SEVR Broadheads // 7 Ways To Tag A Rutting Buck —
(Article courtesy of Steve Bartylla of Deer & Deer Hunting)
I was in a bind. I had stands scattered all over the place and didn’t know which one to hunt. However, when a family situation left me with only one day to hunt, I headed straight for the bedroom. A doe bedding area, that is. I was only in the stand for a few minutes when a family group of does appeared and bedded nearby. They eventually got back on their feet and browsed out of sight. Then I heard the unmistakable sounds of a chase.
A big doe was the first to appear. She blew through the bedding area, hotly pursued by a no-doubt shooter buck. With the odds being so low of stopping him in my shooting lane, I allowed both deer to pass, hoping the doe would loop around and bring the buck with her.
Before she had a chance, I heard another buck approaching. Already prepared for the shot, I waited for him to hit my shooting lane. As luck would have it, this second buck stopped in the perfect position to sniff a doe’s bed. The shot was true and the buck was mine. Although he fell well short of the bigger one, with just one day to hunt, I was thrilled that the doe bedding area had produced.
Experiencing a hot-to-trot rut is a thrill like no other in the hunting world. Unfortunately, for as many unbelievable hunts as the rut produces, it can yield many more completely forgettable sits. Luckily, seven tried-and-true methods of killing rutting bucks can be used to minimize the downtime and produce consistent results.
1. Harness Water Power
Water sources are one of the most often overlooked rut hot spots. The first step toward capitalizing on water is dividing it into two groups: flowages and watering holes. Rivers, creeks and streams that run for miles through deer country are natural runways. When paired with cover, they’re often the backbone of travel routes bucks use between doe concentrations.
When selecting stand sites, target locations covering as much deer activity as possible. A good example is where a bend in the river collides with a steep ridge or open area. In either case, the obstruction concentrates deer by forcing them to one side. Other examples would be where two bottoms connect, or even where a parallel trail intersects a heavily used crossing. In all of these examples, the concentrated deer traffic makes these great choices.
Although well-used watering holes are highly sought after early season stands, they also hold great drawing power during the rut. It’s true that rutting bucks can rely heavily on fat supplies to fuel their increased movements, but they need water to cool their engines. Due to that, many of the same prime early season water setups also become hot during the rut. This is particularly true when the watering hole is situated near doe groups or in the preferred connecting routes between doe concentrations.
2. Find the Food
Just because feeding might not be a high priority for rutting bucks doesn’t mean that it isn’t still a powerful draw. For one, I believe that most “experts” overly minimize the frequency and amount of rutting bucks’ feeding excursions. Certainly, they run negative energy balances during the rut. However, if they ate nothing at all, the rut would likely kill them. Even if one believes rutting bucks have no interest in feeding, the does do. Since does are what bucks seek, this alone makes a prime food source a powerful draw … and good place to hang your stand.
Stand placement for this phase of the season requires a different mind-set than early or late-season tactics. In the early season, heavily used deer trails are usually passed up for the fainter buck trails. However, during the rut, those pounded doe trails are one of the places you want to be. Bucks will rely on their noses and eyes to find estrous does. When relying on sight, they obviously need to make visual contact. That’s why pinch points and field corners are great ambush spots for rut-time hunts.
3. Inside Corners
Speaking of food sources, the inside corners of clear-cuts and open fields combine several attractive traits. Bucks most often rely on their sense of smell to locate estrous does. In this case, one quick lap around the food source allows them to scent-check the estrous status of every doe that’s been there. Although the distance varies, I’ve found that this paralleling activity most often occurs between 10 and 40 yards inside the woods.
Another plus is that almost all inside corners yield a beaten-down doe trail. With that, the hunter can now cover the doe trail and waylay most bucks that will be scent-checking the trails. The real cherry on top is that inside corners create funnels. Any buck that wants to get from one side of the opening to the other has two choices. They can either expose themselves or skirt the edge, marching right passed the inside corner.
When placing stands for any phase of season, one should always strive to cover as many possibilities as practical. This increases your odds of connecting. With rutting bucks exhibiting somewhat unpredictable movements, playing the odds is even more important. Placing a stand 10 to 20 yards off the inside corner does just that. With careful positioning, everything is there to be had: bucks using the corner trails, paralleling the field, funneling around the corner and even those walking just inside the field. The result is a stand that offers five chances for success.
4. Calling All Bucks
OK, if you are paying attention, you just noticed that I listed four choices, yet wrote “five chances for success.” No, this wasn’t a typo or some form of new math. You see, any time a rut-hunter can see a reasonably long distance, they have the possibility of calling in distant bucks. That fifth option is one of the most under-used tactics I’ve seen hunters use when hunting the above-mentioned scenarios.
When it comes to calling techniques, there’s really no right or wrong way. What it boils down to is what frame of mind the buck is in. The techniques that work on four bucks one day, may or may not work on the next 12 you encounter. With that being said, there are two different approaches that I’ve used successfully when hunting areas that provide a good view. I rarely call “blind” in open areas. Instead, when a shooter buck is spotted at a distance and isn’t naturally entering shooting range, I will attempt to call to him.
On the flip side, when hunting near heavy cover, I’ve found blind calling to be much more effective. During the rut, bucks not tending does are highly likely to be actively seeking their next opportunity. That inspires many bucks to be in a near constant state of motion, going from one likely doe hot bed to the next. Therefore, when blind-calling, I’ll often call in 10-minute increments.
As obvious as it might sound, the goal of calling is to paint a picture with sound. Again, what works on one buck might not work on the next. If a buck just got beat up, he will be less likely to respond to a challenge than, say, the victor. However, it’s possible that the loser might be even more desperate to respond to an estrous call. That’s why my calling sequences are elaborate. I begin with two or three estrous calls, trying to let the bucks know that a hot doe is in the area. Next, I toss out a handful of tending grunts, alternating at the end between a deep and medium grunt. It’s as if I’m saying, “Guess what, the hot doe just found two pursuers!”
After a slight pause, I’ll let out a grunt-snort-wheeze in an attempt to paint a picture that two bucks are about to square off. With both desperately wanting the hot doe, the 30 to 90 seconds of clashing antlers reveals the epic battle that follows. Another slight pause later, the estrous call and series of tending grunts shows the victor is back on the hot doe’s trail.
Yes, I realize this all might seem a bit over the top, but it has worked for me on many occasions. Why? I believe the sequence offers something for the highest percentage of bucks. The estrous calls appeal to the more timid, as well as the possibility of sneaking off with the doe while the bullies duke it out. Of course, the snort-wheeze and rattling can trigger reactions in the dominant and more aggressive bucks. I also believe the entire package can even draw a curious response from any buck within earshot.
Hunters differ wildly in their approach to calling. As you can see, it’s all or nothing for me. In other words, I either go aggressive or leave the toys at home.
5. Put Up Your Dupes
Decoys are killer complements to calling rutting bucks. Add the appropriate scent, and the combination produces alluring sights, sounds and smells.
A brush with a true giant Wisconsin 8-point last season showed just how effective the package can be. After setting my buck decoy (with its 140-inch replicated rack) to observe my bedded doe decoy, I crawled into a ground blind and waited for first light. Sunrise was followed by an elaborate calling sequence. I saw the buck within seconds of finishing my calls.
Frankly, the 160-inch brute busted me cold. With the blind’s screen up for filming, he caught the reflection of the camera, as I swung it on him. As strange as it may sound, I wasn’t concerned. I was confident the allure of the decoys would seal the deal. It did. Several head bobs and hoof stomps later, he committed full tilt. Tracking his position with the camera, I snatched the bow from its holder. Needing to act fast, I shifted the buck to the rear of the camera’s frame, attached my release and came to full draw. I snap-judged the yardage and let the arrow fly.
As the arrow zipped harmlessly over the buck’s back, I snatched the tripod arm in my right hand again and filmed his departure from my life. I had completely blown the shot. Still, the combinations of sights, sounds and smells had done their jobs flawlessly, even after the savvy old-timer had busted me cold. That’s a powerful testament.
A key to effective decoying is making them appear natural. During the rut, what’s more natural than a buck standing sentry over a hot doe? The pair sends the message that she’s ready and can be stolen. That’s a temptation few trophies can pass up.
As a side note, I believe most buck decoys use too small of a rack. A 70-inch rack is taken no more seriously by a mature buck than a seventh-grade boy hitting on your wife. However, a decoy sporting a 120- to 140-inch rack is another story.
6. Hammer Funnels
No thorough rut-hunting article would be complete without covering how to hunt funnels. This may be the most heavily relied-upon rut tactic, and for good reason. It flat-out produces. Hunting pinch points between doe concentrations is tailor made for this phase of the season. Furthermore, opening your mind to seeing hidden funnels reveals many gems previously left uncovered.
I believe that many funnel types aren’t hunted hard enough. For most hunters with limited acreage, following the prescribed steps for keeping stands fresh sounds great in theory, but comes up woefully lacking in application. Many properties have one or two good rut stands. If not hunted more than once in a five-day period, that means the hunter sits at home a lot or spends way too much time in marginal stand sites. When access is good, place multiple stands for the wind and hunt those great funnels as much as possible during the rut. On many properties, mature bucks might only use that funnel in daylight two or three times throughout the rut. When one can get in and out undetected, being in that stand as much as possible increases the odds of being there at the right time.
Although educating bucks is never good, I believe the rut is the time to risk it a little more. With bucks putting on the miles, a buck you educate today might be 5 miles away tomorrow. That removes much of the value of giving the stand a break, particularly when a new buck is trotting through that funnel. If you have several killer stands, you should rotate. However, unless access is bad or a certain wind can’t be made to work, sitting marginal stands is a huge mistake.
7. Go to Bed
For as much attention as hunting funnels get, setting up on doe bedding areas can deliver even more rutting bucks. There’s almost always more than one way to get from Point A to Point B. Funnels can almost always be avoided. However, because does spend most of the daylight hours in bedding areas, you almost always have to go them.
Playing the wind is a huge key to successfully hunting doe bedding areas for several reasons. First, setting up within shooting distance of the bedroom’s door means that a wrong wind gets most hunters busted. Along with the stand providing good concealment, keeping the wind blowing from the bedding area to the hunter’s position is critical in avoiding frustrating experiences.
Additionally, to most effectively scent-check the bedroom, the buck must skirt the downwind side. Both of those reasons most often make the downwind edge the place to set up. Further adding to the appeal of these locations is that they can provide the best midday action of all rut stands. From the doe’s morning arrival to their evening departure, there’s no more likely spot to intercept a cruising buck.
Conclusion
The rut can be a very chaotic time to be in the woods. To achieve a degree of consistency, analyze what bucks want, how they can most effectively get it and what chinks that leaves in their armor. Catering tactics accordingly will likely lead you to several ways to kill a rutting buck. In one way or another, each one plays on a vulnerability that the rut creates in mature bucks.
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