In my 30 plus years of chasing whitetails during the peak of the rut I have definitely learned a few things, especially by the mistakes I have made. I would be out of bed long before the chickens were awake, head out to my favorite stand and wait for the sun to come up to begin another morning hunt. This usually resulted in seeing plenty of “little” bucks chasing does until mid-morning and after all the excitement I would head for the truck around 10:00 am; having already been on the stand for 4-5 hours, the woods was quiet and the does appeared to be bedded down for the day. Now this wasn’t always the case, but more times than not as I would walk out of the stand heading back to the truck I would spot one of the “big boys” out cruising around in broad daylight! I would stand there, bow in hand and helplessly ask myself…”Why are these bucks moving at this time of the day?” Here are a few reasons why I have convinced myself that midday hunts are the best and most likely time to see and potentially harvest a big mature buck. 1) Mature bucks don’t typically run “helter-skelter”, like young bucks early in the morning and late in the evening. Now realize, some mature bucks will be harvested during the early morning and late evening hours, but the majority of seasoned bucks will not. Why? I believe the does are moving and being harassed by the immature bucks which makes them harder to locate. The smarter, more mature bucks wait for the does to bed down, then and only then do these bucks rise from their secret hiding places and circle down wind of the bedding areas to scent check for estrous does. 2) Set up stands in funnels that connect known doe bedding areas. I NEVER enter this area or hunt these stand locations until the peak of the breeding season; this keeps the bucks from becoming wise to my plan. Another rule to live by is to NEVER hunt a stand if the wind is not correct for your set-up; I believe a deer sees more with their nose than their eyes. These mature bucks are smart enough on their own, there is no need to further educate them with poor scent control. 3) Timing is the most important ingredient in the recipe for success. The peak of the rut is your best opportunity to harvest a mature buck. In the Midwest, where I hunt it usually occurs around November 6th and lasts for about a week. If I’m not fortunate enough to harvest a buck during this time I will stay patient and hunt my midday sets for one more week. The odds of me catching a mature buck on the move will decrease as the seeking phase wears on, but there is still a good chance of catching a mature buck cruising for another “hot” doe. Some of the best times to hunt the peak of the rut are from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, so reset your alarm, sleep in and hunt midday; you’ll enjoy sleeping in and the increased odds of a mature buck cruising by. Hunting these midday stands during the peak of the rut doesn’t guarantee success, but it definitely offers the best opportunity at seeing and hopefully harvest that mature buck on your property. Have a safe and successful season and good luck hunting! Patrick McFadden – Antler King Pro Staff (Indiana) Categories: Education
