Originally Posted by Nightwatchman
What can you tell us about other indicators of rut activity? i.e. tarsal glands darkening. If I shoot a buck in late January that stinks really bad and has jet black tarsal glands does that mean he is in full rut? Conversely, if I shoot a buck in early January and his glands are only somewhat dark does that mean that the rut is still several weeks away?

Or are these characteristics at all tied to actual chasing activity from a biologist's standpoint? I've always heard old timers talk alot about dark tarsal glands and bucks "stinking" but wondered what it meant from an actual biologist point of view. Grandaddy's ole huntin' advice is not always backed by science lol


I don’t put much emphasis on darkened tarsals or other physical characteristics. Reason being, all bucks are different. They all participate in the rut in different ways. Their activity has a lot to do with individual characteristics that I firmly believe they are genetically predispositioned towards certain behaviors. Some are more aggressive. Some less. Some are heavy scrapers. Some not so much. Some pee on their tarsals often. Some hardly ever do it. Those are not learned behaviors, as bucks are typically solitary during the breeding season. They’re genetically programmed to breed, but the behaviors that go along with breeding are certainly not the same for every buck.