Rut

[maximus]

Did any of you guys notice a slow rut this year? poor nutrition due to the drought you think affected the rut?

i didn't see rutting like other years.

[CatfishKev]

Seemed like a weird year to me.  

[mc68]

I shot a really good buck in December, before Christmas that was hanging tight with a doe. Been out couple times in January and watched a lot of bucks chasing. Seemed about normal...

[paul navarre]

Killed my 6 th coues buck on Jan. 7th.  in the late PM coming to a small water seep.  Rattled and grunted two spikes in the previous two days.   While many of the water sources were not producing there was plenty around and I know the deer know many more.  Fair amount of acorns on the ground. The rut yearly is triggered by the amount of light in the deer's eyes during that that time of year so the "rut" happens the same time each year but is extended longer the farther on goes in the US.     I have killed bucks the end of the first week and also the last week of January and in the same area.   If I only had two weeks to hunt them, south of HWY 10 , it would be the second and third week of January.  So to answer the OP question,  and in the area I hunt, NO difference this January season.

[dustin25]

Dramatically less active rut this year where I’ve been. Borderline no rut activity. I killed my buck on the 8th I believe, and haven’t been out a ton since. But my brother has and hasn’t seen much either.

[PRDATR]

Every year is different.

[creed_az_88]

Rut this year has been as spotty and inconsistent as I've ever seen. The last two days, every big buck I saw was tight to a doe but not showing any signs of her being ready to breed. No little bucks bugging em. These same dates last year the bucks were already bachelored up. Post rut. I saw multiple does get bred the first week of January last year. I personally believe that most does have yet to be bred in my areas.

[high rise hunter]

The last two years have been odd IMO. Last season all rut activity I saw was early and by the end of January I didn't see a single buck with does. This year I bounced around quite a few units the first half of the month and never got into any good rut action. Had the feeling like it was going to be a late rut. Tagged my buck mid-month but had to revert to sitting water to do so. Not sure how the second half played out.

[recurveman]

I hunted 4 of the 5 weekends down south this January.   Sat water mostly and only saw one buck and doe together and that was the weekend of the 16th.   Also when I was driving to and from I saw many, many does and not one of them had a buck in tow.   Last year was really weird too.    Guess that is why they call it hunting.