If you’re thinking about hunting a buck during deer rutting season, it helps to understand how deer behave during the rut, what tactics are effective for each phase of the rut and how to avoid some common rut hunting mistakes. Let’s look into what so many deer hunters refer to as the rut.

Some vocalizations to know include: social grunts, tending grunts, buck growl/roar, snort-wheeze, etc. Knowing these when you hear them will give you insight as to what's happening in the deer woods so that you can act accordingly.

Oct 17, 2024 · Our Whitetail Rut-Predictor represents peaks in the activities (orange and blue symbols) and “minors” of secondary activity (black symbols). The primary rut behaviors predicted in this calendar are “seeking,” “chasing” and “tending.” Feeding is a buck’s primary pre-rut activity.

Jul 20, 2024 · What Is the Deer Rut? The rut is the breeding season for whitetail deer. It’s the time when mature bucks throw caution to the wind, abandon their typical patterns, and go on the move in search of receptive does.

1 day ago · The quest for the best buck call during the rut is a perennial question for deer hunters. The simple answer? There isn’t one single “best” call. The most effective approach is a strategic combination tailored to the specific phase of the rut, the buck’s disposition, and the surrounding environment. Understanding the nuances of buck ...

14 hours ago · A mature buck, driven by an overwhelming biological imperative, will abandon his typical routine in search of receptive does. This translates to movement throughout the day, including those previously “unproductive” hours. Why Midday Matters During the Rut. Several factors contribute to increased midday buck activity during the rut:

Oct 23, 2024 · Matt Ross with the National Deer Association summarized data from six studies performed in six different states, featuring 182 collared bucks, and the data is awfully confidence-inspiring. The study showed that roughly 60% of bucks go on an excursion during the rut.

Deer hunting during the rut is the most exciting time of the year for hunters seeking trophy bucks. During this relatively short window of opportunity, the propagation of the species trumps a trophy buck’s survivalist instincts, providing hunters their best chance to target a big buck.

1 day ago · Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Buck Behavior During the Rut. Here are some frequently asked questions, so you can better understand the behavior of bucks during the rut. 1. How long does the rut last? The rut can last several weeks, but the peak rut typically lasts for around two weeks. The timing of the rut is controlled by the ...

The craziness of the rut offers some of the best big-buck hunting of the season. Here's a video crash course.