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Post rut strategies

Well it's looking like the best rut associated buck movements are tailing off and it looks like we may be near or in "lock down". Of course it depends where your deer are in the process. Of course we're still bowhunting but for those of you that will hunt with firearms I'd like to pose a question.

How many of you will change your stands and/or tactics once the peak breeding has passed and the pressure ratchets up with a lot of other deer hunters entering the woods with the firearms opener?

Do you make adjustments to your thinking on stand choices based upon pressure?

How confident are you that as the peak passes and is on the downside, bucks will again be moving through the same funnels or travel corridors they used during the build up to the breeding?

Hope some of you will opine.

I know for myself I will be staying right where I have been until opening weekend is over. After that due to the fact I am hunting heavily pressured public land I will most likely turn to stalking heavy cover areas and bedding areas to get the deer. Once all the shooting starts they go right back to nocturnal. My other option is staying closer to food sources as the bucks will be feeding more after the rut.

Post rut deer which it will be a while before we are in post rut in my area are actually easier to kill. That is why the gun hunters do so well some years. Big bucks will roam far and wide once the rut is over looking for any leftover does and they are very likely to get themselves killed as a lot of times they end up in unfamiliar territory. I don't change up much for my bow hunting as I hunt a bow only area mostly and a lot of times the deer pressured by the gun hunters move into this area. I believe the "Post Rut" is one of the best times to kill a big unsuspecting buck. Shawn

If its cold, I hunt the food source. They will bed close by. They have to conserve energy and put the weight that they lost during the rut back on. Any time of the day may work.

All day sits are in order this time of year. I have several picture of mid day movement.

this is the time you may find a buck walking around any time during the day. The chase is just getting going, the buck are ready and the does still are not. So the bucks are out looking for the first of the does to come in season.

Yes, buck activity may happen at any time of the day. But, I think they're locked down with does and post-rut will happen during gun season.

Wishing good luck to those that are hunting this week...

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Now that it is really post..post RUT, what do you guys do to stir up some action?

hunt food areas...

Actually the area I am hunting, the second rut is on right now. I have seen a lot of chasing the last two days out. This morning saw 5 different bucks chasing a poor fawn around for half an hour. I am heading back early this afternoon and hoping a big boy has joined the party. Shawn

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