The pre-rut is great for seeing bucks, but the peak of the rut, not so much. Here are some tips for changing that scenario.
When is the peak of the rut in the Carolinas? It’s complicated
Conventional wisdom aside, when a dominant buck corrals an estrous doe, he quits chasing for several days. That's why wall-hanger bucks may disappear during the peak of the rut, making a hunter's best-laid plans often [...]
Sex sells when it comes to deer scents
Using scents throughout the rutting period is mainstream to what most deer hunters accept as scent luring the animals into range. To whitetail deer, odors are a language until themselves that tell a very pungent [...]
For two months, hunters armed with arrow-slinging devices, blackpowder cannons and assorted other modern weapons have searched forests, fields and riverbottoms in search of a trophy buck.
Keep trail cams out as the rut nears; they carry info that’s both new and important as deer change
Trail cameras are about as important to today’s hunter as his or her weapon of choice or tree stand, and they’re not the same as they were 10 or even five years ago.
Does the moon trigger the whitetail rut?
It’s an age-old, chicken-and-egg question with an answer that seems important because it’s generally accepted by old-time hunters. But likely it’s meaningless.
By November, the deer rut is in full swing throughout all 146 counties in the Carolinas. Hormone-crazed bucks are on the move, and hunters need to keep their calendars clear to make sure they are [...]
Until the rut kicks in, keep calling, rattling low key
Few people in the hunting industry would ever describe Marshall Collette as “understated.”
Once bucks are in the height of pursuing does, their instincts for survival are somewhat diminished. Their eyes, ears and noses are focused on estrus does, and although they can still respond to threats, most [...]
Timing South Carolina’s deer rut
Deer biologists would love to be able to say that on Oct. 1, the rut will peak in 23 days, but it’s not that simple. Biologists often examine fetuses and can pinpoint very accurately the [...]