DIY Sportsman | The Science of Rut Timing

Every time mid-October rolls around, hunters frantically search for guidance on rut timing. Will it be earlier or later than last year? How will the weather or moon phase affect the rut? How accurate are the predictions in popular magazines? When should I take my rut-cation? With the increasing popularity of social media, many have turned to Facebook groups to get real time rut reports. But are they just handicapping themselves?

There has been plenty of scientific research of the topic of rut timing. In this podcast, Garrett and Bobby discuss what factors have actually been proven to affect doe estrous cycles as well as overall deer movement. In addition, they tell the listeners how they can take their own data to come up with an accurate assessment of doe estrous timing in their area, which may quite well vary from rut calculators or even nearby areas due to genetic diversity.