Rut Stand Rotation Strategies

[ozzz]

A lot of guys take larger chunks of time to hunt the rut. It is common dogma not to over hunt any particular stand (even during the rut).

What are some tips for a Rut Stand Rotation strategy?

Just random spending as much time in your best spots as possible?

Based on current information, trail cam pics, sightings, word of mouth?

Current sign?

Hunt your BEST spots during the BEST condition, cold weather and best days, lesser spots if it warms up or something?

I have a lot of stand sites. A smaller number that I think are really dynamite. I have 2 weeks off from work and the wife is sounding optimistic right now so I hope to get a good chunk of that in the woods.

How do you guys approach this?

[Bucky]

I usually pick a good spot and hunt it based on the wind... so say a 20 acre area... I will approach from different ways based on the wind and hunt stands in a similar location but not the same tree. As long as the action remains I stay... once I have a no action day... I move onto another area and give that one a break. I have a creek bottom that I have 4 different stands locals to hunt it based on wind... so when you know you are in the right spot I say hunt it until it is mucked up/action dies

[Stanley]

To optimize your time you have to be in your sweet spots. I remember many years ago I thought that if I was just out there I was doing something. I know guys that hunt everyday of the year and burn out their best rut spots before things really get rolling. They then struggle to see good bucks because the local deer have them patterned. You may say I'm full of it but I honestly think if you stayed home and watched football, rather than sit in junk spots you would be better off.

When you sit in junk spots your confidence level goes way down. Your moral goes way down when you don't see anything. You suffer from burn out when you don't see anything. Your best spots will take more pressure during the rut than they will before the rut. So if you burn your good spots on bad days you lessen your chances on good days.

To maximize your good spots hunt them longer in one sit. This is much better than hunting the good spots twice a day. Some guys recommend moving from stand to stand during the rut on all day sits. I don't recommend this. For one thing during the rut the bucks are coming to you on the move. If you are moving you increase the chances of moving when the bucks are moving. If the wind changes then by all means move. Anytime I set up to hunt I have a specific direction I am pretty sure the buck will come from. This makes the the job easier to kill one. In my opinion if you are just sitting and hoping from any direction you decrease your chances. Good luck.

I almost never hunt the same stand site twice in a row. I have and will if I feel I did not burn it that day, and the action is non stop. Other than that I like a change of scenery. Looking at the same trees and brush for days on end isn't for me. I like to change stand sites daily. Keeps me fresh and keeps the spots fresh.

[superseal]

I usually pick a good spot and hunt it based on the wind... so say a 20 acre area... I will approach from different ways based on the wind and hunt stands in a similar location but not the same tree. As long as the action remains I stay... once I have a no action day... I move onto another area and give that one a break. I have a creek bottom that I have 4 different stands locals to hunt it based on wind... so when you know you are in the right spot I say hunt it until it is mucked up/action dies

X2....I'm hunting based on wind and doe activity. If I'm getting good action I will hunt the same area multiple times. I hunt several small woodlots & If things slow down or I'm not seeing good doe movement or quality bucks I move. I guess I dont have a stand rotation.

[Terry]

I like to focus on doe bedding and transition lines. Anywhere that deer naturally travel and spend time. Parallel trails to doe bedding has been fruitful in the past, usually downwind of the beds.

I have about a 8 good spots and I hunt them based on wind and current sign. Also what bucks I believe are in that area helps decide.

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[Dewey]

I have particular rut only stands that I have accumulated over the years and only hunt them when the wind is right and hot sign tells me it's time. Most of these are downwind of doe bedding and the rest of the season there is usually not much sign at the transition. When I start seeing a parallel trail forming downwind it tells me the bucks are starting to cruise and scent checking the doe bedding. Usually this happens overnight it seems and after a few days there is a very well defined trail. That is the hot sign we need to pay attention to and hunt right now. If you find a trail like this beaten down with large tracks don't waste any time and get set up.

If I get a hot doe in the area things can get crazy and in that case I will hunt the same spot multiple days or until action dies down. Usually two day max and the does will get you figured out and move on. Once that happens buck sightings drop drastically. Many think they are now in the lockdown stage with does but in reality you likely spooked the does out of the area. Does are the key during the rut and you need to have good access and exit if you want a stand site to produce.

I say if you see chasing action in the distance but nothing near you move to get on that action. This is how I killed my biggest buck so proof that an aggresive move can pay off. Nothing more frustrating than watching chasing action way out of bow range and you can't be in on the action on an all day sit. If there is a hot doe there WILL be more bucks seeking her throughout the day on that same trail so move if you can.

[gatorbait42]

If I'm seeing deer I want to shoot Day after day I'm staying put until I'm not seeing the deer anymore. If I'm not seeing much I will bounce around until I find something worth hunting.

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[Dewey]

[glow=red]To optimize your time you have to be in your sweet spots. I remember many years ago I thought that if I was just out there I was doing something. I know guys that hunt everyday of the year and burn out their best rut spots before things really get rolling. They then struggle to see good bucks because the local deer have them patterned. You may say I'm full of it but I honestly think if you stayed home and watched football, rather than sit in junk spots you would be better off. When you sit in junk spots your confidence level goes way down. Your moral goes way down when you don't see anything. You suffer from burn out when you don't see anything. Your best spots will take more pressure during the rut than they will before the rut. So if you burn your good spots on bad days you lessen your chances on good days.[/glow]To maximize your good spots hunt them longer in one sit. This is much better than hunting the good spots twice a day. Some guys recommend moving from stand to stand during the rut on all day sits. I don't recommend this. For one thing during the rut the bucks are coming to you on the move. If you are moving you increase the chances of moving when the bucks are moving. If the wind changes then by all means move. Anytime I set up to hunt I have a specific direction I am pretty sure the buck will come from. This makes the the job easier to kill one. In my opinion if you are just sitting and hoping from any direction you decrease your chances. Good luck.

I almost never hunt the same stand site twice in a row. I have and will if I feel I did not burn it that day, and the action is non stop. Other than that I like a change of scenery. Looking at the same trees and brush for days on end isn't for me. I like to change stand sites daily. Keeps me fresh and keeps the spots fresh.

Excellent advice here Stanley. I have been guilty of this in past years and finally figured out that hunting harder isn't always a good thing. Been backing off some this season and saving my best spots and my energy for when it counts. In the past skipping a day of hunting wasn't an option but as years go on I am starting to catch on that hunting smarter is much more productive in the end.

[Bucky]

I agree with Stanley... other than an AM hunt on Oct 21st or 22nd.... I have not hunted since Oct 6th. It is incredibly difficult to stay out of the woods for 3 weeks... but I'm pretty sure this Wed PM, Thurs AM and PM, and Fri AM are gonna be REALLY good sits!

[headgear]

I subscribe to Dan's theory of hunting the best stands during the right time of day. That generally means hunting bedding early in the morning, then cruising areas or funnels midday and then back to bedding again for the evening. All of my spots are based off of wind so I can be moving every day or sitting the same location. I always try and mix in a few new spots every year but a lot of the time I hunt the same sets year after year. I've only been doing this a season or two but I am liking it so far.

[Redman232]

Observation stands are extremely important to my rut strategy. I will get in before sunrise, observe movement at first light, pick out my kill tree and then move in, and hopefully be settled by 9 a.m. This keeps me from burning unproductive spots. If I don't see does in the morning, I will try to pick up fresh sign from a distance with binocular's. I usually have a pretty good idea of how the bigger deer are moving around doe bedding from years past. I only have a couple of spots I'm willing to sit without observing from a distance, these are my "it's a matter of time" spots. I hunt these one day with the right wind, if nothing comes thru I move on.

[ozzz]

Observation stands are extremely important to my rut strategy. I will get in before sunrise, observe movement at first light, pick out my kill tree and then move in, and hopefully be settled by 9 a.m. This keeps me from burning unproductive spots. If I don't see does in the morning, I will try to pick up fresh sign from a distance with binocular's. I usually have a pretty good idea of how the bigger deer are moving around doe bedding from years past. I only have a couple of spots I'm willing to sit without observing from a distance, these are my "it's a matter of time" spots. I hunt these one day with the right wind, if nothing comes thru I move on.

So you see a group of does and then move over to where they were anticipating bucks following?

[Wlog]

My best rut stands are funnels between doe bedding. I can hunt these multiple days usually because the deer aren't hanging around there, they're just passing through. But you have to observe from far or spot check around the doe bedding to make sure they have a reason to go that way.

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[Redman232]

Observation stands are extremely important to my rut strategy. I will get in before sunrise, observe movement at first light, pick out my kill tree and then move in, and hopefully be settled by 9 a.m. This keeps me from burning unproductive spots. If I don't see does in the morning, I will try to pick up fresh sign from a distance with binocular's. I usually have a pretty good idea of how the bigger deer are moving around doe bedding from years past. I only have a couple of spots I'm willing to sit without observing from a distance, these are my "it's a matter of time" spots. I hunt these one day with the right wind, if nothing comes thru I move on.

So you see a group of does and then move over to where they were anticipating bucks following?

I'm not anticipating a buck following the trail the does used, I'm anticipating a buck checking the bedding area. I see a doe group moving to bed or anticipated bedding area based on their movement, then move into location of anticipated buck travel in relation to the doe bedding area. Year in and year out see more mature deer checking doe bedding than I do once they start chasing. I see a lot of cruisers cross cutting(perpendicular) doe trails into bedding areas, not always down wind and very often 50 to 100 yards off of doe bedding with no trees fit for a tree stand. I have spent too many days hunting a terrain feature or a "sure bet" funnel without seeing a shooter, or blown deer off a field with a pre dawn entrance. Most of the places I hunt are pretty open with poor access, not being able to see what is in front of you is a huge mistake alot of guys make around here. Knowing where the does are (as apposed to where you think the should be) is invaluable, so you can approach the area appropriately. I'm sure others have observed bucks using trails during the rut you never see a deer on outside of the rut. I will be hunting those trails this year when fresh sign shows up. I have had no success with mature deer hunting where they are supposed to travel. So I take the fight to them. Best case scenario for me, is to observe a buck and doe in an area I have seen deer lockdown in the past. Then I move to where that doe should move through out the day, eventually dragging the buck past me, occasionally multiple times in a day. I hope that makes sense.

[JoeRE]

I think the key is to have hunt your spots at the best possible time. The best strategy breaks the rut down into smaller segments.

Right at the start of the chase phase I like to target the major doe concentrations and the buck travel routes next to them.

As the rut wears on heading into lock down many does get harassed enough they disperse into smaller pockets of cover in farm and hill country (and often a buck and hot doe will seek out secluded areas to breed) and that is when targeting those can be more effective.

I find your classic cruising pinch points between bedding areas or bed/feed are at their best for a week tops maybe less - i.e. "peak" rut.

Lastly like Stan mentioned I think precisely targeting a few great spots works better than chewing through a pile of mediocre spots. Don't burn them out but if a spot is hot, then hunt it, if it probably will be better next week then stay the heck away from it till then. Don't jump the gun.