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Article by: Bob Humphrey

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-- The ingredients were all there for a super hunt. It was the middle of November, peak of the rut, and I was in the heart of big whitetail country. Even the weather was cooperating - clear and cold every day. Now it was all up to the deer.

John Ethridge of PMI Cover Systems met me at Moline Airport in Illinois. John, Dave Dolbee and I drove across into Missouri, where we were to meet our outfitter. Along the way, the guide told us story after story of the big Midwestern bucks he and his hunting partners have taken over the years. I was as excited as a kid on Christmas Eve when I finally settled in for a fitful night's sleep. We'd done all we could. The rest was up to the deer.

I guess someone forgot to tell the deer, because four days later, we were still wondering what went wrong. Timing and conditions seemed perfect, but the big bucks just weren't moving. And it wasn't just us. Every night, John would call his buddies back in Illinois, where he got the same report: no movement. They couldn't understand it. But I had a hunch as to what the matter was.

The classic rut occurs every year around the middle of November, right? That all depends on who you ask. There seems to be a growing schism over when the peak of rut should occur.

One camp believes in the traditional theory that it always occurs at the same time. Another more recent theory says it varies according to moon phase. The latter theory has been gaining a lot more acceptance, and that season provided a significant boost to their contention. Which one is right? The jury is still out. But let's take a look at the facts. Then you can decide for yourself.

Traditional Rut Theory
Many hunters, and a fair number of biologists, believe that the rut is fairly synchronous, and occurs at roughly the same time every year in northern states, somewhere around Nov. 15-18. Some of the more dedicated hunters even plan their annual hunting vacations then to take advantage of that magical period when mature bucks drop their guard. The biological theory behind this is that rut timing is ruled by daylight, which diminishes at the same rate and time annually. The reasoning here seems fairly sound, as the breeding cycle of many species is triggered by photoperiodism (changes in the amount of daylight).

There is also a large body of scientific evidence to support this theory. Most of it is based on back-dating fetal measurements. Biologists examine unborn fawns in the spring. By measuring certain physical characteristics, they can predict roughly when those fawns were conceived, and they come up with a fairly consistent result. However, this technique has a margin of error of 20 days. That means if fetal measurements produce an estimated conception date of Nov. 15, the actual date could be anywhere from Nov. 5-25.

Moon Phase Theory
A more recent theory, postulated by Charles Alsheimer and Wayne Laroche, suggests that it is not just daylight that stimulates the physiological changes in deer, which eventually lead to rutting behavior. We know that a whitetail's pineal gland responds to changes in the amount of daylight by releasing hormones (estrogen in does and testosterone in bucks), which ultimately triggers the reproductive cycle.