Deer Hunting During the Rut

While prerut deer hunting centers around food sources, hunting during the rut is a completely different game. Rutting season or mating season for deer usually occurs during late fall or winter months. The actual time of rut varies from region to region. During this time, bucks are looking for does that are ready to mate rather than for food. Hunting whitetail deer during the rut usually centers around scrape lines along trails or near food sources.

A scrape is a mark in the ground where a buck has pawed the leaves and surface dirt away. This basically lets does in the area know there is an eligible bachelor nearby. Typically a doe that is ready to mate urinates in the scrape. The buck then checks the scrapes periodically and when a doe in heat is detected, the chase is on. Finding a scrape line and placing a stand strategically nearby is one of the best ways to bag a trophy buck. The idea is to try to catch the buck checking the scrapes.

Bucks will also create rubs on trees. A rub is an area on a tree trunk where the bark has been rubbed off by a bucks antlers. Also, nearby twigs or branches may be broken. Bucks create rubs to mark a territory and let does and other bucks know of their presence. Usually a scrape will be near a rub and often any over hanging limbs over a scrape will be broken. Hunting in areas where there are rubs may increase the chances of seeing a trophy buck chasing a doe. Keep in mind that bucks tend to be constantly on the move during the rut so hunting near sign such as fresh scrapes or rubs is imperative to keep up with them. Bucks will freshen a scrape periodically by pawing the dirt again. A scrape that obviously has been left alone for a while probably will not be worth hunting because the buck may be in another area at that time.

In conclusion, hunting during the rut is more unpredictable than hunting in the prerut season. Deer never stay in the same areas much and a scrape used a couple of weeks ago may not be active now. Check scrapes periodically to determine if a buck is still in the area and look for fresh rubs. Always be wary even if scouting because during the rut, that monster buck may show up at any time.

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