Hoping I see the same bucks hitting that tree on similar days and for another buck that is a 5 year old to start establishing himself there this year.


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magicman54494
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Re: Rut Circuits

Unread postby magicman54494 » Sat Nov 04, 2017 3:50 am

huntinsonovagun wrote:I feel like a lot of the comments are geared more towards annual patterns instead of rut circuits. What I think and am trying to say is that it seems there can be a rut circuit WITHIN a buck’s annual pattern, but they are not one in the same.

For example, a buck may come through October 5th his year and then again next year- I would not call this a rut circuit but an annual pattern. Now a rut circuit would be a trail or loop that a buck repeatedly travels on a semi-regular basis from say late October and at least through November or so. During that time, a buck may travel a little farther annually on say November the 7th but that’s the only time frame you see him in that particular area year to year. I would not call this part of his regular “circuit” because it’s more of a “one and done” type situation whereas a circuit would be visited/traveled fairly regularly. Make sense? I guess the purpose of this thread was to see what sort of nuances and trends have been observed in bucks’ rut travels...


Magic- would you agree or have anything to add?

yes i agree. seasonal shifts are a whole diffrrent thing.
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Re: Rut Circuits

Unread postby peteinvermont » Sat Nov 04, 2017 7:50 am

Many of the well respected trackers here in the northeast say exactly what Magic is saying.

From my own experience, it seems like the circuit is bigger as the woods get bigger. In areas that are 20,000+ acres of woods (no ag) that same buck will come back through in 7-8 days.
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Re: Rut Circuits

Unread postby <DK> » Tue Nov 07, 2017 4:45 am

magicman54494 wrote:
huntinsonovagun wrote:I feel like a lot of the comments are geared more towards annual patterns instead of rut circuits. What I think and am trying to say is that it seems there can be a rut circuit WITHIN a buck’s annual pattern, but they are not one in the same.

For example, a buck may come through October 5th his year and then again next year- I would not call this a rut circuit but an annual pattern. Now a rut circuit would be a trail or loop that a buck repeatedly travels on a semi-regular basis from say late October and at least through November or so. During that time, a buck may travel a little farther annually on say November the 7th but that’s the only time frame you see him in that particular area year to year. I would not call this part of his regular “circuit” because it’s more of a “one and done” type situation whereas a circuit would be visited/traveled fairly regularly. Make sense? I guess the purpose of this thread was to see what sort of nuances and trends have been observed in bucks’ rut travels...


Magic- would you agree or have anything to add?

yes i agree. seasonal shifts are a whole diffrrent thing.


I get confused by trying to determine the difference in a pattern and a circuit. Could they be one in the same?

As an example, are we talking about a buck that lives in the same area most of the year, then shifts his travel routes? Basically, are we saying rut circuits are within core areas or he is shifting his core area to run these circuits?
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Re: Rut Circuits

Unread postby <DK> » Tue Nov 07, 2017 4:46 am

I have a specific deer and map id like to go over but still not sure I understand fully.
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Re: Rut Circuits

Unread postby HoosierG5 » Tue Nov 07, 2017 4:55 am

I have a big lush clover plot on a ridgetop with steep ravines on both sides. I sat the N end overlooking it this Saturday but the main travel route right in front of me. Not a single buck-3 different ones-went to the food. They were simply cruising trying to get the wind of the 2 doe bedding areas and using the topography. I have random pics every year from the same camera sites, but never a pattern to indicate a “circuit.” I think their travel is solely based upon the wind and the topography. The wind changes daily so Im not thinking there is a circuit like every few days they travel, but possibly on certain winds.
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Re: Rut Circuits

Unread postby Edcyclopedia » Tue Nov 07, 2017 5:21 am

Darkknight54 wrote:
magicman54494 wrote:
huntinsonovagun wrote:I feel like a lot of the comments are geared more towards annual patterns instead of rut circuits. What I think and am trying to say is that it seems there can be a rut circuit WITHIN a buck’s annual pattern, but they are not one in the same.

For example, a buck may come through October 5th his year and then again next year- I would not call this a rut circuit but an annual pattern. Now a rut circuit would be a trail or loop that a buck repeatedly travels on a semi-regular basis from say late October and at least through November or so. During that time, a buck may travel a little farther annually on say November the 7th but that’s the only time frame you see him in that particular area year to year. I would not call this part of his regular “circuit” because it’s more of a “one and done” type situation whereas a circuit would be visited/traveled fairly regularly. Make sense? I guess the purpose of this thread was to see what sort of nuances and trends have been observed in bucks’ rut travels...


Magic- would you agree or have anything to add?

yes i agree. seasonal shifts are a whole diffrrent thing.


I get confused by trying to determine the difference in a pattern and a circuit. Could they be one in the same?

As an example, are we talking about a buck that lives in the same area most of the year, then shifts his travel routes? Basically, are we saying rut circuits are within core areas or he is shifting his core area to run these circuits?


I would define the rut circuit by areas of travel to go and mate.
Not necessary changing his core area, as I think of core area as home, for the most part
Many bucks travel all these same areas/CIRCUITS in competition to breed.
Like - Saddles while scent checking, Doe bedding areas, elevation of hills during particular winds etc.

Analogy - If your trying to date woman, would you limit yourself to one town or city or region or state?

Example: I hunt a +6 square mile area in the big woods and believe that each buck has his living/survival area (as one would expect, within this 6 mi) that he travels during the yearly routine, that is more of a pattern.
Could be a 3 or 4 day loop for a nomad buck, could only be a couple hundred yards for a home body buck...

Rut gets them up and about to other areas after that particular buck mates the Does in his area.
Or potentially sooner if another, "ripper" Doe, is within smelling distance to make him want to move or spark his urge.
If there is a high Doe count, he may not need to leave...

Currently I am looking @ my area holistically from my experiences within the past few years...
Things like amount of mature buck sightings, large tracks & cameras.
It has pointed me to hunt this one Mtn. (1/2 sq. mi.) that I believe is funneling them through this area - I would call this the rut circuit.
Most of these bucks are spot sightings only during this time of the year...
Expect the Unexpected when you least Expect it...
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Re: Rut Circuits

Unread postby Horizontal Hunter » Tue Nov 07, 2017 11:57 am

Where I am you get two buck tags with your license and doe tags are based on deer management zones. The doe tags are lottery only. This definitely skews the buck to do ratio in my state and I always see way more does than bucks.

I'm curious on your opinions on the effect of the buck to doe ratio on on rut circuits?

Bob
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Re: Rut Circuits

Unread postby magicman54494 » Tue Nov 07, 2017 1:21 pm

HoosierG5 wrote:I have a big lush clover plot on a ridgetop with steep ravines on both sides. I sat the N end overlooking it this Saturday but the main travel route right in front of me. Not a single buck-3 different ones-went to the food. They were simply cruising trying to get the wind of the 2 doe bedding areas and using the topography. I have random pics every year from the same camera sites, but never a pattern to indicate a “circuit.” I think their travel is solely based upon the wind and the topography. The wind changes daily so Im not thinking there is a circuit like every few days they travel, but possibly on certain winds.

i'll try to explain. cirvuits lead from point a to point b to point c and so on. you are hunting one of these destinations. they will do what you describe once they get there. it would be like saying i dont tske the same road to walmart because you see me wandering all over the store (which i am guilty of lol)
im also sure this changes region to region and i would guess by deer density and buck to doe ratio.
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Re: Rut Circuits

Unread postby magicman54494 » Tue Nov 07, 2017 1:35 pm

Horizontal Hunter wrote:Where I am you get two buck tags with your license and doe tags are based on deer management zones. The doe tags are lottery only. This definitely skews the buck to do ratio in my state and I always see way more does than bucks.

I'm curious on your opinions on the effect of the buck to doe ratio on on rut circuits?

Bob

im guessing here but i believe that high doe to buck ratios would keep bucks from traveling. why leave if you have more than you can handle close to home? also the mature bucks will be locked down for most of the rut.


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