Farm rut hunting

[JoeRE]

Something else I have noticed in farm country during the rut - Because of the lack of cover, does really get harassed when the chase phase is going. Doe movement patterns really seem to change when this happens. A doe bedding area may go completely dead after bucks (generally young bucks) harass the does so bad they temporally leave and bed elsewhere. Many does will try to take refuge in super thick cover areas and you can count on bucks cruising around these looking for them.

[Stanley]

What makes the rut so good for killing big bucks? We all know that about 90% of the big bucks killed are killed during the rut. The thing to keep in mind is; bucks are on their feet more than they are in their beds. This is why the rut is so good. You don't have to go to the bucks bedded they will come to you.

It should also be understood that the old bucks that don't participate in the rut much the 7.5 year old and up. These bucks will still bed more than they are on their feet. I do think bucks that are 5.5 - 6.5 years old may sport better racks than the old bucks 7.5 and up, that are headed downhill.

So we understand why the bucks are killed during the rut. We now have to determine how to kill a good buck in Farm country during the rut.

If you think about it the answer is very simple "does". The rut revolves around the does, this what the bucks are looking/living for; procreating. Mother nature has this set up like this for a reason. Everything else is just a contributing factor, water, food, moon phase, etc.

This is now where my theory of good, better, best timber parcels really comes into play. The more deer traffic your area has, the better the chance at a good buck. You want to be in area that is all stunk up with doe scent. This means where the does, bed / live will have a lot of doe scent.

I hear and read all the time you have to kill so many does to equal out the buck doe ratio. I personally think this is pure hog wash. Killing a doe or two for the freezer is ok. Killing does just to kill them off to balance the buck/doe ratio is a trip down altered consciousness.

A 200 acre parcel of timber that holds 20 does will have more buck activity than a 200 acre parcel of timber that holds 5 does. This is not rocket science just common sense.

Now the question is where in farm country do I kill that big buck? I think the first and best place to start is doe bedding areas. Keep in mind "does not in estrous are still on a bed to feed pattern". I agree does feed and water during the rut. That said, does still spend the majority of the day in bedding areas. Does will be on their feet in thick cover browsing before heading into the major food source areas. This is key information, "thick cover during daylight hrs".

This is where parallel trails pay off. Bucks will cross doe trials from bedding to food, scent checking to see if any doe is close to estrous. During the peak of the rut try your best to be on stand all day long because the deer never take a break from cruising unless it gets unseasonably hot.

The " full Blown peak rut" only lasts about 10-12 days (Midwest). You can capitalize a bucks frustrations by setting up in funnels, travel corridors, trails, between known doe bedding groups.

What food source would best to set up during the rut? Food sources in thick cover are absolutely the best. like white oak acorns, red oak acorns, apple trees to name few. A food plot strategically placed in the middle of a big parcel of timber could be a gold mine. Some lush alfalfa or clover would be a great day time draw.

Deer seem to be able to determine which foods or plants are most nourishing (ask Deerslayer about this he knows/understands). Green plants have more nutrients than brown plants. Foods eaten readily in one area may not be eaten in another due to differences in soil types, succulence, deer numbers and other factors. Preferences of individual food items are basically a reflection of food availability at a particular time of the year.

Lets touch on small parcels. I know a lot of guys that hunt 10 acres or less. These small parcels are not all created equal. A 5 acre thick timber surrounded by corn is better than 5 acre timber surrounded by short crops like hay, beans, oats etc. Also keep in mind if you are hunting a 5 acre timber surrounded by corn and the corn gets harvested your 5 acre timber becomes instantly not as good.

What about water? If you have a nice water source in a secluded part of the timber, this could be a great place to set up. Any time you have a good amount of doe traffic to a water source you will have bucks checking it out. Lets say the weather gets unseasonably hot. That water source becomes an even better bet to set up on. I did a water source trail camera pictorial last year. The activity at that water source was terrific, bucks, does the whole herd visited that water hole. The weather if you member was hot and dry. I'll be set up on that water hole this year for sure.

Rut hunting doesn't have to be all sit and wait. I used to do a lot of spot and sneak hunting during the rut. I would hunt the morning get out of the timber at 10:00 AM and drive the back roads looking for bucks sequestered with a doe. If I spotted a good buck I' knock on the door and ask if I could put the sneak on a buck in their picked corn field. Got way more yes's than no's. If the wind was right I could usually get pretty close. If the wind was wrong I'd glass and look.

We need to touch on calling a little. If you are going to call, it works best before the bucks get hooked up with a doe. This is pre rut and post rut. That doesn't mean it won't work but it's much harder to try and get a buck with a doe to leave that doe than to get a lone buck that is cruising to come to you.

Don't get too aggressive with the rattling unless your area is over run with dominate/mature bucks. Most of the less dominate bucks have taken a serious but whipping and are reluctant to come charging into some heavy horn banging. I'd try some light rattling and soft calling for best results. Most guys call too much. A little blind calling gives a buck a direction to head towards unless he has been fooled many times, or beaten up many times.

I don't do much calling any more but do carry the tools, if I absolutely think it will help me seal the deal. I would also not recommend calling at all, if you are hunting a 5 acre timber and expect to hunt it more than once. Most guys are better callers than me. They would be better suited to touch on the subject than me. I hope some of them chime in and give some tips.

Conclusion:
Farm hunting during the rut is a very productive time of the year to bag the old boy. My methods or information may not work for everyone. But I honestly feel most less experienced hunters could take something out of my subject matter and use it to their benefit.

[keb]

Good stuff, I agree with the small buck pushing the family doe groups out of small wooldlts to the point they won't bed there anymore. That's when hunting those isolated patches of cover in no Mans land can pay big rewards. I use the normal main stream tactics early in the rut, I can better gauge other hunters to formulate my plans, I actually missed peak mornings driving around the public hunting area looking for where everyone is hunting, sucks but pays off in the end.

[ Post made via iPad ]

[Schultzy]

I think this might be a good place for locating parallel trails?

The woods that I hunt there's a particular spot just 60 yards off of a doe bedding area. There's a buck trail that runs parallel to the doe bedding area/trail that runs right by a huge forked out basswood tree. Years ago (25+ years) my dad set up In this tree and wounded a mid 130's 10 point. He moved up north 14 years ago and my brother and I kinda forgot about this tree up until 3 years ago. 3 years ago my brother mentioned we should set back up In that tree after all the action I was seeing In this small area from a different tree so we through up a stand. In the last 3 years he has had a chance to shoot a P&Y buck out of that tree each year. He's been successful once so far and had a mishap the other 2 years. I know for a fact a guy could shoot a P&Y buck out of this tree every year come the rut because of the nature of the set up. Right place, right time. Farm land hunting has It's perks. I'd love to hunt this tree but I kinda let my brother have It.

[Southern Man]

Good post Stanley.

I agree it's all about the does. Even if the older bucks don't get as excited as the young guys in the rut, they're still on their feet more, not all day as the magazines and TV pros want you to think, but still more active. Trail cameras show that. I focus on bedding of doe groups. Does in farm country are really easy to pattern. They will hold that pattern as long as nobody messes with them. When rut hits the woods is thinning down here and the doe bedding will be more concentrated. When rising from their beds, they'll pick and feed all they way to the major food source, and sometimes that's fields, sometimes not. Down here acorns are the preferred food at that time o year. Cut bean fields and cut corn fields will get some attention, mostly late evening and nightime but the majority of feeding will be in the woods. Bucks will be close by and generally intercept the does in the woods at the feed source right after bedding. I don't believe the older bucks rise and have to search for does in the evening, they know what's goin on and will act accordingly. Will some be caught crusin? yea sure but bucks know what's happenin with the does. If you're not huntin specific buck beds, there's nothing more important than knowing your doe groups.

[gjs4]

For the chase phase of the rut I prefer funnels that havent been molested and down wind of pinched (IE inside corners) leading to doe bedding. Water has been a newer endevour but have noted when the little guys are running frantic prior to the big boys even giving a concern they pound waterholes and think you almost have to have remote ones as most deer avoid the frequent ones on our ground.

When chasing occurs during gun i am a gun hunter most of the time at the family farm (though bow hunting my house and other areas)...and when i have my ml i watch what i could deem "breeding or hiding spots".... as mentioned about the perennial rut paths these are fields where you wouldnt be likely to see a deer other than one trying to hide. Does seek refuge here but moreso bucks like to get does here for harassment free breeding. Typically they're early successional crp kind of areas that dont make it esy to get down wind of but one they can sort of blend in and see you before you see them. The kind of place where you see an ear or tine sticking out.

[Stanley]

Good post Stanley.

I agree it's all about the does. Even if the older bucks don't get as excited as the young guys in the rut, they're still on their feet more, not all day as the magazines and TV pros want you to think, but still more active. Trail cameras show that. I focus on bedding of doe groups. Does in farm country are really easy to pattern. They will hold that pattern as long as nobody messes with them. When rut hits the woods is thinning down here and the doe bedding will be more concentrated. When rising from their beds, they'll pick and feed all they way to the major food source, and sometimes that's fields, sometimes not. Down here acorns are the preferred food at that time o year. Cut bean fields and cut corn fields will get some attention, mostly late evening and nightime but the majority of feeding will be in the woods. Bucks will be close by and generally intercept the does in the woods at the feed source right after bedding. I don't believe the older bucks rise and have to search for does in the evening, they know what's goin on and will act accordingly. Will some be caught crusin? yea sure but bucks know what's happenin with the does. If you're not huntin specific buck beds, there's nothing more important than knowing your doe groups.

Great point... the breeder bucks 2.5 - 4.5 year olds won't be in those beds during the rut. If you are going to bed hunt during the rut you need to have an older (7.5 and up) bucks bed located there is a much better chance of that older buck being in a bed.