HOW TO HUNT DURING THE POST-RUT

EDITOR'S NOTE: Preston Pittman, a longtime resident of Mississippi, who now lives in Canton, hunts all across the state as well as much of the nation each year for white-tailed deer.

QUESTION: How do you hunt the post-rut, Preston?

ANSWER: In the post-rut, I'll go back to hunting food sources. I'm more of a lazy hunter during that time of the year. The rut is over, and the bucks are worn down. We don't get to hunt much of the post-rut in Mississippi since the rut here is so late, almost at the close of the season. But when the post-rut does occur early, I'll hunt a lot of food plots.

QUESTION: Do you grunt and rattle over the food plots after the rut?

ANSWER: No, I don't. I'm purely hunting the food source. I'm careful about grunting. Just because I'll have the grunt call with me doesn't mean I'll be using it. I think that when you use a grunt call, you're only trying to call in the more dominant type buck. Many times you can run off bucks that aren't the dominant buck if you use the grunt call. I likely won't grunt unless I see a buck. I think a lot of people miss out after the rut by using scents and lures again. Usually by then, scents and lures aren't very effective. Generally scents and lures are more effective when the first does are starting to come in.

TOMORROW: HOW TO TAKE A BUCK ON THE LAST DAY OF DEER SEASON

Check back each day this week for more from Preston Pittman...

Day 1 - Secrets To Taking Deer During The Pre-Rut And The Rut
Day 2 - What Kind Of Scrapes Make A Good Hunt
Day 3 - How To Hunt During The Full Rut
Day 4 - How To Hunt During The Post-Rut
Day 5 - How To Take A Buck On The Last Day Of Deer Season

John's Journal