Tennessee Rut?

[dmgreene]

I was planning a vacation trip to the mountains this fall and wanted to take some pictures at Cade's coves and wondering when the peak rut was. We went the around the 17th of November last year and got a few pictures of some nice bucks and there were a couple of bucks chasing does then. When is the typical rut around the Smokey mountain park area? Any info will be appreciated.

Thanks David

 

[Charles A]

Somewhere after the first of December...

 

[dmgreene]

Thanks a lot Charles for the info. I guess we were a couple of weeks early last year.

Thanks David

 

[Charles A]

Your welcome.

Nailing the rut in TN is a bit hard as it can vary quite a bit depending on where your at, and also what the weather is doing. Kind of an on again, off again deal. I've seen them chasing in the first Muzzle loader season, which is the beginning of November, and last year I shot a buck that was tending does the last week in November, and they were chasing very heavy around Christmas.....

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

Your right, the whitetail rut depends on where you are in the south. The south was stocked with both northern and southern deer and for the first twenty years or so you could depend on a rut in a particular area depending on what it was stocked with. As time passed and the northern and southern deer bred the deer are so mixed up now you can hunt the rut from November into February. The problem is where these deer have mixed the most there is no definitive peak rut since does and bucks are coming into their breeding cycle at all times Nov-Feb.

 

[dmgreene]

Man and I thought we had a screwed up rut . Our rut has become a lot more stable over the last few years and I believe its because of the number of does we have been taking. If the weather is right the peak will be last half of January but there are always some that will be rutting in December and some in February.

David

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

Most of Alabama was stocked with southern whitetails and has a January rut. There are areas near Georgia and Tennessee that have had an influx of northern deer across the border and the rut is not as definitive. Georgia was stocked primarily with northern whitetails and most areas have a definite November rut. Tennessee depends on where you are. Your right about taking the does. When you have a low buck to doe ratio does that are not bred the first time keep coming back in cycle and keep the boys going so you see a three month rut. Cades Cove has a stable rut with no northern/southern mixing that I am aware of.