The rut is an excellent time to hunt whitetails. The action can be incredible. It’s a fun time to witness deer behavior. Furthermore, as many have said, while it isn’t the best time to pursue a specific mature buck, it is the best time to shoot any mature buck. However, make the following mistakes and it likely won’t happen. Avoid these while hunting the rut this season.
1. Going Crazy About Rut Sign
Rut sign is great. Rubs confirm that deer were there during the early season, pre-rut, and maybe the early phases of the rut. Scrapes can do the same. However, when scouting during the rut, unless it’s ultra-fresh sign, don’t put too much stock in it.
Furthermore, bucks commonly end up in areas well away from where they laid down most of that sign during the pre-rut. They might be there, but they might be a long distance from it, too. Use heavy rut sign to your advantage, but don’t put too much stock in it.
2. Hunting Where They Were
Likewise, it’s easy to hunt deer where they used to be rather than where they are now. This holds true for where deer spent time earlier in the season. It also is relevant when thinking back to past seasons.
Sure, oftentimes these places can overlap. You can find consistent success in the same general area from one season to another. But don’t rely on it.
3. Thinking Peak Rut Is Prime
Some hunters like to believe and say that peak rut is the best part of the rut. Simply, it isn’t. This is a time when there’s quite a bit of action, but much of it is spent deep within heavy cover where bucks are corralling estrus does. They spend a lot of time bedded, too, and don’t cover much ground. Some refer to this as the lockdown.
This is when the highest percentage of does are in estrus at once. Thus, being called the “peak rut.” And so, those who hope to see better action should consider the week or so leading up to peak rut for the best deer movement.
4. Forgetting About the Late Rut
The early or primary rut window is the best time to experience overall rutting action. But ignoring the latter days of the rut is a mistake. For hunters in the northern half of the country, this typically falls during the last seven to 10 days of November.
While most of the younger bucks have spent most of their energy, mature deer have saved a little gas in the tank for this final stretch of remaining estrous does. Interestingly, some of the biggest record-book bucks taken have fallen during this timeframe.
5. Staying Home When It’s Warm
Everyone wants a good cold front during their planned vacation days during the rut. We don’t always get that, though. Sometimes, it’s warm, and we can’t do anything about it. When the mercury is higher than you’d like, keep at it. Bucks still move during the rut on warm days. Be there when they do.
6. Not Hunting Mornings
During the early season, afternoons tend to be more effective than morning hunts. The same holds true for the late season. But during the rut, that script flips. Mornings tend to be better and more productive. Not hunting mornings during the rut is a significant mistake.
7. Focusing Too Much on Trail Cameras
Trail cameras are great tools. These are powerful scouting tools that help take inventory and pattern deer. But this doesn’t work quite as well during the rut. Deer are moving in new places, using different travel routes, and running wild.
If placed in the wrong spots, trail cameras can miss this activity. Furthermore, bucks are regularly moving into new areas and covering different ground. Trail cameras might not capture images of a newcomer buck that you’d otherwise see on stand.
8. Not Calling Enough
Being conservative has its place. But the rut oftentimes calls for more aggressive tactics. Calling and rattling is made for the rut. Using these tactics can mean the difference in luring a buck within range, and seeing it walk out of your life, never to be seen again. When a deer is out of range, and moving away from you, consider calling and/or rattling.
9. Calling At the Wrong Time
There are right and wrong times to call. If a deer is already in range, don’t call. If it’s coming into range, don’t call. If you do, it will likely circle downwind of you after calling, don’t call. If deer are heavily pressured, and a calling session could do more harm than good, don’t call.
10. Leaving the Decoys at Home
When hunting on private land, where there isn’t a great risk of other hunters being nearby, and outside of gun seasons, it can pay off to deploy a decoy. Using a buck decoy during the rut can provoke a fight if a mature deer passes by within sight of it. Pairing the decoy with calling efforts can work well, too.
11. Not Being Aggressive Enough
Sometimes, it’s best to have a plan and stick to it. But there are times to change that plan and adapt, which is usually considered aggressive. If you see a scenario where it’s the right play, go for it. Sometimes, being aggressive in your approach is the best move.
12. Ignoring Watering Holes
Bucks cover a lot of ground during the rut. Ignoring watering holes can be a mistake, especially if water is in limited supply. Hunting over or near secluded watering holes within or on the fringe of cover can be an excellent approach.
13. Disregarding Oddball Encounters
During the rut, bucks push does to weird locations to get them away from the bulk of the herd. Seeing it once might be coincidental. However, it usually pays off to remember these oddball encounters in weird places. It might be a historical location where deer spend time during the rut. Don’t write off these weird spots.
There are plenty of rut hunting mistakes to avoid each season. The above are some of those. But there are plenty more. This season, listen to your gut, and make the right moves to kill a mature whitetail buck.
