Pennsylvania Game News - October 2016 - 56

and other data to identify the peak of the
rut, it's not very dependable.
The rut generally comes in three
phases: the pre-rut; the peak of the rut and
post-rut. The entire process occurs mostly
from the last week in October through
November, with some minor activity into
early December.

Time Investment
The trick to hunting the rut is knowing
how to select stand sites in your hunting
area and spending as much time as possible in those stands.
Often, you will find scrapes and rubs in
the same places you found them in previous years. There will be new ones in new
places, too. But unless a major change
occurred in the area, such as timbering
or construction, most will be where they
always were.
When bucks are searching for does,
they will go almost anywhere. But they
also will use common routes.
Bucks love to run field edges and old
logging roads to find a doe's fresh scent
trail. It helps them cover more ground
quickly, and usually, these routes are used
by bucks year after year.

Buck Behavior
If a buck spots any doe during the rut,
he will approach her. If the doe is not
receptive to his advance, she normally
will trot off about 30 yards and resume
feeding. The buck might approach her
again, but if she trots off a second time,
he usually will move on to the next deer
or area.
The determined stare and swollen
neck of a rutting buck are good signs that
he's totally consumed. A buck often will
walk quickly with its nose inches from
the ground as it searches for a scent trail.
It rarely stops unless a scent trail or other
56

deer are detected. When you pinpoint
these hot routes, sort out where to place
a tree stand. I normally set up rut stands
well before mating season, sometimes
even before bow season. I steer clear of
them until the rut is on.
Early set-up ensures I won't be wasting time setting stands and disturb the
area when the rut is in full swing. I often
place two stands in the same general area
about 50 yards apart. Then I can select the
best stand, based on the time of day, wind
direction and sun's position.
A buck trailing a receptive doe initially
follows at a distance, but works to close
the gap. It's why you should always watch
closely any doe that comes into view. If
she moves, stops every 20 to 40 yards
and looks back, chances are a buck is
trailing her.
If she walks within shooting range,
note where she passes, because any buck
following her usually will be within five
yards of her trail, offering a shot. Bucks
following does normally are 30 seconds
to three minutes behind.
A trailing buck can be stopped easily
with a grunt or low whistle. But you must
be ready to shoot; he will stop for only
seconds before he moves on.
During the rut, deer will appear and
disappear in an instant.
Listen carefully as canvassing bucks
advertise their availability through a series
of low grunts. I often duplicate the grunts
in sequences of three or four every 15 to
20 minutes in hopes of drawing a passing
buck. It doesn't work often, but when it
does, it draws company in a heartbeat.

Decoy Options
The deer decoy is one hunting tool
that's underutilized in the rut.
I have found that does normally are put
at ease when they spot a decoy, apparently
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - October 2016
