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Nov 23, 2023 · During the two days I sat there, nearly every buck that passed through the oak flat traveled the edge of the oak flat that borders a neighbor’s 6-year-old clearcut. That got me to hunt the edge near the other neighbor’s standing corn, and between two nights at that location, I saw three does, a small buck, and the 10-pointer I shot at.
- Myth #1: The Peak Rut Is The Best Time to Take A Buck.
- Myth #2: Rutting Bucks Are Impossible to Pattern.
- Myth #3: When The Action Is Over, The Rut Is over.
- Myth #4: You Might as Well Stay Home During The Post-Rut.
- Myth #5: The Primary Rut Lasts About A month.
It’s easy to have a Pavlovian response to the words “peak rut.” We can’t help it. Decades of magazine articles and deer-camp conversations have created a conditioned reaction that makes us take our vacations during the height of the whitetail breeding season. Instead, we should be taking off a little earlier. Bucks are actually most mobile and vuln...
Deer hunters rarely complain about the rut, but when they do, this is usually their gripe. It happens because once does begin coming into estrus, bucks do indeed leave their home areas, abandon their rub lines and scrapes, and begin traipsing over the countryside in search of ready mates. But bucks don’t wander haphazardly. Rather, they move quite ...
Just about every serious whitetail hunter has spent days watching deerless woods in mid-November and thought, The rut must be over. More likely, it is at its apex. Today’s expert hunters refer to this peak-rut lull as the “lockdown,” and it’s one of the most difficult times to fill your tag. When a buck senses that a doe is coming into estrus, he c...
Not if you want to tag a trophy. Although it’s almost certain that you’ll see fewer bucks immediately after peak breeding than you would during the seeking-and-chasing phase, research on Texas’ King Ranch by noted whitetail biologist Mickey Hellickson revealed an excellent reason to keep hunting—and to bring a set of rattling horns with you. “We ra...
This is Nature’s plan, as whitetail does have a roughly 28-day estrous cycle. But when doe numbers get out of control, which is a problem in many areas, the rut can last far longer than that. Biologist Grant Woods studied a property in New York’s Adirondacks where hunters had harvested almost no does for years. “The rut there lasted nearly four mon...
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Oct 23, 2023 · This just reinforces what I’ve seen for decades: The more time on stand during the rut, the better the odds of encountering a trophy buck. GPS telemetry research reveals that most bucks focus on two or three areas intensely—rotating between them—when searching for estrous does.
- Bob Robb
- Find the Does. Your next move might not require a move at all if you have scouted well. During the breeding or lockdown phase, bucks relentlessly search for estrus females.
- Hunt the Downwind Sides. Keep in mind that during the breeding phase, bucks become highly efficient. Instead of boldly walking across a field, they might skirt the downwind edges or inside corners to scent-confirm any estrus females.
- Find a Love Nest. You do have another option and whether you make it your main play or a backup, consider looking for a buck love nest. Once bucks find a doe, do they want to parade it through a crowd of potential suitors, or spend more time alone?
- Find a Drifter. By scouting and setting up stands or blinds near highly visited food plots, agricultural fields or the routes in between, you stand a high chance of meeting up with a home territory buck.
Nov 6, 2020 · MADISON, Wis. – As Wisconsin heads into what is known in the hunting community as "peak rut," or the primary breeding season for deer, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) would like to remind those participating in deer hunting season to practice safety when using treestands. According to surveys, 25% of bowhunters have ...
Nov 14, 2022 · Often, does in heat being tended by a buck will head to those food sources in the evenings and bring the buck along for the ride. If you only can spare a few hours in a day to hunt during the rut, I’d opt for evenings because of this semi-predictable movement pattern.
Dec 12, 2020 · In Wisconsin, Own the Season's Art Helin voices much the same. Wisconsin deer seem to be back to feeding heavily, and are showing post-rut activity, he says. He has also spent some time in Kansas. Around Thanksgiving, he shot a good buck as it pushed a few does. That's to be expected.
