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East Tennessee Outdoors… The Whitetail Rut Part 1 – www.elizabethton.com | www.elizabethton.com

September 9, 2024

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BY DANNY BLEVINS

STAR CORRESPONDENT

The weather is cold. Most of the leaves are down. The world is bracing for a winter that will come whether we want it or not. Most importantly, it is a deer hunter’s favorite time of the year. It is time for the whitetail deer rut.

The rut is the time of year when whitetail bucks lose their mind over the female whitetail doe in their neighborhood. In September you may find the bucks traveling with other bucks in bachelor groups, but by November these same bucks are sparing with each other to see who is the dominant buck in the woods.

Many things happen during the rut. First, bucks lose the velvet from their antlers and start fighting each other to see who is the strongest. The winner will be ready to fight all comers to be the one who has the privilege to mate with the whitetail does.

The bucks then will mark their territory by rubbing any excess velvet from their newly hardened antlers against saplings, and then they will usually lick the closest limb above the rub.

These are called rubs, and this is a signpost to tell the rest of the bucks that he is the dominant buck in this area.

When the weather starts to get cold, the bucks begin to actively look for whitetail doe. Their necks will swell from an increase of hormones in their bodies and they will start making scrapes as an advertisement to all whitetail does in the area.

See also How to Make a Duck Decoy

The bucks do this by clearing all of the debris from an area with their hoofs. This is usually about three to six feet wide and will usually be in an oval or round shape.

After they remove the debris, they will urinate in the scrape and leave their scent. This is to tell any doe that walks by that they are there.

If the doe is ready to mate, she will usually leave her scent in the scrape also. The buck will check the scrape regularly waiting for a receptive doe to come by.

Once he smells a doe, he will track her until he finds her and he will stay with her until she is ready to mate with him.

Now, why is this a special time of year for hunters? Because the large whitetail bucks that usually only feed or move at night will throw all caution to the wind.

They will show themselves during any part of the day, and they may be found anywhere.

Bucks will do almost anything to find and follow a doe and that could mean they will cross roads, hang out in open fields, or suddenly appear in your back yard.

They may appear at your deer stand at any part of the day, or as in one hunter’s case, they may follow you home.

The rut not only affects the large bucks, but it affects every deer in the woods.

One year I watched a doe come walking near me. About a hundred yards behind her was an 8-point buck. Behind him was a 4-point buck and finally, a spike came behind the 4-point buck.

See also .22-250 Remington vs .243 Winchester Ammo Comparison - Ballistics Info & Chart Caliber Ballistics Comparison 07 Dec, 2018 Posted By: Foundry Outdoors The following ammunition cartridge ballistics information and chart can be used to approximately compare .22-250 Remington vs .243 Winchester ammo rounds. Please note, the following information reflects the estimated average ballistics for each caliber and does not pertain to a particular manufacturer, bullet weight, or jacketing type. As such, the following is for comparative information purposes only and should not be used to make precise predictions of the trajectory, performance, or true ballistics of any particular .22-250 Remington or .243 Winchester rounds for hunting, target shooting, plinking, or any other usage. The decision for which round is better for a given application should be made with complete information, and this article simply serves as a comparative guide, not the final say. For more detailed ballistics information please refer to the exact round in question or contact the manufacturer for the pertinent information. True .22-250 Remington and .243 Winchester ballistics information can vary widely from the displayed information, and it is important to understand that the particular characteristics of a given round can make a substantive difference in its true performance. Caliber Type Velocity (fps) Energy (ft-lb) .22-250 Remington Rifle 3790 1620 .243 Winchester Rifle 3180 1950 [Click Here to Shop .22-250 Remington Ammo] [Click Here to Shop .243 Winchester Ammo] VelocityAs illustrated in the chart, .22-250 Remington rounds - on average - achieve a velocity of about 3790 feet per second (fps) while .243 Winchester rounds travel at a velocity of 3180 fps. To put this into perspective, a Boeing 737 commercial airliner travels at a cruising speed of 600 mph, or 880 fps. That is to say, .22-250 Remington bullets travel 4.3 times the speed of a 737 airplane at cruising speed, while .243 Winchester bullets travel 3.6 times that same speed.Various calibersEnergyFurthermore, the muzzle energy of a .22-250 Remington round averages out to 1620 ft-lb, while a .243 Winchester round averages out to about 1950 ft-lb. One way to think about this is as such: a foot-pound is a unit of energy equal to the amount of energy required to raise a weight of one pound a distance of one foot. So a .22-250 Remington round exits the barrel with kinetic energy equal to the energy required for linear vertical displacement of 1620 pounds through a one foot distance, while a .243 Winchester round exiting the barrel has energy equal to the amount required to displace 1950 pounds over the same one foot distance. As a rule of thumb, when it comes to hunting, muzzle energy is what many hunters look at when deciding on what caliber of firearm / ammunition to select. Generally speaking, the higher the muzzle energy, the higher the stopping power. Again, the above is for comparative information purposes only, and you should consult the exact ballistics for the particular .22-250 Remington or .243 Winchester cartridge you're looking at purchasing. [Buy .22-250 Remington Ammo] [Buy .243 Winchester Ammo] Please click the above links to take a look at all of the .22-250 Remington and .243 Winchester ammo we have in stock and ready to ship, and let us know any parting thoughts in the comment section below.Foundry Outdoors is your trusted home for buying archery, camping, fishing, hunting, shooting sports, and outdoor gear online.We offer cheap ammo and bulk ammo deals on the most popular ammo calibers. We have a variety of deals on Rifle Ammo, Handgun Ammo, Shotgun Ammo & Rimfire Ammo, as well as ammo for target practice, plinking, hunting, or shooting competitions. Our website lists special deals on 9mm Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 45-70 Ammo, 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, 300 Blackout Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 5.56 Ammo, Underwood Ammo, Buffalo Bore Ammo and more special deals on bulk ammo.We offer a 100% Authenticity Guarantee on all products sold on our website. Please email us if you have questions about any of our product listings. 6 Comments Justin - May 08, 2020You guys are full of crap. This is misleading Bologna, you know the 45 -70 grain .243 Win destroy the 22 250 in velocity and distance. The range of the 243 also defiles the 22-250 . I wish I could sue you for misleading crap like this. Tyson - May 09, 2020@Justin – i think they are right, what is your source? everything I’m seeing agrees with the above info 22-250 is faster, 243 has more energy. compare PP22250 vs PP2432 for examplePP22250 – 1655 ft lbs, 3680 fps PP243 – 1945 ft lbs, 2960 fps Paul Nelson - Dec 06, 2021Tyson is correct. I shoot a Tikka T3 22-250. Although I load my own for long distance shooting, I trade kinetic energy, stopping power for muzzle velocity. I would not shoot a large game animal at the distance I shoot, although my round is very fast and accurate beyond belief, at distance beyond 500 yards my 85 gr.Nosler round lacks the punch to pierce beyond the shoulder blade. The rounds small weight and lose of it’s kenetic energy just doesn’t hold together upon bone contact. Soft targets see the perform at it best. Paul Nelson - Dec 06, 2021Justin, meant no disrespect. For anyone who takes thier shooting very personal, I have the ultimate book for you. It’s called, Game loads and practical ballistics for the American hunter. Covers all basic civilian calibers from .17 varsity to .375 H&H. Cover drop at 100 yard intervals, temperature effect on performance, which powders and primers are best for your caliber and more. Took the author 25 yrs to compile the data. Excellent book for any shooters library. The author is Bob Hagel, writer for many outdoors and firearm publications. Also gives you creditable facts when challenged by another shooter. Bradley - Nov 16, 2022@Paul Nelson What’s the barrel twist rate in your Tikka T3 22-250? I’ve been checking some ballistic value data and the info would suggest that a long bullet like the 85 gr Nosler you use would require 1:9 or faster. But the experiment always outweighs the theory! That’s why I’m looking at a Browning X-Bolt with 22 in barrel and 1:9 twist rate. It’s possibly on the high side for smaller and lighter projectiles but perfect for the longer heavier ones. Greg - May 23, 2024I agree with the first guy to comment…while if what you shoot is what you can find at the store, yeah, the 22-250 is way faster….If you handload….well, my 243 will be right with the 250 in terms of velocity with a bigger heavier bullet. Want a good comparison, 22-250 with a 40 gr. Around 4000-4100, 243 with a 55-58gr at around 3900-4000. 22-250 with a 55gr at around 3600-3700 vs my go to varmint load in my 243 with a 70 gr at a little under 3600. Yeah, the 243 wins Leave a commentComments have to be approved before showing up Your Name * Your Email * Your Comment * Post Comment

They were all “in love” with the doe and I could have killed any of them if I had chosen.

The rut usually occurs in East Tennessee during the first two weeks of the November, especially from November 7 to November 13.

In fact, if you look at the record books of the largest bucks killed in the United States, most of them were killed during this period.

According to these records, the best day to kill a large buck is November 11. If you can only hunt one week of the year, the second week of November is the week to hunt.

Next week, we will discuss how to hunt whitetails during the rut and what we can do to see more deer during the most special time of the year – the rut.

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