Fallow Rut

[Oldbloke]

I'm puzzled.
Was out about a week ago. No croaking. SW Vic.

But have heard it's almost finished in NSW.

Am I missing something? Too late?

[Wapiti]

Different areas I hear have different time periods for the rut by a few weeks, but it's not over yet. In northern NSW/southern Qld, the bucks are still trying to impress the does so joining hasn't taken place completely yet.
So in other words, taking a good trophy if that's what you're after, right now isn't the right time anyway to a hunter interested in doing it year after year.
Definitely the Reds the same.

You haven't missed anything, you can hunt them all year long, and taking meat from a rutting buck in the true sense of what hunting is all about using and appreciating all the animal has to offer won't be gained from an animal in the rut.
Same with taking a doe now, they still have fawns dependent on them from the December/January drop.

I don't know too many consumers who'd willingly buy steaks from a butcher if he advertised them as taken from a testosterone filled bull who's been chasing a mob of cows around for a few weeks.

[Oldbloke]

Different areas I hear have different time periods for the rut by a few weeks, but it's not over yet. In northern NSW/southern Qld, the bucks are still trying to impress the does so joining hasn't taken place completely yet.
So in other words, taking a good trophy if that's what you're after, right now isn't the right time anyway to a hunter interested in doing it year after year.
Definitely the Reds the same.

You haven't missed anything, you can hunt them all year long, and taking meat from a rutting buck in the true sense of what hunting is all about using and appreciating all the animal has to offer won't be gained from an animal in the rut.
Same with taking a doe now, they still have fawns dependent on them from the December/January drop.

I don't know too many consumers who'd willingly buy steaks from a butcher if he advertised them as taken from a testosterone filled bull who's been chasing a mob of cows around for a few weeks.

Thx.
I didn't realise it can vary that much.

Yes took a buck last year, tasted crap, that's why I passed up the young one couple of weeks ago. Couldn't see the point.

Didn't realise the fawns would still be on milk.

I'll go back in a week or two.

[Fester]

They are also not always vocal.
Hunting pressure definitely makes them quiet.
Some ruts, I have heard 1 or 2 croaks just before or around 1st light, then silence.
I like mid-April in my area but they seem to start earlier up north for some reason.
It will be over soon, I imagine, but I am far from an expert.

[bigpete]

Dunno about it being finished in NSW,I've just spent a week in the ACT and it seems to just be starting there. I called one in 2 days ago and got some pics and video footage

[Wapiti]

Different areas I hear have different time periods for the rut by a few weeks, but it's not over yet. In northern NSW/southern Qld, the bucks are still trying to impress the does so joining hasn't taken place completely yet.
So in other words, taking a good trophy if that's what you're after, right now isn't the right time anyway to a hunter interested in doing it year after year.
Definitely the Reds the same.

You haven't missed anything, you can hunt them all year long, and taking meat from a rutting buck in the true sense of what hunting is all about using and appreciating all the animal has to offer won't be gained from an animal in the rut.
Same with taking a doe now, they still have fawns dependent on them from the December/January drop.

I don't know too many consumers who'd willingly buy steaks from a butcher if he advertised them as taken from a testosterone filled bull who's been chasing a mob of cows around for a few weeks.

Thx.
I didn't realise it can vary that much.

Yes took a buck last year, tasted crap, that's why I passed up the young one couple of weeks ago. Couldn't see the point.

Didn't realise the fawns would still be on milk.

I'll go back in a week or two.

Shame it tasted bad. I'm certain from your interests in deer hunting you're onto bleeding, hanging, cooling etc. etc. and aging if you can. Makes a big difference to red meat. Most people don't have a cold room humming away where they can age an animal for a week or more and assist the enzyme break-down process.

Anyway, fallow is the sweetest, best tasting deer meat I reckon, but like any animal it's the result of where it lives, it's nutrition and even it's breeding (there's that damn management word again!).
Lets just say, if the deer you're hunting aren't overpopulating an area, they're not hypo scared because there's always someone trying to kill them, the season has been good and there has been real soft nutritious grasses and browsing available, that's the best chance of great tasty meat. Example, drought affected animals are not good eating compared to the opposite, no different to well-bred, well-fed beef animals.

But hey waiting till say, June, means all the worries about rutting and testosterone filled meat, flies, lactating does sucking the goodness from them, is mostly over. Then you can droip an animal say, in the afternoon, hang it overnight cooling really fast and the cool night will sort it out.

[Oldbloke]

Yeah both bucks dhot this time of the year and hung for IIRC 5 days at abt 5c.
Strong flavour that needed a good curry to cover the taste. Dog loves it.

Girls seem to taste better.

The last two young sambar I shot got the same treatment and taste great.

[Wapiti]

Rut is still travelling along.
Was having a few drinks with friends at the camp-site and just before dark two nice bucks were scrapping it out across the creek, not 30m from us. It started as a bit of a clash of antlers and ended up a full-on blue that went on for 10 minutes, grass dirt and sticks flying everywhere. Great they get to see that and get a bit of a feel for something most people dont see or know about.

It can be hard to tell when it ends, once the females get comfortable with the males they're the most impressed by, things quieten down but the actual joining can take place after that, when a hunter thinks its over but it just means the males have set their pecking order and have stopped stirring one another up.
Doesn't at all mean the rut is over and the ladies have been satisfied, it means things have quietened down and then the procreation takes place after that, even one cycle, even two, later.
You can see this proof by the birthing timing later in the season, keeping dates in your head will absolutely prove it to you. Like all animals, gestation time after conception is a very strict time frame.

If a group of people or an individual who is trying to improve or get the best from a herd doesn't know that, they won't succeed.

[Wapiti]

Hey Old Bloke
This is to wind you up to get out there. This bloke showed up this morning at the house, haven't seen him before. I chucked down some barley to pull him up to get a pick.

[Wapiti]

He jumped in but wasn't going to take on this young 3yo 14pt. red stag, the rut has lost condition a hell of a lot to both of them.

[Oldbloke]

Lol.
Life has stepped in. Again,,,
Don't expect to get away for abt 2 weeks now.

[fussy]

Nothing in NSW/Qld area last weekend, all quiet on the Western Front.

I should add, the fresh tracks near the camp show a small area where it looks like 2 deer have either had a pre-coital waltz, or a big of a fight.

[Fester]

The rut proper, is prob classed as that time when the fighting and croaking is more likely to be heard and can be the shorter few weeks thing we hear about, but it is no doubt much longer as described.
I could only guess, but maybe 4 weeks.

Eating quality is funny as mine has been much the same with age making the most difference.
After hearing the stories and my hands smelling out the car after skinning a mature, early rut buck, still in great condition, I didn't take as much meat as I should have.
Turns out it was tougher, but no game taste or extra strong flavour.
The only deer that was much different was a small doe and possibly just a yearling, as the meat was lighter in color and it was melt-in-the-mouth tender..
I reckon a bloke must have handled the meat very wrong if it tastes gamey but I could be wrong.
I had a gamey tasting rabbit stew type dish in an all-you-can-eat place and it was horrible.

They say Sambar and Hoggies are milder in taste, but Fallow is stronger; some may call this gamey but it's not.

I don't hang as it's just more convenient to butcher in the field.
Down to the cuts and vac-pack on the tail gate, esky with frozen water bottles and fridged for 10-14 days.
The first week,I drain the red fluids and do extra trimming and hair removal about twice, re-seal and may do it 1 to 2 times more over the wet aging time. Then freeze.

I have never had that toughening muscle thing from butchering warm and chilling, not that the esky is really chilling, more like natural cooling for a couple of hours until home.

My only experience is with Fallow as I missed the only offhand snap shot I ever had on a red stag, found fresh red stag s**t another time so they are out there.

[markg]

I had a great time on our place. Lot croaking, spooked some. They went quiet for a couple of days. But then we started seeing more does and a day or so later they were back at. Love hearing them going at it.

[Fester]

I missed getting a last morning rut hunt in and cancelled today, although it would be all over, but may still have sighted a buck.

I would have let a buck walk as I want meat and they are in the absolute worst condition at the end of the rut.

I expected far more reports of bucks taken, especially on FB as hunters normally love to post up their successful hunts.
It seems to have been a more normal rut than last years weird one.
Slightly late start as it often is, some good early bucks taken, then nothing.

I heard no red roars and not hearing many reports but hunters may have stopped talking now with extra hunting pressure making it harder.
There was a post on the NSW state forest hunting page about what was taken in one of the most popular big local forests and not a single deer report was written, just jokes about how many hunters seen.

[Wapiti]

Gotta say that here, the rut is over for the Fallow. A few of the more aggressive Red stags are still chasing the odd Hind.
But all the males are typically, very obviously showing a real loss of body condition from it. Same as every year.
Most Stags have lost tines, and many of the Bucks have lost one, or even both, antlers. Big aggressive, very noisy year, this one. Here anyway.