Hello everyone, I'm new to the bowhunting.com forums (that doesnt really madder though) but I have been hunting for a while now, and never really took advantage of the whitetail rut. I've used calls and scents, but I know i haven't used them effectively. So i was wondering if some of you guys could help a fellow hunter out and give me some tips on how to effectively hunt the rut, and if there are any scents or call types you guys like using that would also be greatly appreciated. ( I live in the Piedmont area of North Carolina if that helps anything) -Jordan
If you have hunted during the rut then you were taking advantage of the rut. Scent (deer) based attractants and cover scents are a bit more effective and calls are more effective in general like grunts and snort/wheezes'. The major advantage to the rut is just the increased deer activity and daylight movement so as Sota indicated the best thing to use to utilize the rut is just putting in stand time.
Find pinch points that will help narrow deer down. In eastern NC we have big plots of swamps and woods that are thick, so unless we're extremely lucky we don't have much luck sitting just anywhere. The pinch points help to funnel the deer. You mentioned calling. Lots of folks around here rattle, I never have, so i'll let someone speak on that topic. I always take my grunt call, tho I never use it unless I see a buck and he's walking away from me. Last year, during seek & chase (exactly a year for this saturday) I watched a buck chasing a doe and he was grunt while he was. So I grunted back at him. At first he didn't pay attention, he was too focused on the doe, but after she ran off, he came and checked out who/what was grunting. At 35 yards he stood behind a cedar and never presented a shot. As mentioned prior, I never use my grunt call until I see a buck (I never blind call) and only if he's walking away from me. But also as Sota mentioned, spend as much time in the stand as possible. You'll learn just as much from that as any forum or thread. Hope this helps. Welcome to the forum! Good luck bud!
x2 on this! Find the funnels, where the deer are more likley to travel through. I also only use my grunt tube and only use it when I see a buck walking away from me. Just have never been confident in blind calling and rattling. Another tip for the rut is to be alert, I've had deer come in quick while chasing! I like to use Evercalm as my coverscent, seems to work pretty well. Hope this helps!
All day sits, hunt travel routes and if you can get in before the does bed, edges of bedding areas can be hot spots.
Thank you guys so much for all the advice. I'll try to get me a portable climber stand so i can get back in the thick stuff near a pretty high traffic deer area! Again thank you!
How y'all be hunting all day? I be cramping up. Do y'all stay alert all the time too? Cause I sleep a lot while up in the tree stand while tethered of course...
Is that ebonics? I've sat a few all days, I just occassionally stand up to stretch and draw the bow every now and then to keep from muscles tightening up.
Lol! I will say all days can pay off here in lower Alabama when the rut hits, these deer are screwy down here!
I know that some have success rattling during the rut but I never have . I do have great success with the buck roar and if the first one doesn't bring him in then add a few tending grunts at the end of the second roar . I've had that combo bring them from a couple hundred yards away .
