The Rut

Ahhh….the rut! The mere mention of the word is enough to speed up any serious deer hunter’s heart rate. It’s an undeniable fact — most hunters firmly believe they stand their best chance of connecting on a trophy whitetail during the rut. For if there’s ever a time when mature bucks are likely to abandon their nocturnal lifestyles, it’s now!

But as I wrote in my book, “Aggressive Whitetail Hunting”, the fact that huge bucks suddenly come out of hiding and become daylight active is no guarantee you’ll tag one. That’s because rutting bucks are very unpredictable. Which means it’s highly unlikely that you’ll catch one relating to his scrapes or rub-lines.

As I said, big bucks often become very unpredictable during the rut. This isn’t to say, however, that they’re totally unpredictable. The fact that they’ve become obsessed with finding hot does means they’re still somewhat predictable. It’s simply a matter of finding where does are bedding and feeding, and your going to find the bucks.

My favorite rut hunting strategy is to set up near the very edge of an alfalfa field, a picked cornfield or a cut soybean field. I’ll then place a buck decoy in the field, approximately 20 yards straight out in front of my stand site. I’ve had bucks that were merely cruising through the area and bucks that were tagging along behind hot does approach my decoy.

Another favorite rut hunting strategy of mine is to wait in ambush on the downwind side of a known doe/fawn bedding area. Rutting bucks are notorious for walking the downwind side of bedding areas and scent-checking the area for the presence of hot does.

In the end, though, it’s my honest belief that a rut hunter’s absolute best ally is exposure — regardless of the strategy used. Yes, setting up in areas rutting bucks are known to frequent is a great first step. But because of their unpredictable nature, it’s still a hit and miss deal at best. Bottom line: The more time you spend in the woods during the rut, the more likely you are to fill your tag.

Hey remember, hunt hard, but always hunt safe!