Post Rut Whitetail Tactics
Whitetail Deer
Preferred food source near thick bedding is my first go to right now. If we get some 20 degree nights, food for sure.
normally would be my son's basketball, but since he tore his ACL and meniscus, might actually hunt a bit more. He is not due to return to sports until Feb 1st.
Rut was earlier this year in my part of NJ, seeing lots of Doe returning to feeding patterns, but yet they still a little edgy about exposing themselves in open fields, because I still see bucks cruising and they harrass the does almost immediately as I witnessed a 115" 7pt do evening of 18th after passing on him when he came out all alone and within minutes he was on the does at far end of field I saw a 115" 8ptr chasing a big doe real hard on 21st, a buck I passed twice this year. I watched a 1.5 yr old dink feeding along with 4 young doe that same morning, and he was not exhibiting any rut behavior and wanted to feed on the standing corn.
I read your artical Pat - it is spot on. The key is having unpressured ground near food sources and HEAVY cover, there is no substitute for that. Most of my private spots have limited cover and too much open woods, but I do have food sources to hunt. I plan on bowhunting week of shotgun season if weather is decent.
You're right Pat. I've got 2 weeks left and not worried a bit. My nocturnal bucks will show themselves pretty soon. I had 8 or 10 go by me last night with one smaller buck still chasing, and the girls are not interested. With heavy snow here this morning, I'm heading out early this afternoon. Love it, Love it, Love it!
My favorite time is around New Years when the doe fawn rut kicks in. The best is yet to come! GL
I'm off the next 4 days. I truly expect some encounters with brute's during that time. They'll be in a frenzy looking for the few hot does left.
Hunting close to doe bedding areas closest to food sources.
Don't get to rambunkshus there. Bucks are still running with does or hoping to run with does. I shot this big guy the day after Thanksgiving while he was hooked up with a doe.
ricketts: But that's tomorrow! How did you do that??
Charlie, I'm clairvoyant.
I didn't say it was this year. The buck was tending a doe and she made a mistake. He paid the price for her mistake.
"Charlie, I'm clairvoyant."
LMFAO!
Ricketts, beautiful buck by the way! Congrats!
Ricketts. No wonder you nailed that big guy, it appears your wearing your lucky aboriginal penis sheath.
mm...there is a 140's buck sitting there and you notice THAT.....WTF???
HA! Come on Les,in the words of Mr. Joker "why so serious?". I find laughter in the little things. Or medium sized, whatever, I don't judge. And of course I noticed the awesome buck. Congrats to Mr. Ricketts.
And as far as the topic of the thread. I like hunting them the way I do in the early season, just wearing a lot more clothes. I base my ambush points in relation to food sources,close to the thick stuff if possible.
I love a good cold snap, maybe a little snow. Seems to get them moving to food earlier and sometimes leaving it later in the mornings. I always manage to see a couple nice ones during late season.
"Ricketts. No wonder you nailed that big guy, it appears your wearing your lucky aboriginal penis sheath."
Congrats mountainman on the single most hilarious post in the history of Bowsite. You sir deserve an award!
Thank you Mr. BowFreak. I'll be here all week, maybe longer, possibly years. Pretty much as long as I can afford to put gas in this computer.
"The key is having unpressured ground near food sources and HEAVY cover"
Couldn't agree more. I usually hunt the food sources leading to the "destination" plot. Since I started doing this, I can get out at dark as they have passed me for the big ag fields, feeding on the small clover and brassicas plots leading to it.
I love seeing guys take late season bucks. There is just something about it. Says alot about the hunter, the decication and the knowledge.
Hard to explain I guess, but you see the rut kills, which most are, including mine, and they are great..... but late season is something special. w
It's where only the dedicated and crazy come out to play :)
mm..my post was in humor also, I also thought it was funny :)
Thank you very much Pat for starting this post and soliciting feedback. I offer my experiences to support what you shared with us. I am from Ontario Canada and can support everything that you say and have depicted in your charts. Attached first, is a buck from 23 Nov. of a past year. I had 5 other deer (Maternal doe, a yearling doe, a fawn, a spike and a fork)come by me before he arrive. All were a tad nervous and looking back over their shoulders. He then came in and at the time was not showing any rut behaviour, just seemed to be following them. They were on their way to my brassica food plot. He never made it. My input is: believe this thread. This time of year is easier IMHO then the pre rut.
Here is one from 30 Dec., again from a previous year. This guy was very old (no teeth) and very worn out. Again, going to food. Guys, believe me this is not bragging. My intention is just to confirm that what has been posted works in case it helps you hang in until year end. Quite frankly, it is also to imbed it yet again in me. I have taken my anterless tags this year, and even after past successes, I need to affirm in myself that it pays to stick in and be out there!!
Finally here is one from third week in Nov. of a previous season. He came to a breeding bellow call and a laying down doe decoy. He was in rut/seeking mode. He pussy-footed around me for 45 minutes. Then he caught sight of my decoy and I could have shouted and not kept him away! Sorry for poor quality,fuzzy pic, it was a new camera, but now is long gone, not very user friendly!
I think that post traditional rut, we need to be ready for anything and any behaviour as the thread suggests.
It is now 26 Nov this year and I am still hunting non stop up here until 31 Dec, season end. I will send a pic or two of my Brassica plots as season progresses and maybe a buck pic! You would not believe what deer are doing to them and it will only get better with snow fall and colder temperatures.
This is the Best of Times!! Very best regards from Canada! Canuck
Finally here is one from third week in Nov. of a previous season. He came to a breeding bellow call and a laying down doe decoy. He was in rut/seeking mode. He pussy-footed around me for 45 minutes. Then he caught sight of my decoy and I could have shouted and not kept him away! Sorry for poor quality,fuzzy pic, it was a new camera, but now is long gone, not very user friendly!
I think that post traditional rut, we need to be ready for anything and any behaviour as the thread suggests.
It is now 26 Nov this year and I am still hunting non stop up here until 31 Dec, season end. I will send a pic or two of my Brassica plots as season progresses and maybe a buck pic! You would not believe what deer are doing to them and it will only get better with snow fall and colder temperatures.
This is the Best of Times!! Very best regards from Canada! Canuck
It's crazy here in Alabama. Just last week in one spot I was on a bachelor group of bucks and 10 miles down the road just two days later a doe was coming in heat with bucks chasing her around. I believe if you move around in this state you can hunt the pre-rut / rut the entire season. Thats what I try to do.
He still will be using his travel corridors to get to those food sources. And those corridors will be marked by his rub lines.
RUB LINES are the key imo.
The last couple of years, I have had the luck to spend a ton of time in the woods and have really set my sights on specific bucks. What I have experienced is that although the rut may be the best time for deer movement in general, I do not like it when targeting a specific buck. Sure that buck is moving, but he can be miles away from where he was living and there is no rhyme or reason to where he will be. My favorite time is the first week of the season, which is normally the first full week of Sept here in NJ. Other than that, I really like late season hunting if you can find their food source and set up near their bedding area. From my personal expereiences and what my trail cameras have told me the last couple years is that the bucks will normally hit the food source in the late season after dark. When a front blows through though, they will be on their feet early and these are the days you need to be on stand, no matter how cold or how bad the weather is.
This past Tuesday, November 27, this buck came in at last light. I had watched him all summer and he was completely nocturnal come openning day. He disappeared completely the end of october. I sat the stand through the snow storm that we just had and he came by at very last light, in fact, if he had come two minutes later I would not have been able to shoot. The snow had him on his feet early.
great article Pat, it is also my favorite time of year to hunt. This is when the big boys make their mistakes and in my opinion are most vulnerable.
