LITTLE ROCK — Rutting season for whitetailed deer in Arkansas traditionally peaks around Thanksgiving, but it appears to be a lot more variable and regionally unpredictable.
I’ve spent all or part of many days deer hunting this year in several regions and observed no discernible pattern to the rut. In the northern part of Zone 12, the rut was in full bloom opening weekend of modern gun season. The woods were heavy with musk, bucks were chasing does and I even observed a buck breeding a doe.
Within 10 days, all of that vanished.
In Zone 6, the rut had not begun in the southern Ozarks by the third day of modern gun season. Some pre-rut activity was going on in terms of rubbing and scraping, but there was no musk odor in the woods. To accentuate the point, my friend Basel Khalil killed a 2-year-old eight-point that was still in summer trim. It’s neck muscles did not bulge, and its tarsal glands emitted no scent.
That was Khalil’s first deer hunt, but he had read plenty of deer hunting literature. The first thing he wanted to do was to remove the tarsal glands so their musk wouldn’t taint the meat. Hewas puzzled when I insisted there was no need since they didn’t stink.
I hunted in southeast Arkansas on Dec. 12-13, where the rut was also in full bloom. I watched a big-bodied button buck chase does all over a wheat field, but he departed when a mature buck arrived. The bigger buck lunged at a few does, but mostly they stayed away from him. He did run across the field into the woods and stayed about 15 minutes. His demeanor suggested he was either pursuing a doe or going to fight another buck that stayed in the cover.
I returned to Zone 6 for closing day of the modern gun season there. The rut is compressed there, and it was long finished.
But, back in Zone 12 last Thursday, buck scent was heavy at one particular stand. I first noticed it about 7:30 a.m., and a gentle breeze keptit in my nose for about three hours. As best as I could tell, a rutting buck had bedded down in the pines nearby. In areas that have a lot of deer, especially those with an overabundance of does, buck often go through a secondary rut. It’s not as intense as the first rut, and rutting activity is not as obvious. Apparently that was going in at that time.
That was the same day I met an elderly gentleman in Saline County who had just killed a most remarkable buck. It was only a six-point, but its rack was 20 inches wide. The gentleman said it was a very old buck and that it was chasing does when he shot it. It smelled very musky but was not as “buff” as bucks are during the primary rut.
I’ve killed one deer this year, my worst year since 2000, though not for lack of opportunity. I could have tagged out with does, and I passed on a shot at the aforementioned big buck in southeast Arkansas. I’ve held off waiting for better opportunities that never came.
Such is the life of the eternal optimist. We still have the Christmas holiday deer hunt for which I have planned something special with my son, and, of course, we havethe rest of bow season.
So far, hunters have killed more than 197,000 deer this year, including 93,310 antlered bucks, 92,030 does and 11,943 button bucks. That’s almost an even buck-to-doe kill ratio. However, most people shoot button bucks mistaking them for does. Therefore, one might infer that hunters actually intended to kill more does than bucks this season. That’s how Rick Schaeffer would probably explain it if he did an outdoors bit on Drive Time Sports.
TURKEY HUNTING PERMITS
Turkey season doesn’t start until late April, but it’s time to start making some turkey hunting plans.
Until Jan. 15, hunters can apply for a permit to participate in the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s controlled turkey hunts on wildlife management areas.
Go online to www.agfc.com. The controlled hunts link is the first thing you’ll see. Click on that and follow the instructions.
Hunters can apply for permits at some of our best areas, including Harold Alexander WMA, Moro Big Pine WMA, Shirey Bay Rainey Brake, Madison County WMA and many more.
Sports, Pages 20 on 12/20/2012