What's the best way to hunt during the rut?

[cosmiccowboy]

The only thing is we don't have feeders on our place this year, we only have food plots. And we have only seen a spike and the person that saw it, shot and missed. So I'm just trying to think where the best place is to hunt. I did find a scrape and three rubs!

Brandon

Once the rut starts they will pretty much abandon their pre-rut pattern and the scrapes.

Do you have does coming to the food plots?

If you do, the best strategy is probably to hunt the staging areas between the bedding areas and the food plots.

During the rut mature bucks that aren't on does tend to abandon the "normal" trails to and from the food sources and will work "across" them instead...they try to increase their odds of finding a hot doe by crossing ALL the trails they can and smelling for signs of a doe in estrus. They may circle the food plot completely back in the "cover' without actually showing themselves in daylight
out in the food plot...if they don't cut "hot" doe sign they may just keep moving instead of going to the food plot...

[BrandonA]

Bowhunting the rut to me is extremly difficult. Bucks for some reason won't stand still. One thing that I like to do especially when things are dry is to hunt water holes. When deer, does and bucks, are running they have to drink. I know deer can survive on enough mositure from the vegitation but they prefer a good cool drink.

[Incognito]

Hunt where the does are feeding .

[head]

so about the water question...

would a deer rather drink fresh water, say from a creek, or stagnant water, say from a mudhole? right now our creeks are dry, and our mudhole spots are drying up, so they're options are limited... would you say hunt the water sources available?

[BrandonA]

Preferably they would want fresh water. But they will drink whatever is available. If you have a secluded water trough you may try it.

[cosmiccowboy]

It kind of depends on the temperature...mature bucks tend to want to water in mid-day on hot days...I have put trailcams on water troughs with mixed results...I would get a few deer at the water but not near 100% of the deer in the area...virtually all were younger animals...I didn't get any of the mature bucks at the water...

[bug]

where the does are

[Bowwiz]

I hunt where the does hang out,when they come into heat...the bucks will follow.