Rut (mammalian reproduction)
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"The Rut" is the period of time when antlered ungulates, such as deer, sheep, elk, moose, caribou, ibex, goats, pronghorn and Asian and African antelope, mate. The rut for white-tailed deer usually lasts from 1-3 months in the northern hemisphere and may occur most of the year in tropical zones. The Rut is triggered by a shortening of the length of daylight hours (referred to as photoperiod) each day. The dates of the rut for different species depends on the length of the gestation period (length of pregnancy) for each species. Many species breed so that their young are born in the spring, shorty after new green growth has appeared (which provides food for the females so they can provide milk for the young) and when the temperatures are warm enough so the young will not die of hypothermia.
The Rut is the time when white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virganianus), especially bucks, are more active and less cautious than usual. This makes them vulnerable and more easily hunted as well as more susceptible to being struck by motor vehicles.
Some people believe that the white-tailed deer rut is also controlled by the lunar phase and that the rut peaks seven days after the second full moon (the rutting moon) after the autumnal equinox on September 21st. However, a white-tailed deer doe conception dates study conducted in Minnesota between 1980 and 1987, and first compared to the phases of the moon by researcher T.R. Michels, and later confirmed by a student study at the University of Georgia, showed no correlation between peak breeding dates of white-tailed deer and any lunar phase.
A whitetail doe may be in estrous for up to 72 hours, and may come into estrous up to seven times if she is not bred. Cow elk may come into estrous up to four or more times if they are unbred.
During the rut (also known as the rutting period) males (buck deer, bull elk and moose, ram sheep and goats) often rub their antlers or horns on trees or shrubs, fight with each other, and pursue estrous females by their scent.fr:Rut ru:Гон (биология)
