during the rut
White-tailed deer The rut for
white-tailed deer (
Odocoileus virginianus) usually lasts three weeks in the
Northern Hemisphere and may occur most of the year in tropical zones. The rut is the time when white-tail deer, especially bucks, are more active and less cautious than usual. This makes them easier to hunt, as well as more susceptible to being hit by motor vehicles. Outdoors writer Charles Alsheimer has done research demonstrating the white-tailed deer rut is also controlled by the
lunar phase and that the rut peaks seven days after the second full moon during October and November (the rutting moon), while elk begin rutting during the
September equinox on 21 September. A white-tail doe may be in
estrus for up to 72 hours and may come into estrus up to seven times if she does not mate. Cows may come into estrus up to four or more times if they do not mate. Some people believe that it is possible that does can enter a second estrus around 28 to 30 days from its first estrus if the doe isn't bred. There are also studies that show that some does actively participate in seeking out possible mates in areas where there are less males to increase the chances of finding males and being bred. The rut can start as early as the end of September and can last all the way through the winter months. Bucks usually begin this process when the velvet is falling off their antlers, and it can last all the way until they start to shed their antlers. The peak of the rut, however, is right in the middle. The average peak day for the white-tail rut in the U.S. is November 13. Around this period of time, the bucks and does are very active, with the rut in full swing. For a hunter sitting in a tree stand at this time of the year, it is not uncommon to see many deer pass through his specific area, due to other deer chasing others. There are many behaviors a buck will exhibit during the rut. During pre-rut, bucks will spar with each other. Sparring is low-intensity aggressive behavior, involving mostly pushing and shoving. Bucks of different sizes will do this to each other. After pre-rut is finished, a buck will rub his antlers on a tree (thus making a "rub"), and make scrapes on the ground with his hooves: both of these are ways a buck will
mark its territory and proclaim his dominance for other bucks to see. These activities are usually done at night. Bucks will make many different scent markings using different scent glands. These scent glands include pedal glands found between the toes, preorbital glands found in the corners of their eyes, tarsal glands found on the lower inside of their hind legs, and the metatarsal glands found in the outside hind leg between ankle and hoof. The deer spread scent from these glands by rubbing hooves during ground scrapes, rubbing faces on tree limbs, and urinating down legs. The most prominent behavior of all during the heat of the rut is fighting, where bucks show their true dominance to others. In fighting, bucks usually battle against similar-sized deer, and small bucks do not normally challenge mature large ones: more often than not, smaller bucks fear the more mature bucks and leave or avoid the dominant deer's territory. These fights can be long in duration with the winner getting the group of does. Some fights result in injuries with some resulting in death. Studies show that males of all age-classes increased their search efforts for mates during rut. According to the source, "One-year-old males seemed to invest less effort searching for females because movement rates (m/h) were 25–30% lower than in older males". This data indicates that the youngest males don't try as hard as older males to find a mate. The energy expenditure of chasing and fighting during the breeding season can result in a buck losing an immense amount of weight, with some research documenting losses of as much as 20% of body weight with some sources showing body mass losses of up to 30%. varying with latitude. During the rut, elk frequently use areas around fresh water, and tend to bed in heavy timber five to six hours per day. A cow elk remains in
estrus for 12 to 15 hours; if they are not bred during this time frame they have another estrus cycle 18 to 28 days later. An alarm squeal is made by both sexes when they are on alert; during the rut these are used frequently by young bulls (male elks) being run off by the herd bull. The larger an animal gets the lower frequency of sound it is able to produce. A bugle thus demonstrates the size and fitness of the bull vocalizing. A bull directs his bugle toward his cows while gathering them or while chasing an estrus cow. A herd bull directs his bugle toward other bulls to express his dominance over the herd, while a satellite bull may use his bugle to challenge the herd bull. The higher-pitched section of the call propagates through the environment better, which is why the bull uses it to congregate a harem that is becoming more spatially dispersed and thus harder to defend. When females come to the lek they leave soon after mating but the males will tend to stay in the lek to court other females until the end of the rutting season. However, male fallow deer which are unsuccessful in mating will leave the lek sooner than other males and they will adopt other strategies to compensate for their lack of mating success in the lek. Furthermore, the duration spent in the lek is positively correlated with the behavioral traits of male display frequency and aggression, male hierarchical position and secondary sex characteristics such as antler size. Overall, lekking species such as the fallow deer have a short intense rutting season where the males face intrasexual competition, territory defense and management of females within their territory.
Moose Moose (known as elk in Europe) have a series of rutting events that are similar to those seen in other deer species, however, they have several characteristic behaviors which give them a distinct rut. The first of these behaviors is a challenger gait where the bull moose will sway back and forth and circle the rival bull while dipping his antlers down. Another typical behaviour seen in moose especially during the pre-rut stage is mock battling. This is a display to scare away other rival males where the bull moose destroys trees and vegetation prior to engaging in a fight. Also, a behaviour known as displacement feeding is observed in male moose and it refers to the hasty movements made by the moose while it is feeding as it keeps an intense gaze upon rival bull moose. Furthermore, as seen in other deer species male moose will dig mud pits and soak them in urine and the females will fight over possession of these wallows. The mature cow will attempt to stop the younger one from coming near to the wallow in a vicious attack with her forelegs. If the younger female gets to lie in the wallow, the older female will drive her out of it, only to return to lie in it and take up as much space as possible. During this event the bull moose will not interfere and he will just watch in plain sight. == Elephants ==