The Rut – Fact and Myth

By Rob Somerville.

      Much has been written about the magical time of year when bucks chase does all day long, and hunter orange is as common in the woods as Tennessee Vols games are on TV sets on Saturday afternoons. Today we will look at the rut, examine what it really is, and check out some tips and tactics from our pro staff team.

                   Love is in the Air!

     This is common knowledge that when human males fall in love we become hopeless idiots. We forget to eat and sleep, and will pursue the object of our heart’s desire to the ends of the earth until she finally falls for our charming ways. For the whitetail buck, the scenario is quite similar. The big difference remains in the fact that the doe to buck ratio is probably an average of anywhere from eight to one, to sixteen or more to one, does to bucks in the Volunteer State. What that means is that we will still some see bucks chasing does with romance on their mind, but there is little to no competition, especially for the big boys, to find a “gal pal”. They don’t have to travel far to find romance, and that limits the range that they will travel for us to get a shot. Bearing that in mind, let’s examine the rut, and look at some tips to help us be more successful in hunting down trophy bucks during this period in Tennessee.

Beat it pal, this is my turf.

       Beginning around the first of November, the bachelor groups of bucks that have been hanging out together suddenly find that they can hardly tolerate each others company. They begin to split up, marking their territory with rubs and scrapes. These “scent posts” are means of communication between the herd and help to establish a pecking order between the former buddies. A rub is made when a buck takes his antlers and scrapes them against a tree, removing the bark, and exposing the inner layer of wood. He then rubs his pre-orbital glands, located on his forehead, on this exposed wood. These glands secrete a fluid that is a means for other deer to tell the age, size, and dominance of the buck. He will also take the tines of his antlers and thrash any nearby, overhanging branches. All bucks will make rubs on small trees. But it is a pretty good rule of thumb that only big bucks will rub trees that are five inches in diameter or larger.

     A scrape is an area of ground, usually located under some overhanging, low branches. The buck uses his front paws to scrape away the leaves and vegetation, down to the bare dirt floor, and urinates down his tarsal glands located on his back legs into the scrape. Both does and bucks passing through the area will approach these scrapes and scent-check them to see who has visited there lately. It is similar to when you let “Old Rover” out of the house in the morning. He immediately will run up to each tree and bush, smell them, and urinate on them. This is his way of seeing who has been by to visit, and in turn, mark the area as his home territory, warning others to stay away.

The Angst of the Male Teenager.

     Just as human teenage boys go through some confusing times, so do the button-bucks {buck fawns}. And their situation is even worse. Sure, maybe they don’t have to fight acne or their voice changing every other word, but they get turned away from mama and the rest of the herd in late October to fend for themselves. The reason for this exile is that they are male and soon will become bothersome to the adult and fawn does when the mating season begins.

Looking for Love in all the Wrong Places.

      Now let’s look at some strategies for harvesting that “Wall-Hanger” buck you have been dreaming about. First of all when the rut starts to kick in, as you will notice by seeing bucks chasing does in the field, forget about hunting rubs and scrapes. Give up that perfect stand location which you believe sits between the bucks bedding and feeding areas. It is time to set up and hunt where the girls are. When the rut occurs the bucks feed and take water only out of necessity. Their main focus is the procreation of their species, and it is at this time that the formerly nocturnal trophy bucks will be moving during daylight hours. The key in hunting for that trophy is to find an area that has a good density of doe traffic and set up accordingly. If you see a single doe walking stiff legged, with her tail stuck straight out, it means she is receptive to love, and Romeo could show up at any time.

Using Sense with Scents.

     The rut is a prime time of year to use deer attractant scents. “Doe Estrus” is the most common attractant used during the rut, as it mimics a doe ready to breed. But I feel a combination of estrus urine and buck urine works best. Not only does this send a signal of a “hot doe” being in the area, but it also tells a nearby buck that he may have competition hanging around her. A great trick our team uses is to take a “Hot Hands” hand warmer, and shake it to activate it. Then take a clean kitchen sponge and wrap it around the heat-giving device. Next soak it in CODE BLUE doe estrus and hang it in front of your stand about twenty yards out. This imitates a doe in heat, and the hot smell emanates the urine scent making the buck think that love is truly around the corner. But the best way to fool a mature buck’s nose is to maintain your body and clothes as scent-free as possible. Use scent-free deodorant, shampoo, body wash, and laundry detergent. Spray your boots, underarms, and cap with odor eliminating spray. And please do not go to all this trouble, and then walk in to the nearest convenient store the morning of your hunt to get a cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich because there are no sausage and biscuits in the deer woods and the deer are aware of this!

Strategy.

     Unlike the remaining 49 weeks of the year, when mature bucks travel only at complete darkness or right around it, the rut changes their security system. This is the time of year when you need to be in the stand all day long. More trophy bucks are harvested between the hours of 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM than at any other time period. The reason is two-fold. For one, the bucks are not opposed to traveling in complete daylight at the chance that their trolling might catch them a doe. The second reason is that they didn’t get to live 3 ½ to 5 ½ years by being completely stupid. These mature bucks have patterned hunters throughout their lives. They know that most hunters hunt from daylight to about 9:00AM, and in the afternoon from around 3:00PM to dark. So they hit the trails at this time in search of a hot doe.

Summary:

     I hope this article helped you make sense of the rut. I would love to hear your own strategies for this time of year, and see pictures of your success. You can contact me by email at twoww@ocol.net.

     Until next time, enjoy the great outdoors the Good Lord has blessed us with. And always remember that our kids truly are our most precious natural resource. They are our future.

See ya,

Rob.