LAST UPDATED: May 1st, 2015
The mere thought of the rut being over is a tough pill to swallow. As bowhunters we dream of this sacred season all year long, and then it quickly comes and goes. Many bowhunters will hang up their bows around the third week of November as they tap out to discouragement and unpunched tags. But the truth is the days following the peak of the rut can be some of the best days of the season. Here’s a few reasons why I love bowhunting beyond the rut.
The Bucks Are Back
When we break down the days of the rut, we actually realize that the peak of the rut can be some of the most frustrating times of the season. You may find yourself full of regret for taking a week of vacation time during the peak of the rut (mid- November). The hard truth is that some of the best days of whitetail action are actually the pre-rut. The last few days of October through the first week and a half of November have consistently been some of the best for deer activity, calling, and big buck encounters.
Then the peak of the rut hits, and we find ourselves scratching our heads. What happened? Big buck activity and sightings seem to be nearly nonexistent as the “lock-down” phase of the rut sets in. But after the peak of the rut, bucks begin to show back up again. Bucks that have wandered off the property or have been locked down in thickets and bedding areas during the peak of the rut will begin to show back up in their core area. They will likely appear tired and worn down from their relentless pursuit of does, but if they have survived encounters with hunters elsewhere, they will return to their home range. This is a great time to be utilizing trail cameras to track familiar bucks on your properties.
Tired, worn down and often skinny from the vigors of a hard rut bucks will often return back to their core areas during late season which may give you a second shot at success.
Few things are as exciting as seeing a buck show back up on a trail camera after having disappeared for a few weeks during the rut. A renewed spark of hope and desire will find you hitting the woods once again in search of a post-rut encounter.
The Rut Round 2
I’ll never forget an encounter my family had with a big whitetail buck several years ago while Christmas shopping. We were at a stand-still with four lanes of bumper-to-bumper traffic coming in to the city when I looked out the window and saw a buck chasing a doe right through all the chaos of cars. It was around noon in mid-December. Round two of the whitetail rut was no doubt alive and well on that day.
While this topic has been heavily debated over the years there is no questioning the fact that some rut activity may still be taking place well into December.
While countless debates have raged at hunting camps across the country over the legitimacy of the “2nd Rut,” the fact is unbred does will cycle again in mid-December. With hot does in the area bucks will once again follow their need to breed. Scrapes will begin popping up again and you’ll see much of the activity experienced in November, only on a smaller scale. I honestly love this time of the year for messing with a big buck’s mind. I’ll put mock scrapes and scent trails to work at this time like no other simply because I feel the bucks are more concentrated in this phase. Receptive does are fewer and farther between at this time of year, so scent products and calling will often bring a quick and eager response from a buck when unbred does begin to cycle again.
Late Season Feast or Famine
When things once again slow down following the second round of the rut, bucks will be back to a strict feeding routine. Their efforts will be focused on refueling their bodies following the brutal effects of the rut. Anyone that’s ever hunted late December and January knows that late-season deer hunting can truly be feast or famine…for the hunter and the hunted. Deer will typically be in larger herds at this time as they grind it out for late season food sources. If they are feeding on your property, you’ll be in the hot seat. If you don’t have access to the food sources, you may be in for a long, cold, lonely sit.
Late season food plots are dynamite at this time of the year and will often find deer pouring into these spots in the last couple hours of daylight. The late season can be an incredible time to bowhunt as deer are more vulnerable to food sources now than any other time of the season.
Remember those food plots you worked so hard on last summer? Late season is when that work begins to pay dividends. A good brassica/turnip plot like this one from Heartland Wildlife can draw in deer from miles around.
Don’t hang up your bow just yet! Some of the best days of the season have yet to come. Find the beds, transitional travel routes, and food sources, and you’ll find the herd. And if Big Daddy has survived to this point, you just might find the perfect opportunity to punch a tag beyond the rut.
