Cruisin’ for a bruisin’
The rut – mating season for ruminant animals – is approaching fast, and that means bucks are starting to move more readily. Break out the doe pee and get ready to get run over.
The pre-rut is starting to wind down and the rut is in the air. Scents and calls are becoming more effective, which stacks some of the cards in your favor. Bucks are beginning to drop their guard and it's time to capitalize on it. Food is becoming less important to bucks as they have girls on their minds. Being that bucks are adopting a new routine, it's time for you to change your own.
As the rut approaches, the big boys start to move during daylight hours. You will first see small bucks, mostly yearling and two-year-olds. For the trophy hunter, this is the signal that dominant bucks are about to start moving. For the meat hunter that doesn't mind taking a smaller buck, this is your chance to fill the freezer. Young bucks are notorious for their brazen, carefree attitude as the rut gets close. Little guys can be seen making their rounds nearly all day. They are inexperienced, which has them moving early and putting them in precarious positions. Small bucks will be most easily found hanging near food sources where they are looking for does. You can also find them roaming around checking scrapes. They haven't totally figured out the routine, so rather than check scrapes all day for the first hot does, they chase and pester any doe with which they can get close.
Your use of scents can be the most effective the next couple weeks. Does are only a few weeks away from their cycle, so pretending to be the first hot doe in the woods can be nearly irresistible to a buck. Scent drags are super effective for the next few weeks, also. I mentioned last year how I like to use goldenrod to lay down the trail. By breaking the stalk off low to the ground and applying scent to the top, you eliminate the chance of contaminating the scent. The seeds of goldenrod are like a small version of a dandelion. They also blow in the breeze to propagate. The small parachutes hold scent well and fall off along the trail as you walk. As you drag the seeds left behind, havingscent clinging to them works much better than a pad or rag. Remember to add scent as you walk so the buck knows which way you went. As the scent strengthens, the buck believes he is getting closer to the supposed doe.
I also like to saturate my stand site with spray scent. This acts as an attractant and cover scent. When a buck follows your drag, his nose is becoming clogged with scent. If you spray a bunch at your stand site, it will help direct him to your shooting lane. I have actually had several bucks approach from directly downwind that never saw me. One small buck passed through at five yards with the wind in his face, and he never scented me. I’m not positive if they cannot smell me or are just too excited to care. Either way, you get a close-up shot at a relaxed animal, which offers you the best chance at a good shot.
By this point in season, bachelor groups have mostly broken up. They are no longer friends and are willing to fight upon seeing or hearing another buck. By using calls to threaten and upset a buck, you can further increase your odds. It is super important to understand deer vocabulary before trying to call to them. You must first know what to say before you are able to hold a conversation. If you don't know how to call, I recommend looking online or buying a video on calling whitetails.
I shoot about 85 to 90 percent of bucks by calling them in. If you don't know what a snort wheeze or a roar is, you need to learn. These calls directly threaten and enrage bucks into making an approach. A plain old grunt will work sometimes, but the roar/snort wheeze combo works more often than not. I will personally leave the woods and go home to get my call if I had left behind. I am so confident in my deer calls, that I don't even want to hunt without them.
A change of tactic is in need to keep up with the progressing rut. Don't forget your scent and calls, which surely up the odds. Be prepared to sit all day if you have the time. Remember for the next few weeks, bucks can be seen cruising looking for does or a fight.
Good wishes and be ready to start a fight with a cruising buck.
The pre-rut is starting to wind down and the rut is in the air. Scents and calls are becoming more effective, which stacks some of the cards in your favor. Bucks are beginning to drop their guard and it's time to capitalize on it. Food is becoming less important to bucks as they have girls on their minds. Being that bucks are adopting a new routine, it's time for you to change your own.
As the rut approaches, the big boys start to move during daylight hours. You will first see small bucks, mostly yearling and two-year-olds. For the trophy hunter, this is the signal that dominant bucks are about to start moving. For the meat hunter that doesn't mind taking a smaller buck, this is your chance to fill the freezer. Young bucks are notorious for their brazen, carefree attitude as the rut gets close. Little guys can be seen making their rounds nearly all day. They are inexperienced, which has them moving early and putting them in precarious positions. Small bucks will be most easily found hanging near food sources where they are looking for does. You can also find them roaming around checking scrapes. They haven't totally figured out the routine, so rather than check scrapes all day for the first hot does, they chase and pester any doe with which they can get close.
Your use of scents can be the most effective the next couple weeks. Does are only a few weeks away from their cycle, so pretending to be the first hot doe in the woods can be nearly irresistible to a buck. Scent drags are super effective for the next few weeks, also. I mentioned last year how I like to use goldenrod to lay down the trail. By breaking the stalk off low to the ground and applying scent to the top, you eliminate the chance of contaminating the scent. The seeds of goldenrod are like a small version of a dandelion. They also blow in the breeze to propagate. The small parachutes hold scent well and fall off along the trail as you walk. As you drag the seeds left behind, havingscent clinging to them works much better than a pad or rag. Remember to add scent as you walk so the buck knows which way you went. As the scent strengthens, the buck believes he is getting closer to the supposed doe.
I also like to saturate my stand site with spray scent. This acts as an attractant and cover scent. When a buck follows your drag, his nose is becoming clogged with scent. If you spray a bunch at your stand site, it will help direct him to your shooting lane. I have actually had several bucks approach from directly downwind that never saw me. One small buck passed through at five yards with the wind in his face, and he never scented me. I’m not positive if they cannot smell me or are just too excited to care. Either way, you get a close-up shot at a relaxed animal, which offers you the best chance at a good shot.
By this point in season, bachelor groups have mostly broken up. They are no longer friends and are willing to fight upon seeing or hearing another buck. By using calls to threaten and upset a buck, you can further increase your odds. It is super important to understand deer vocabulary before trying to call to them. You must first know what to say before you are able to hold a conversation. If you don't know how to call, I recommend looking online or buying a video on calling whitetails.
I shoot about 85 to 90 percent of bucks by calling them in. If you don't know what a snort wheeze or a roar is, you need to learn. These calls directly threaten and enrage bucks into making an approach. A plain old grunt will work sometimes, but the roar/snort wheeze combo works more often than not. I will personally leave the woods and go home to get my call if I had left behind. I am so confident in my deer calls, that I don't even want to hunt without them.
A change of tactic is in need to keep up with the progressing rut. Don't forget your scent and calls, which surely up the odds. Be prepared to sit all day if you have the time. Remember for the next few weeks, bucks can be seen cruising looking for does or a fight.
Good wishes and be ready to start a fight with a cruising buck.
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