The rut is the most physically demanding time of year for males. They seem to be active 24 hours a day 7 days a week and have no detectable pattern to their movements – except to cover as much territory as possible in as short a time as possible.
If you read our posts about when the rut peaks each year and the timing of breeding, you know now that the rut gets started the last week in October.
And if you watched some of the October videos of buck movements you watched them expanded their home range in the latter half of that month.
So you’d be right to guess that in November they may get a little crazier, but the October home range pretty much shows you their home range in November – with a few exceptions!
In the videos below, you can see how they travel compared to their October home range. I hope you enjoy watching them bounce around like ping-pong balls!
Big Buck Mojo
We showed you Deer 8159’s movements in September and October and saw how he shifted his home range further up on the ridge. He travels even further and faster across his home range (and beyond) this month.
Travelin’ Man
Deer 8103 suddenly took off in late October and about quadrupled his home range area. It expands even more in November as he continues to chase females.
But watch what happens on the 17th of November – right at the peak of the rut.
On the 17th of November he returns to that knoll on the southeastern corner of his home range. He died of unknown causes sometime on the 22nd of the month.
Was he fatally injured and simply returned to his favorite area of his home range? Or was he exhausted from the breeding season and succumbed to disease or predation? We’ll never know.
The Less Predictable Buck
This deer was always in the same area in September and October. But check out his move on November 10th – almost 5 miles in 6 hrs! Overall he did not expand his home range very much, but I think you’d be hard pressed to pattern him in November compared to October.
Insanity!
Deer 8909 shifted his home range to the west in October. He takes it to a new level in November! Watch as he crisscrosses his home range all month long. This deer never stops.
Check out November 3rd when he was about a mile beyond the northwestern edge of his October home range and within 24 hours was down in the southeastern edge of his home range.
On November 24th he did a complete loop around his home range in less than 24 hours! I suspect the few times he spends more than 6 hours in the same area was probably when he was with a doe.
If you find these movements interesting, wait until we share with you how deer travel during the rifle season. You will see how these deer survive and what types of smart (and audacious) moves they make during the rifle season.
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