By Mike Fernald
New York – -(Ammoland.com)- The Rut. It’s that magical time in the fall where you would gladly risk your job over an all-day sit in the woods.
Where you may finally have a chance at that bruiser you’ve been losing sleep over since you first got that trail cam picture in August.
You know… that buck that you’ve been bragging to your buddies about all fall, but just won’t get out of that nocturnal pattern he seems to be stuck in. This is your chance.
Finally, the Rut is here.
The deer are now transitioning out of their summer feeding patterns and have just one thing on their mind: the urge to breed!
That urge to breed is what makes this time of year so exciting. Mature bucks are on their feet chasing does, and fighting off competition. A doe in estrus is the single driving factor of this entire mood swing. Keep this in mind and use it to your advantage.
I’ve compiled 4 tips that I think will help focus your tactics, and hopefully drive more success out of your time in the woods this fall during this crazy time of year.
Hunt All Day. The best thing you can do is hunt all day. The deer will be on their feet, chasing and fighting well through daylight hours. No longer is this a morning and evening affair. Pack a lunch and stick it out. You’d be surprised with how many mature bucks are taken during the mid-day hours this time of year.
Take Note of Scrapes and Rubs. Whitetail deer are not territorial, so these essential forms of communication are just a window into where their communal activity is taking place. This can help to decipher where their time is being spent, which can lead to more deer sightings while hunting.
Active Calling. This is the best time of year to take full advantage of your arsenal of calls. Bucks will be most receptive to calling this time of year. Get on your grunt tube, doe bleats, and rattle sets. Be smart, and don’t go crazy with these, but absolutely use them.
Follow the Does. Like I said above, this entire process is driven by does coming into their estrus cycles. Bucks are thinking about does, fighting over does, and chasing does. Find out where your does are spending the majority of their time, and you will also find the bucks.
These aren’t the end-all-be-all to rut hunting tactics, but they will certainly help you to derive a strategy that will get you moving in the right direction. Understand the behavior of the deer and use it to your advantage (or their disadvantage), and you better the chances of all that hard work you put in paying off.
About Mike Fernald & Turkey Hill Outdoors:
Turkey Hill Outdoors, LLC is an organization devoted to sharing our experiences and love for the outdoors and conservation, through video production and photography. We are devoted to telling the stories and sharing the experiences that make the great outdoors truly so great. www.turkeyhilloutdoors.com