John's Journal...

Hunting the Rut When Sly Bucks Lose Their Cool

Stalking the Does and CVA’s Apex Rifle

Click to enlargeEditor’s Note: During the rut when the bucks are chasing the does to breed and perpetuate the species, the hunter who knows what the animals do and how their mating affects their lifestyle can take deer more consistently during the rut than at any other time of the year.

One of the bClick to enlargeest rut hunters I know is Bit McCarty, who has developed a technique that requires keen eyesight, superb woodsmanship and knowledge of deer and their habits.
“Since you know the bucks will be hunting the does during the rut, then you also realize that wherever you locate the does, the chances are extremely good that you’ll find the bucks. Bucks just hang around the does during the rut and wait for that time when the does are ready to accept them. Therefore I hunt does, and they lead me to the bucks.” When McCarty says he hunts does, he means that he locates a region where doe deer are feeding. Then as they feed through an area, McCarty tries to stay just out of sight of the does, but well within gun range of the feeding animals.

“Usually the buck will be lying in some type of thicket several yards away from the does,” McCarty reports. “He will sit there and watch the does as they feed. As the does begin to get out of the buck’s eyesight, the buck usually will get-up and move with them, find another thicket and lie down again. So, when I find does, I start searching for the thickest cover I can discover that is close to the does. I study that cover and watch for an antler tip, the inside white of a deer’s ear or the dark black circle of his eye. You’ll be surprised how easy seeing a deer’s eye in thick cover is, if you’re looking for it. By using this tactic, most of the bucks I take during the rut I generally take in the bed.  And, if I can locate does early in the day and stay with them all day without spooking them, at some time during the day, I generally will have a chance to take a buck.”Click to enlarge

Buck deer losClick to enlargee much of their wariness during the rut – when they are in love. They are intent on breeding, they are searching for does, they will work scrapes, and theywill appear on green fields. The hunter who studies the deer’s movements and hunts when the rut occurs greatly can increase his chances of taking a wall-hanging buck this season.

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Check back each day this week for more about "Hunting the Rut When Sly Bucks Lose Their Cool"

Day 1: What Triggers the Rut, and How Konus Can Help Your Deer Hunting
Day 2: Rattling-In Bucks During the Rut and the Sportsman’s Condo
Day 3: Hunting the Various Types Scrapes at the End of the Season and Using Summit Stands
Day 4: Farmland Deer During the Rut and Reading the Signs and Wildlife Energy Drink
Day 5: Stalking the Does and CVA’s Apex Rifle





 

Entry 544, Day 5