Hunting the early season, just before bachelor groups of bucks break up, can offer dynamite bowhunting. And then there’s the late season, when cold weather and snow force bucks to move to food sources during daylight hours to feed. But as great as these hunting periods are, nothing compares to the rut.
During that magical time, bucks throw their normal caution to the wind. Deer that were once nocturnal now may move day and night in search of does that are ready to breed. Bowhunters who sit all day can be rewarded with buck sightings at any time of day.
How do you find a buck during the rut? Your best bet is to find the does and let the bucks come to you. Although does play hard to get, ultimately they want to be found and bred by bucks. Bucks cruise known doe bedding areas, scent-checking for does nearing estrus. If you can find a doe bedding area, you can be at the right place at the right time when a mature buck comes a-knockin’.
Although bucks let their hormones get the best of them and temporarily set aside their usual caution during the rut, that’s not the case for their female counterparts. Does spend most of their day bedded in secure cover, waiting for low light to make the most of their movements. So look for does to hide in brushy thickets, Conservation Reserve Program grass, creek bottoms, benches along hilltops and anywhere they can keep tabs on predators from a secure position.
In-season scouting is risky and you’ll likely bump deer in the process, so your best bet is to scout before or after season. Post-season scouting can be helpful, especially if you have snow in your region. Then it’s easy to track deer between their feeding and bedding areas and spot melted beds in the snow.
Identifying bedding areas is half the battle. Once you know where does will be, you have to execute an ambush. You want to set up relatively close to the bedding area without spooking does and without alerting approaching bucks to your presence.
If you’re hanging a stand, again, you want to do this well ahead of the rut to avoid spooking bedded deer. However, you may be able to sneak into a new spot with a stealthy tree saddle. A climbing stand may be too noisy, but you may be able to get away with it. Use your best judgment. Try to set up relatively close to where does are bedded, but not so close that you spook them or that you can’t get away with making movements in your stand.
Expect bucks to approach the bedding area from downwind. That means they will likely be coming from downwind of your position, so scent control is critical. Be meticulous about washing your clothes in scent-eliminating detergent, storing clothing in scent-proof containers and donning it only when you’re in the field. Scent-eliminating wipes and sprays can help you go undetected as well, especially if you work up a sweat walking to your stand.
Even better is finding an ambush point a little farther back from a buck’s likely travel path. Or you may be able to use terrain to your advantage to funnel a buck out of your scent stream. For example, if there’s a narrow brushy stream corridor, it’s likely a buck will stay in the cover. It may be possible to set up a hay bale blind in an adjoining field or use a tripod stand in cattails to get a bit off the buck’s travel route, while still remaining in bow range.
Using calls and scents can further enhance your setup. A buck is hoping to smell a doe in heat, so using this scent can lure in bucks from a distance. Plaintive doe bleats can pique a buck’s interest. And rattling can make a buck think he’s missing out on a chance to win breeding rights and dash in to join the fight.
During the rut, anything can happen, so plan to sit all day to maximize your chances of encountering a buck and minimizing the amount of scent you leave walking to and from your stand.
Do your scouting, be careful with your setup and scent control and then put in your time. If you’ve done your homework and play it cool, you may be rewarded with a thick-necked buck so concerned with does that he walks right into your setup.
