LAST UPDATED: May 8th, 2015
The rut is the one time each season when bucks leave their safe zones – the places where they know the curve of every branch and the smell of every turd. Suddenly they are in situations where they don’t always have the upper hand. Throw in a little testosterone and they are not only in unfamiliar settings but are moving more than usual. In other words, for a couple of weeks each season they actually become vulnerable. They may even make mistakes. This, of course, is why the rut is the most exciting time to be in the woods.
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Believe it or not, the rut also has a downside. When bucks are on the move looking for does they become extremely unpredictable. All the time you put in scouting for rub lines and scrape lines and licking branches and breeding hubs, and all that other neat textbook buck sign is of very little value when bucks are walking helter-skelter through the woods. Trying to hunt a buck by focusing on sign becomes a waste of time. This can be especially frustrating if you’re hunting one particular animal. How can you figure out where he’s going to be next when he doesn’t even know himself?
To continue reading the story on the rut guide click here.
