The rut is finally in full swing. Hunters look forward to this natural cycle all year, and excitedly await its arrival. Weather and temperature have a tremendous effect on how the rut will play out, which will directly influence harvest numbers.
You can look long and hard, but you would be hard-pressed to find a deer hunter that gets excited when faced with unseasonably warm conditions. The two words that tend to discourage hunters the most, are surely “warm front!” It’s hard enough to get a big buck or doe under optimum conditions, add to that suppressed movement, and you have the recipe for tired legs or a sore butt. What can be done to gain the advantage under such conditions? The things you do may change the way you normally hunt. The sad truth is, you will likely have to work long and hard to bag a nice one.
Envision layering on enough clothes to keep yourself warm at below-zero temps, but it happens to be pushing 60 degrees outside. You would likely react as a deer would. The first thing you would do is limit movement as to decrease the amount of heat produced through exertion. The next step would be to seek out areas in which the sun can be avoided. If movement was necessary, you would likely choose to move at night to combat the heat. Deer react in the same manor, and do anything they can to avoid overheating.
By sunset on the first day of season last year, I had tagged out on a nice buck. Along with the harvest, I saw many deer moving. This was likely due to normal winter weather. This year, on the other hand, all I saw was small bucks and a few does. Unlike last year, the deer didn’t seem to be moving due to rutting activity; they seemed to be moving only due to pressure. The problem with this is that with less deer moving, fewer people were shooting. The lack of shooting was pushing less deer, resulting in a slow first two days. I remember when we used to get winter by early November. Snow on the ground was almost a guarantee, coupled with frigid temps. “Bwaah” to those who deny global warming. I distinctly remember the first day way back in 1993. It was frigid cold out and I counted over 300 shots by 8 a.m. The second day was about as good with over 200 shots heard by the same time. This year I only heard about 70 shots the first day, and 30 the second day by 8 a.m. Super slow in comparison to hunts of the past.
There were still some nice bucks harvested last weekend, although I’m sure there would have been higher numbers if it were cold out. Just because it’s warm out doesn’t mean you are guaranteed to get skunked. There are a few things you can do that may work in your favor. On a normal year, deer are pushed by shooting and human scent coupled with movement associated with the rut. This year, on the other hand, was mostly movement created when deer have become spooked. This is the perfect time to use techniques such as drives and silent pushes or get a bit creative.
Drives are a time-honored way to harvest deer. The native peoples of this nation had been employing this method for thousands of years before contact with white settlers. On the great plains, bison were driven off of cliffs. Some sites upon archaeological excavations yielded up to a 40-foot depth measurement on the bone piles. It has been said that these sites contain the remains of up to 200,000 animals, which represents the effectiveness of drives. There are three types of drives, all of which require some planning to be safe and successful.
The most common drive technique used is to post people on escape routes, and have others walk through an area deer are expected to bed or hide. If not properly organized, this technique can be ineffective or even deadly. The people on post need to be downwind of the area being pushed. The pushers then walk into the thick area, send their scent in, and make a lot of noise. If the posters walk in first with the wind wrong, the deer will be long gone before the drivers enter the woods. For safety purposes, wear lots of orange and set a firm and understandable game plan. It is also good to have the shooters in tree stands if at all possible. This will decrease the chances of injury due to bullets impacting the ground before they could reach the drivers.
The next two techniques are less commonly used but can be quite effective. The silent push is done much like the conventional drive, although human scent is the only thing used to push game. The set up is the same other than drivers not entering the thick area. The effect had on game is less offensive, which tends to send them escaping much more slowly. This will offer the shooters a better chance to harvest due to less complicated shots.
A relatively unused drive technique consisting of bumping bedding areas before dawn can be a great method. This is such an unused tactic it has no name. I will call it the predawn drive. The deer are bedded before you enter the woods in most cases when conditions are too warm. You can go in before dawn and push the deer out, then they will commonly return after sunrise to bed. This can give you a chance at animals you would have otherwise never seen. By planning with neighbors, you can all go in and send the deer scattering. This will give everyone a better opportunity at a shot.
Hopefully we get some cooler temps soon, but if not, try employing these tactics. Good wishes and happy hunting.