Rec and Sports

Deer Hunting Success during the Rut

The possibility of hunting a deer while in rut is a one of its kind experience that can produce tremendous accomplishment if done properly. Precise scouting is always a must. As the mantra goes in real estate: location, location, location is everything. The same can be said for hunting the rut.

Once you have successfully found a scrape or rub line the next task is locating your surprise assault point. As always think about the wind bearing and topography of your surroundings before placing a blind or tree stand. Is your location an area deer are likely to visit on their way to feeding zones? Are they likely to pass through heading off to bedding area? After taking into thought these factors, you will be better prepared to decide on the area to hunt.

Is success eluding you while hunting a rub line or scrape? Try hunting during different hours of the day. During the rut, a buck’s movement patterns are more likely to revolve around a hot doe than his stomach. Many bucks are shot every year in the rut during the middle of the day.

If changing your hunting hours doesn’t work or just is not possible there are other things that you can try to get the buck you have been hunting within range. If a friend has recently harvested a buck from another area, ask them for the buck’s tarsal gland. Be careful not to contaminate the gland with human scent. This can be done by handling the gland with gloved hands and transporting it in a sealed container. This gland can be hung close to a scrape or rub that you are hunting. The scent of a new buck in the area will bring the monster you have been chasing out to investigate.

Another way to get a quick look of the trophy you have been pursuing is find a different buck’s scrape. Again with gloved hands and a sealable container harvest some of the urine scented dirt and droppings from the other scrape. After that place what you collected on top of the scrape you have been hunting. The protective buck in your area will come to see which one of his rivals is trying to steal his does.

Scent is an indispensable part of hunting most animals. Scent is very important during the rut and while hunting rub lines or scrapes. Always hunt the downwind side of the rub or scrape. There are many scent attractants on the market that come in liquid and solid states. Bucks may be lured into visiting their scrapes more often by adding doe-in-heat urine to their scrapes.

One other strategy to get bucks to move into view is to create a drag line. Do this simply by soaking a scent free cloth attached to about 8 feet of string or light-weight rope in doe-in-heat urine or a similar attractant. Drag this cloth across near by trails leading into your shooting lanes always being mindful of where you step to avoid contaminating the area with your human scent. After you have created your drag line hang the cloth from a nearby tree for extra scent attraction.