I know there’s some stuff on Rut in the all time deer thread, but with rut being right around the corner for some of us, I was hoping we could start a new chat.
I’ve only experienced it twice and it was a couple years ago. I feel like I’ve learned a bit since then, but I haven’t been out there to put it into practice!
What area are you from? When do you primarily see the most bucks on their feet? What sort of terrain do you focus on? Pinch points? Saddles? Downwind of bedding? Food sources? Water? Tell me a Tale! And not about the 3 little pigs, but about the ol’ elusive whitetail!
Rut and Capitalizing on it!
- Mschmeiske
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- Stingray713
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Re: Rut and Capitalizing on it!
I’m in the Piedmont of Virginia, foothills of Blue Ridge Mountains. Been hunting the same area for about 25years and when the weather cooperates the dates for visible daylight rut activity have been consistent in my experience.
Bedding areas big and small and transitions are pretty much all I hunt the entire season.
By late October most places have seen some hunting pressure so I don’t see much daylight pre rut activity from mature bucks.
I’ve killed several nice younger bucks the first week of November but the mature bucks know when it’s time.
November 9th-17th seems to be the window when the old boys get rocking. During this period I get into the bedding areas a couple hours before first light and set up downwind of a good intersection of trails and if I don’t get winded before (which I do all the time but oh well) the mature bucks get moving between 8:30 and 10
Burn up a lot of spots hunting this way, but I did the funnels and pinch points for enough years to know it’s worth the extra driving I do now to new spots.
Bedding areas big and small and transitions are pretty much all I hunt the entire season.
By late October most places have seen some hunting pressure so I don’t see much daylight pre rut activity from mature bucks.
I’ve killed several nice younger bucks the first week of November but the mature bucks know when it’s time.
November 9th-17th seems to be the window when the old boys get rocking. During this period I get into the bedding areas a couple hours before first light and set up downwind of a good intersection of trails and if I don’t get winded before (which I do all the time but oh well) the mature bucks get moving between 8:30 and 10
Burn up a lot of spots hunting this way, but I did the funnels and pinch points for enough years to know it’s worth the extra driving I do now to new spots.
Strategically Inefficient
- Stingray713
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Re: Rut and Capitalizing on it!
Hard to bank on any rut activity after the 20th-22nd of November around here, but when I do see a buck chasing a doe after this period, he’s always huge
Strategically Inefficient
- Crazinamatese
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Re: Rut and Capitalizing on it!
Prime time rut for upper-midwest in about two weeks. Looks like below average daytime temps will prevail so I expect decent rut action and a busy kill thread on here soon.
Mornings for me during the rut are usually unproductive. Alot of small bucks running amuck. I usually see the big bucks moving between 11 AM - 2 PM. I learned that from Stanley and listening to him has been paying off for me. I took a nice 11 pointer last season on Nov. 1st close to 1:30 PM. In the 2017 season early November, I was onto a big 8 pointer in hill country that loved cruising midday. Never got a shot on him but I seen him at least three times in a week's time. In the 2015 season I had an encounter with the biggest buck I have ever seen from the stand on a 70 degree afternoon, I believe was right around Halloween. He was coming onto a fresh scrape I found on a steep and narrow ridge during in-season scouting the day before. The scrape had very large tracks in them and that was enough to make me set up right over that scrape. I am gonna try the same strategy this rut by going in later in the morning and set up for midday cruisers. And you will know when there is a hot doe in the area. Bucks will show up from outta nowhere it seems and some of them don't give a hoot that you are in the woods. They will do almost anything to get on a hot doe. One morning I just got parked in a ditch along public land. I got out and was taking my things out and right across the road there was a doe being chased by 2 small bucks in a strip of red pines. They were running up and down that strip for about 10 minutes. All three of them eventually ran across the road right by me within arm's reach and disappeared into the public land. Its an interesting time to be in the woods for sure.
Mornings for me during the rut are usually unproductive. Alot of small bucks running amuck. I usually see the big bucks moving between 11 AM - 2 PM. I learned that from Stanley and listening to him has been paying off for me. I took a nice 11 pointer last season on Nov. 1st close to 1:30 PM. In the 2017 season early November, I was onto a big 8 pointer in hill country that loved cruising midday. Never got a shot on him but I seen him at least three times in a week's time. In the 2015 season I had an encounter with the biggest buck I have ever seen from the stand on a 70 degree afternoon, I believe was right around Halloween. He was coming onto a fresh scrape I found on a steep and narrow ridge during in-season scouting the day before. The scrape had very large tracks in them and that was enough to make me set up right over that scrape. I am gonna try the same strategy this rut by going in later in the morning and set up for midday cruisers. And you will know when there is a hot doe in the area. Bucks will show up from outta nowhere it seems and some of them don't give a hoot that you are in the woods. They will do almost anything to get on a hot doe. One morning I just got parked in a ditch along public land. I got out and was taking my things out and right across the road there was a doe being chased by 2 small bucks in a strip of red pines. They were running up and down that strip for about 10 minutes. All three of them eventually ran across the road right by me within arm's reach and disappeared into the public land. Its an interesting time to be in the woods for sure.
The cave you fear hides the treasure you seek!!!
- cspot
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Re: Rut and Capitalizing on it!
PA here. 1st week of November seems to be the best for buck movement. 2nd week seems to be the best for the bigger buck movement. Still like mentioned above any time during any day when you get during the rut can be a good time.
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Re: Rut and Capitalizing on it!
Iowa here. Anytime from the last week of October through Decembee 1 it could happen. If you made me choose a time period to experience the rut and rut activities I would pick the first week or so of November. Specifically the 3rd through the 10th. If you made me choose a week to kill a mature buck I would pick the week of Thanksgiving. Not as much chasing, but those big boys really start looking for the last doe it seems. If you have a good pinch point that's a classic killer set up. Otherwise downwind of bedding or downwind of food/catch one crossing all the doe trails heading to food
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Re: Rut and Capitalizing on it!
Maine calling in:
I'm not nearly as seasoned as many folks on here but ive always seen the biggest dumbest bucks 1st few days of December. Thats ~1month after the main rut when there are alot less does in heat.
I'm not nearly as seasoned as many folks on here but ive always seen the biggest dumbest bucks 1st few days of December. Thats ~1month after the main rut when there are alot less does in heat.
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Re: Rut and Capitalizing on it!
SE Ohio here. If there’s anything I have learned about hunting the rut it’s that you cannot pick a specific time year to year because altho it happens the same time every year, the window in which one can take advantage of a specific phase is small. So it’s easy to miss action by simply a day or 2. The only way to pinpoint a specific week is by knowing the exact age structure of your doe herd year to year, IMO and that’s nearly impossible to do. Personally I would never just pick a week and take it off, I’d try to take advantage of small windows and take days here and there because just picking a week may cause one to miss the whole rut altogether.
Best I’ve been able to break down those short windows for my hunting area......
November 1-6, still hunt mornings and evenings in areas where does hangout or feed, staging areas or on the downwind side of scrapes.
November 7-10, sit all day if possible. This seems to be when the mature bucks start cruising or getting serious. Personally I have my best luck on that top 1/3 of any ridgetop on the leeward side at or near a transition point with a high stem count. Might seem crazy when I say this but I rarely hunt doe bedding areas period(just occasionally) because I am on that believes that mature does(not all but some) seek out mature bucks so therefore I still hunt primarily buck bedding during this timeframe. Plus I still hunt primary buck bedding during this time because A lot of times their beds are right close to good cruising areas as well. I’ve just never really been given a reason to dump this strategy because I don’t care if I see a bunch of deer, I just need to see one.
November 11-17, I tend to stick to midday hunts the most here. Still go in morning and evenings when I can but the first big round of does get swiped up pretty quickly, lockdown occurs and you’re just waiting to catch bucks just as they come off of does and before they find a new one which is always a small window in itself.
November 18-22 this is when I get back to all day sitting if possible. I don’t see a ton of deer around this timeframe but it is hands down my favorite time to hunt the rut. I always see the most big bucks and the biggest of big bucks during this timeframe. It’s that timeframe in which you truly never know what might walk by your stand. I like to hunt the same way as I do during the 7-10 timeframe. Man have I seen some real giants this particular stretch of days
November 23-30, I go back to just hunting mornings and evenings and hunt the same way I hunt the 1-6 with my main focus being on food.
I’m fortunate enough to have a job that allows me every year to take off pretty much the whole month of November. I have sat many November’s and taken notes Incase I ever lose that privilege and I’d focus on an extra day or 2 in the second week and an extra day or 2 the week leading up to thanksgiving and then scatter my reanimating days here and there the rest of the month.
Best I’ve been able to break down those short windows for my hunting area......
November 1-6, still hunt mornings and evenings in areas where does hangout or feed, staging areas or on the downwind side of scrapes.
November 7-10, sit all day if possible. This seems to be when the mature bucks start cruising or getting serious. Personally I have my best luck on that top 1/3 of any ridgetop on the leeward side at or near a transition point with a high stem count. Might seem crazy when I say this but I rarely hunt doe bedding areas period(just occasionally) because I am on that believes that mature does(not all but some) seek out mature bucks so therefore I still hunt primarily buck bedding during this timeframe. Plus I still hunt primary buck bedding during this time because A lot of times their beds are right close to good cruising areas as well. I’ve just never really been given a reason to dump this strategy because I don’t care if I see a bunch of deer, I just need to see one.
November 11-17, I tend to stick to midday hunts the most here. Still go in morning and evenings when I can but the first big round of does get swiped up pretty quickly, lockdown occurs and you’re just waiting to catch bucks just as they come off of does and before they find a new one which is always a small window in itself.
November 18-22 this is when I get back to all day sitting if possible. I don’t see a ton of deer around this timeframe but it is hands down my favorite time to hunt the rut. I always see the most big bucks and the biggest of big bucks during this timeframe. It’s that timeframe in which you truly never know what might walk by your stand. I like to hunt the same way as I do during the 7-10 timeframe. Man have I seen some real giants this particular stretch of days
November 23-30, I go back to just hunting mornings and evenings and hunt the same way I hunt the 1-6 with my main focus being on food.
I’m fortunate enough to have a job that allows me every year to take off pretty much the whole month of November. I have sat many November’s and taken notes Incase I ever lose that privilege and I’d focus on an extra day or 2 in the second week and an extra day or 2 the week leading up to thanksgiving and then scatter my reanimating days here and there the rest of the month.
Hunt Hard or Go Home
- Mschmeiske
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Re: Rut and Capitalizing on it!
I’m In NY and I see a lot of larger bucks on cams around the last week/few days of October, but a mix of different caliber bucks in the first two weeks of November. Then around November 24th-29th I see more of the big boys again. I have little rut hunting experience, but pinchpoints, benches, saddles, and being between known bedding areas have shown me some deer. I now know a few more bedding areas than I used to, one that comes to mind is in a river bottom with a steep ridge at one end. I think the deer are really pinched down there or forced to cross a smaller/shallow river. We shall see what happens.
- treeroot
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Re: Rut and Capitalizing on it!
For me it depends on a lot of things. Where is the pressure? How well do I know the property?
If I don't know the property well I will either hang back and watch what the does are doing and move from there. Or try to find faint tails connecting two or more suspected doe bedding areas. Low pressure areas where doe are hitting fields in daylight I'll try to find the secondary trail along the wood line and try to catch a cruiser.
If I know the place well i try to setup for am hunts where I've seen bucks push doe. Most of the time they are small pockets that are hard to access. If one is there or came through during the night other bucks will cruise through scent checking.
The little patch of brush is where a buck pushed a doe at first light, these two came in following the trail. I was observing before making a move. I should've went right there in the AM but I was running to late that day.
That one came out of a similar patch of brush with a doe an hour after first light.
If I don't know the property well I will either hang back and watch what the does are doing and move from there. Or try to find faint tails connecting two or more suspected doe bedding areas. Low pressure areas where doe are hitting fields in daylight I'll try to find the secondary trail along the wood line and try to catch a cruiser.
If I know the place well i try to setup for am hunts where I've seen bucks push doe. Most of the time they are small pockets that are hard to access. If one is there or came through during the night other bucks will cruise through scent checking.
The little patch of brush is where a buck pushed a doe at first light, these two came in following the trail. I was observing before making a move. I should've went right there in the AM but I was running to late that day.
That one came out of a similar patch of brush with a doe an hour after first light.
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