Novices to outdoor lingo often hear terms that they may not be familiar with and a DNR official is hoping to give those individuals an idea of one term they might hear a lot of this time of the year. 

Dan Stephens - Illinois Learn to Hunt program - explains rut is essentially the mating season for deer in Illinois and it makes deer more active.

According to Stephens, there are various stages of rut and for most of October, you see much more daytime activity out of deer as they prepare for the mating season, particularly in the male population.

The chasing phase is one of the more popular times of rut for hunters to be out because male deer are most active and several males may be chasing a single doe. Stephens explains the chasing phase can be proceeded by an explosion of deer activity.

Stephens notes, there is a second season rut that takes place after the conclusion of the first breeding season, roughly one month later but he notes, deer are not nearly as active as the peak of run in October and November