The Marathon
November is like Christmas for hunters who live in the northern part of the United States. The rut takes place in November, and hunters frantically head all over the country, hoping to put their tag on a trophy whitetail. Trail cameras are working overtime to help put the pieces together on where to sit and what bucks are in the area. If you love the November rut, you are not alone! This highly anticipated time drives hunters crazy in pursuing a giant buck!
Seeking Phase
The seeking phase begins to pick up during the last weeks of October. Bucks will roam further from their home range in search of receptive does. Scrapes and rubs will show up all over the woods at the bucks leave their scent to inform other bucks they are on the prowl. In most areas, crops are harvested, and food sources change slightly. A hunter who can stay ahead of the game by identifying food sources, travel patterns, and doe groups can up their success rate during the seeking phase. Hunting over or near communal scrapes is an excellent way to inventory or harvest a target buck. If you have a green food plot that attracts the does, your odds of harvesting a shooter buck increase significantly.
Tactics helpful during this time are mock scrapes introducing new bucks, grunting, and rattling. I love making mock scrapes during this time to see which bucks are on my property. I can create a phantom buck on the property using a gland lure mixture I created called Head-Scratcher. Hunters must have a grunt tube and a set of rattling antlers each time they head to the stand. Bucks are receptive to these two tools and can bring that cruising shooter into range. Don't be afraid to incorporate these three tactics during the seeking phase.
The Rut
What is there to say about the rut? The rut can drive a hunter mad because of the ebb and flow. When the first doe comes into estrus, the woods seem on fire. Local bucks and floater bucks seem to be everywhere. Bucks will chase any doe they scent check that may be coming into estrus. There is a flurry of activity that appears to be non-stop. Hunters want to spend as much time as possible in the stand.
A few factors can impact the rut's ebb and flow. Weather, unharvested crops, and the deer population are a few of the factors that can ruin the rut. Let's look at each one of these factors and what it can do during the rut.
The first factor is the weather. Unseasonable temperatures can wreak havoc on the rut. Warm temperatures can force much of the activity to happen at night when it isn't so warm. Warm weather makes hunting miserable. Is it possible to kill a buck during warm weather? Yes, it is, but the odds are not in your favor. My personal opinion is that weather is the most significant factor when it comes to the rut.
Living in an area where farmers are behind in harvesting their crops can affect rut activity. Acres of standing corn are strategic places for does to hide and never have to come out. Bucks and does can stay hidden in the corn and not be bothered by hunters at all. Unfortunately, I have experienced this many times first-hand. The farmers where I live often leave standing corn until the week before our rifle season. I have witnessed bucks chasing does through the corn and never coming out to offer a shot. There are no tactics I can think of to deal with deer hiding in the standing corn. All I can say is, Good Luck and be patient!
A healthy buck-to-doe ratio is a critical factor to the rut. When bucks compete for hot does you will see tons of bucks. If there are too many does, the rut is like a trickle. Large populations of does lessen the competition to breed. Does will search out bucks and even wait at scrapes for bucks to breed them. Bucks don't have to move far to find does to breed if the population is lopsided. Hunting can seem slow or nonexistent during the rut if the population is uneven.
You can expect bucks to disappear when they lock down with a doe during the rut. The buck will stay with the doe and breed her multiple times before looking for the next receptive doe. Lockdown can be frustrating because you never know when that locked-down buck will be on the move again. Lockdown is the most frustrating part of the rut.
I use several tactics when hunting the rut, including utilizing a decoy and hunting heavy cover. Using a decoy has been a game-changer for me during the rut. I use the Flambeau Boss Babe decoy and a few critical scents. I want my decoy to be visible to any passing deer. My decoy is sprayed with Evercalm from Conquest Scents. I want the decoy to look and smell like a natural deer. Next, I will use cotton balls and put Smokey's Doe Interdigital Plus on them. The cotton balls will then be placed at the decoy's feet. Next, I will set my Wyndscent 2.0 unit under the decoy and use an estrus scent. Lastly, I apply Smokey's Doe N Heat to the rear end of the doe decoy. Before I climb into my stand, I will do a drag with Smokey's Doe N Heat from all directions that lead to my decoy. This has worked well for me over the past 4 years.
Second Rut
Does that don't get bred in the first rut cycle into estrus again. Hunting food sources is an excellent tactic for the second rut. Bucks worn down from the marathon are looking to pack much-needed weight for the winter. Does and bucks will gravitate to food plots where they can feed on high-protein products. Cold weather will have bucks on their feet looking for food, and estrus does. The second rut can produce plenty of action if you have food plots and cold weather. If your doe population exceeds the buck population, the second rut can be spectacular!
Hunters need to remember that the rut has many phases. Tactics can change for each part of the rut, and knowing when to switch tactics is critical. Trail cameras are a fantastic tool for seeing when things change. The woods can go silent quickly and then become fire again. Being observant and creative can help you harvest that target buck you are after.
Fresh Field Recipe of the Month
Protein Waffles are a delicious treat. Check out this fabulous recipe from Fresh Fields.
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