Hunting the Rut

The rut, also known as the mating season for the deer, is by far the best time to be out in the stand hunting hard for the monster bucks.  During this time the doe's urine has a distinct potent smell that tell the bucks that they are ready to breed.  As the rut begins you will notice more of the smaller bucks chasing the younger doe around and sparing with each other but no real fighting takes place.  But once more doe start to go into heat you tend to see more mature bucks showing their presence running the trails the doe have been using more frequently.  It is tough to find the monster bucks at anytime during the rut, since they tend to be more nocturnal or tend to just lay with one doe.  After a about a week or so into the rut the mature bucks tend to be out in full force and ready to fight when the doe population that is in heat is not keeping up with the amount of bucks in the area.  The bucks are more prone to answer to doe bleats, buck grunts, and rattling.  Usually they come in slower with the doe bleats and tend to come in more aggressive and fast when using a combination of the buck grunts and rattling together.  Just seeing the buck come in with the crazed look in his eye, hair standing on end, and breathing hard is just a sight to see.  So now that you know what goes on during the rut be sure to get out there next time it comes around and be sure to hunt it hard.