Hunting the rut

Ohanaman

Member
Early season and late season are fairly easy to hunt my property food sources/plots. The rut is a whole different deal. My question to the seasoned vets on here is how far in the heavy brush/timber do you go to hunt the rut? Disregarding wind directions? My property has been described as difficult to hunt due to lay of the timbered areas and food locations. I have around 150 acres of sanctuary. 190 acres of crops, north side or property has beans, south side has corn. 5 acres of food plots.
 
I try to find the does and the bucks are usually close by during the Rut. In the seeking phase (very early rut) then major trails that connect different bedding areas or trails between bedding and food source.
 
Thanks Doc! I have one plot that is 210 yards deep into the brush and 40 yards wide. There aren't any mature trees for stands until you get to the back of the plot. I hung a stand on the north side of the plot because there are trails from the NW and SW. Unfortunately the does come out along both sides of the plot making it really hard to not get busted. I'm using every scent control that I'm aware of to not get busted while in the tree. Getting in and out is virtually impossible without bumping some. The walk in and out is around 800 yards. I sat in a tree that sits on my corn field that buts up against the food plot last week. There we close to 50 deer in the corn at 7:15. 10 bucks. Its a great site but it makes for a late night having to wait another 40 minutes to get darker to sneak out. Not complaining!
 
Thanks Doc! I have one plot that is 210 yards deep into the brush and 40 yards wide. There aren't any mature trees for stands until you get to the back of the plot. I hung a stand on the north side of the plot because there are trails from the NW and SW. Unfortunately the does come out along both sides of the plot making it really hard to not get busted. I'm using every scent control that I'm aware of to not get busted while in the tree. Getting in and out is virtually impossible without bumping some. The walk in and out is around 800 yards. I sat in a tree that sits on my corn field that buts up against the food plot last week. There we close to 50 deer in the corn at 7:15. 10 bucks. Its a great site but it makes for a late night having to wait another 40 minutes to get darker to sneak out. Not complaining!
When I am hunting my food plots in the evening I take my wireless predator call with me and place it a little way away from my stand when walking in. I give it a quick squirt of scent killer and then go to the stand. After shooting light if there are deer in the plot I just play a few sequences of coyote howls and they are usually off and running. Works every time. Might be something to think about. Heck, I even howled myself and that will usually clear the field. However, I have never seen 50 deer in one place in my entire life. I am usually only scaring off a half dozen or so.
 
I like to hunt the downwind side of thick nasty doe beddding areas. Bucks will cruise the easier to navigate edge and wind check for hot does.
 
When I am hunting my food plots in the evening I take my wireless predator call with me and place it a little way away from my stand when walking in. I give it a quick squirt of scent killer and then go to the stand. After shooting light if there are deer in the plot I just play a few sequences of coyote howls and they are usually off and running. Works every time. Might be something to think about. Heck, I even howled myself and that will usually clear the field. However, I have never seen 50 deer in one place in my entire life. I am usually only scaring off a half dozen or so.
I use the wireless call as well. Works great.

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Never ever period disregard wind. Not to say at times you can't get away with it but I never depend on luck because I have 48 years of luck experience to know mine sucks. Another spot, if you have one, is a water crossing esp between feed and bedding.
 
I only hunt timber so I guess when prerut hits your area get into the woods. You can see things happening in deep cover you will never see on a plot as far as the prerut and rut go.

Now don't get me wrong. I love to plant plots but I rarely ever hunt them. I use them to attract and feed deer. All the killing is done in the timber...
 
Lets see if the attachment worked this time (-:
This will be hard without topo but maybe this will provide a view of my frustration of where to hunt. Most of my stands are on or near food sources. Green areas are plots and yellow area will be standing beans. There is standing corn bordering the plots as well. The long green plot is what I call the Highway. There is so much deer traffic in that area. My four evening hunts so far, I've seen 25-40 deer feeding in the plot and the crop field behind the blind. The creeks are not live all the time. There are pools that stay but the creeks do not flow all the time.
 

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