We believe that visual enjoyment, regulated use, and just knowing that wild things exist enriches all of us. It is the mission of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to insure that game and non-game wildlife is around for centuries to come, both for the benefit of the wild creatures and the ecosystems they occupy, as well as for human beings. The following was based on three years of data collected by Wildlife Technicians and Biologists throughout Texas. Our goal is to get the information out to the hunters and landowners who assisted and helped fund the project. You may have seen parts of the article in outdoor magazines.
People often ask biologists when the rut is going to occur.
It's a question biologists commonly hear in the fall. Many hunters want to make sure that they plan hunting vacations to include that magical time when bucks lose all caution and deer are moving. Anything that encourages bucks to move enhances the chance of seeing one. Buck deer, like most male mammals, seem to lose a lot of their natural caution when the scent of a receptive female is in the air. One of the tips gained from this study is that rutting bucks can be found during most of the hunting season in many regions of the state.