It’s autumn in Pennsylvania, one of the best times of the year. Get ready for pumpkin spiced everything, raking leaves, chilly air, and… the rut?
That’s right, October marks the start of the whitetail deer mating season! Why is this important? This is when deer all across Pennsylvania transition from velvet cloaked antlers:
To hard antlers, ready for battle:
(Photos are from PA Wildlife Photographer)
The rut is a time that hunters usually look forward to as whitetails become much more active. Males are in constant competition for territory, dominance, and females; some great sightings such as the one below occur on a normal basis.
This is a video posted on YouTube by Vincent Herberger, and it is a perfect depiction of what the rut is all about. These creatures that, for a majority of the year, seem timid and harmless turn into violent fighters driven by the wild, instinctual desire to reproduce. The bucks in this video were lucky; fights like this have the potential to end much worse.
The rut is quite an interesting season among deer; it is fascinating to see all the extra activity that goes on that cannot be seen the rest of the year. It is also very dangerous, however, as encounters such as this one can, and often do, happen:
(WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO)
This video, posted by Moy Goldberg, is a somewhat disturbing and stark reminder of the capabilities of these seemingly harmless creatures. They may seem adorable, and you may want to get close to one in an encounter, but it is important to remember that, not only are they wild animals, but they also have spears on their head for half of the year; you don’t.
The rut usually dies down in December when bucks shed their antlers and return to their previous life in the herd. Though this season may seem odd and dangerous, it is probably one of the most important of the year. It can be very rewarding to deer and humans in the sense that it produces fawns.
Fawns are extremely important for the future of the deer population in Pennsylvania; they are the replacements for all of the losses due to hunting in the previous winter and fall. They allow recovery in the population so that deer and humans can continue to enjoy each others’ presence without consequence.
If there were no rut, there would be no population recovery. If there were no hunters, the population would increase much more rapidly than its habitat allows, causing food shortages and increased car accidents involving deer.
It is important to know of the rut and the balance it allows in our relationship with whitetail deer. If you would like to know more about whitetail deer or hunting in Pennsylvania, click here for an informative webpage created by the PA Game Commission.
As a Pennsylvania resident who has gone hunting before, I probably know more about the rut than a student from California. But your post shed some light on aspects of the rut I was not familiar with. I never realized how dangerous deer actually are during the rut. It actually makes me think twice about going into the woods during the rut again just to avoid an encounter like the one above. I also like your pictures and their quality, good job.
I had no idea what the ‘rut’ was, so I definitely learned a lot form your blog. I thought the beginning was really funny because I had no idea where you were going with that. I also thought it was nice how you had a “if you would like to know more” sentence. Also, the pictures helped me understand what you were talking about. One weird suggestion I have it to make the font a little bit darker if you can. I think this computer screen might be messed up or something, but it was a little straining to read it because it was pretty light. good job!!
You did a great job of explaining a concept I had no idea about. I have never gone hunting (and probably never will), so this is something I probably wouldn’t have encountered otherwise. The pictures at the beginning helped to illustrate your point about the antlers changing and set the tone for the rest of the post. In this case, showing was definitely better than telling.
This is another excellent post about outdoor life. I knew a little bit about what the rut is, but you’ve helped explain it further so I can truly understand what it is and why it’s important. I love how you include the videos of deer fighting for dominance as well as against a human. They may be “graphic,” but they are informative. Keep posting these great blog posts!