A little help understanding these GA deer

[batoncolle]

But yeah I am really crossing my fingers that the weather isn't like this every year. If so I will be moving again shortly. I don't like snow or anything but I at least like it to be cool on Christmas but 80+ on Christmas Day is ridiculous.

Batoncolle I've seen that before but seemed like the scrapes and all stayed a little active all the way through. But here it seemed like one day they just stopped and the next they went right back too in. And also it always seemed like the buck would chase hard right there at prime time but would carry on through to the end but it seems like (according to what I've seen and seen on trail cam) the buck here chased hard, then stopped even checking the Doe at all then all of a sudden it is like prime time again. I mean every year after the main event it's like a steady trickle through the rest of the year but here it seems like it's in burst or something it's wide open or completely off one day to the next.

The weather was unusual this year because of El Nino. It's usually mild, 50 - 70s, through the end of December, and then it starts getting colder the first of the year. And what you're seeing is the second smaller rut, which will continue for another couple of months on the monthly interval. As long as you have food sources and quiet/thick places for bedding, the deer will be around. But when the hunting pressure picks up, they will definitely get more nocturnal.

 

[mfoster]

Larry I hunt Macon cty,it's been strange there also normally you can set your calendar, on around 15th nov with prior week of crusing and dwindling down the next week,but this year they would be wide open a couple days then bucks would be feeding in food plots with the does,then wide open again.we still had acorns falling at thanksgiving.

 

[Larry floyd]

Yeah that was definitely an issue I had also. My entire property is oak with a few scattered pine and other my ground was covered with acorn which I was excited about initially but I quickly realized it made it almost impossible to pin down or pattern any of the deer. It was like the deer didn't even have to leave the bedding areas most of the time just roll over chew on some acorn and lay back down. They rarely touched food plots until here recently.

 

[Horsehat]

Does begin coming into estrus in mid to late November for most of Georgia. Those that do not become pregnant will come back in season 28 days later. On occasion they will still not be pregnant and come in again 28 days later. I have seen deer breeding in GA in late January. It is the does receptivity that drives buck behavior. If a doe is hot she will give off a pheromone that the buck smells and is aroused by. ( this is why people buy doe pee, though it is only effective if from as estrus doe). Weather of course also plays a big part in Whitetail movement as does the lunar cycle.

 

[BHJ]

In addition to the weather and other weirdness this season...
Just a theory but Here goes my thoughts on the subject.

As a young man there was not a huntable population of deer throughout much of Georgia and certainly not in the northern half of the state. It is my understanding that the Georgia DNR brought in deer primarily from Texas to rebuild the herds. Our neighbors to the west in Alabama and Mississippi brought in deer primarily from Wisconsin to rebuild their herds that rut much later. (Peak of the rut where I've been hunting in January over in Alabama for the last several years is this week and it's my understanding this is due to the genetics of the rebuilt herds). I'm thinking cross breeds and different strains of deer throughout the state are causing 2 distinct ruts. Until now with DNR extending the season we haven't been able to hunt the second one. Hopefully we'll see some monsters being "tagged" soon enough. It's my belief that these will be Northern strains of deer.

 

[Comanche]

For Some Reason in Georgia
I always see the monsters that have been in hiding chasing
Does like mad in daylight during the second rut when the weather gets colder.

 

[Shutter Monkey]

@Commanche, that was certainly the case this year. Pre season mine an my buddies game cameras were full of bucks.... Then nothing right up until the last couple of weeks, 3 nice bucks all in broad daylight and two of them with does. Very unusual for me.