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Whitetail test

Good quiz Shovel......missed the first four
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and cleaned up on the rest. There's some interesting facts, like the estrous thing. If a deer comes in every 28 days, why do we only generally see breeding once a year. Are the does allowing it only then because of springtime births? Someone help me out here a little.
CRITR
 
Since there are more does than bucks some might not get bred the first cycle or maybe not take. They will cycle in 28 days. Most of the does get bred the first go around though, so the second or secondary rut is usually quieter. Plus, if you do the math with the primary rut being Nov. 10?, where does that put the secondary? Shotgun season.
 
I understand the fact that a buck's testosterone levels peak at the "rut" time of the year, buy why doesn't this happen in say...August or September. If a doe comes in every 28 days, why aren't buck's interested in them in earlier months?
CRITR
 
Deer are short day breeders meaning as the amount of light entering the eye decreases, this increases the amount of melatonin in the system via the pineal gland. This has the direct relationship with the anterior pititary gland in increasing the amounts of FSH. FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) exerts its effect on the ovaries to stimulate egg production and elevations in estrogens, progesterones and possibly more hormones. Kind of a complex little cycle (which I hope I got correct) but is the good Lords way of timing fawn birth with adequate forage/nutrition for momma and optimum milk production for the youngsters.

ANyways, the bucks undergo simmilar changes with FSH and LH for spermatogenesis and hormone production and the rise of testosterone stimmulates the shedding of velvet and the desire to breed. I am not sure what the precise amount of light per day is to trigger the heat cycle but lies somewhere in late october/early november. Did that answer your question?

There is a fair amount of does that do come into heat in mid october and get bred at that time but the peak is in mid November.
 
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There is a fair amount of does that do come into heat in mid october and get bred at that time but the peak is in mid November.

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With later born fawns coming into estrous after the Nov peak. So it appears that the rut is rather prolonged. Most people focus (understandably) on the Nov peak.
 
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why aren't buck's interested in them in earlier months?
CRITR

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Oh, I'm sure that bucks are interested!! But it all comes down to the does being "receptive". As usual, she dictates when "it" happens.
 
cool, i got 12 out of 13............. i know it surprised me too!!! the only one i missed was the one on the poundage of browse they eat in the winter. thanx shovel!!
 
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