4 Tips for Hunting the Rut

Hunting the rut is one of the most exciting and action-packed times to go after whitetails in my opinion. As with any time of year there are pros and cons, but with a little pre-planning, I believe you can put the odds in your favor.

1. Hide Human Odor

First thing to note about hunting the rut is deer are unpredictable. They may have been on patterns before, but this all changes now. The only patterns they seem to follow are going where the does are. My No. 1 tip for this time of year is to ensure you’re always spraying down with Scent Killer Gold. This will help eliminate human odor, which is very important because deer won’t be coming on just one trail or in one area where you can set up, based on the wind. At times it can be complete chaos so you want to ensure regardless of where the deer go, you can stay undetected.

Deer won’t be coming on just one trail or in one area where you can set up during the rut. Regardless of where the deer go, you’ll want to stay undetected by using odor-eliminating products.

2. Use Scents

The next issue is getting deer to stop for a clean shot. So often deer will be chasing and even the loudest grunts can go un-noticed with your shooter buck passing right through your lane and never stopping. One way I’ve found to get a deer to stop where you want them to is by using scents. I like to place a curiosity or estrus scent such as Wildlife Research Center Trail’s End #307 or Golden Estrus Xtreme in my shooting lanes. What I’ve found is deer that are coming through will often stop to smell what this is; giving you a shot in the exact location you want. It’s less disruptive than trying to grunt and have them stop just past your lane or too early. This way you can count on them stopping in that location and already be at full draw or have your gun ready and set for the moment they stop.

Another great way to utilize scents is to place Active-Cam in front of your trail camera setups. One issue that many of us face who live in states where baiting is not legal is finding a way to get deer directly in front of your camera. During the rut I like to place my cameras on rubs, scrapes, mock scrapes and water sources but if I have a trail or intersecting trail in the woods this is a great scent to use to get the photos right where you need them.

One way to get a deer to stop where you want them to is by using scents.

3. Find Water

Something else to keep in mind when hunting the rut is water is super effective. All deer are running harder than normal and although they may skip eating as much, they won’t skip drinking. Find a location where deer are drinking and set up there. I’ve even had bucks wade into the water up to their neck to cool off and still drinking as they wade around as to not waste any time. If you have a food source on your property this can be effective too, but I’ve learned to hunt it slightly different during the rut. What I’ve found is that many of the does will still come out to the field and bucks prefer to just scent check the field instead of come out and waste their time eating. To hunt this effectively I usually set up right off the edge of the field and instead of keeping my eyes glued to the field, watch the trails still in the timber for bucks cruising by to scent check the field.

Water sources have great drawing power during the rut.

4. Make Mock Scrapes

Lastly, during the rut many of us run into nocturnal activity, especially from the big bucks. One way I’ve found to get those mature deer on their feet during daylight hours is to create mock scrapes. For this I usually hang a Magnum Scrape Dripper as high as I can reach and tie it off on a branch. Next I fill it with Golden Scrape and create a large visual scrape with all the leaves and dirt kicked back under the scrape dripper. Remember to spray everything down with Scent Killer Gold once your setup is complete to ensure no human odor is left behind.

Hanging a Magnum Scrape Dripper can help turn nocturnal bucks into daytime bucks.

The reason this works so well is the dripper will drip daytime only causing the deer to think another buck or hot doe is coming through during the day when they’re bedded up. Eventually their curiosity gets the best of them when this new scent is there day in and day out. Its one of the best ways I’ve found to turn nocturnal bucks into daytime bucks. Of course if you want to see the results for yourself just put a camera on the setup and watch for those bucks to make the switch.