Hunting the rut

November is the peak of the rut in the Carolinas

Ask hunters across the Carolinas when the peak of the deer rut is, and you’ll get a variety of answers.

And many of those hunters will tell you they base their assumptions on the fact that they noticed bucks chasing does as far back as August. But chasing doesn’t constitute rutting, said Charles Ruth, SCDNR deer biologist.

“Bucks will chase does all year long. When the does are receptive to it in a way that allows breeding, that’s when the rut is on,” said Ruth.

And while Ruth said the dates can be slightly different from one year to the next, overall, the peak of the rut in the Carolinas is fairly predictable. And it takes place this month throughout the majority of both states.

“The peak of the rut is based on photoperiod, the amount of daylight. And when the amount of daylight present in a 24-hour period reaches that magic number, rutting goes into full swing,” he said.

What is “the peak?”

The peak of the rut, as defined by Ruth, is the time period when the majority of does are bred. Some does are certainly bred outside of that time period, but the vast majority are bred during the peak.

Many hunters complain that unseasonably warm temperatures will stop deer from rutting, or keep it from beginning at all. Likewise, many believe that cooler days will kick the rut off. But Ruth said that’s simply not the case.

“The temperature does not have anything to do with starting or stopping the rut. It’s simply not a factor. The rut is controlled by the length of day,” he said.

But even though warm temperatures this month won’t stop the rut, it will cause hunters to miss out on more opportunities.

“The reason so many hunters believe that warming spells will stop deer from rutting is because they don’t see the kind of deer movement you’d expect during the rut. But the reason for that is, the deer simply move at night more, rutting right along, because they’d rather not move about in the higher temperatures of the daylight hours,” he said.

To be sure, some breeding activity takes place outside the peak of the rut. As early as Oct. 1 in South Carolina’s lowcountry, some rutting is happening. And in the upstate, it lasts well into December.

Likewise, in North Carolina, some areas, mainly along the extreme eastern side of the state, rutting activity begins as early as mid October, with the western section of the state seeing rutting last into late December.

But the average dates for the peak of the whitetail rut, throughout both states, is between Nov. 8 and Nov. 25.

“It changes very little each year,” said NCWRC deer biologist Moriah Boggess. “Some hunters may notice a change in deer movement from one year to the next. But it’s due to other factors. The rut still occurs at basically the same time of year, each and every year,”

Those other factors include weather patterns which may keep deer moving more at night, yearly variations in the timing and amount of acorns falling in a particular area, moon cycles and hunting pressure.

“No matter what’s happening in those areas, it has no impact on whether the rut is taking place or not,” said Ruth. “Those factors only change how spread out the deer herd is, and/or what time of day the rutting action is happening.”

During the full moon in November, for example, bucks may spend the majority of the night breeding does, especially if it’s unseasonably warm during daylight hours. And that same warm weather can have a similar impact, even outside of the full moon phase. 

Sam Seamster of Wild Life Adventures (youtube.com/@boom13) has kept records for decades of his hunting trips. He agrees that the timing of the peak of the rut is very predictable.

“I hunt mainly in Caswell County, and I can tell you through experience and through looking at notes I’ve made over the years, that the peak of the rut here is going to take place right around Nov. 5 through Nov. 18, give or take a few days,” he said.

Seamster also agrees with what Ruth and Boggess said about warm weather impacting the experience of hunters.

“When it’s warm during that time, I generally hunt until about 9 a.m., maybe 10. The deer are just not going to move about in daylight as much when it’s warm. And this is when a lot of big bucks will go completely nocturnal,” he said.

That’s one reason Seamster likes to see some cold weather move in.

“I love it when we get a cold blast during the peak of the rut. When that happens, you can hunt all day, and you can see deer all throughout the day,” he said. “My trail cameras have picked up deer coming through at noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., every hour of the day. When it’s cold during the rut, they’ll move with no rhyme or reason, just looking for does to breed.”

Stay off deer trails

During the rut, hunters will see scrapes and rubs throughout well-worn deer trails. Seamster said it’s best to stay off of those.

“I like to set up my blind or stand right on the edge of the field, and I’ll slip in and out by walking down the tree line, staying out of the woods where they are leaving their scent and markings. When they’re using those trails heavily, I want to keep my scent out of them,” he said.

Seamster also stressed the importance of holding does in your area.

“I keep food plots or bait sites going, and I like to have them in the corner of a field. This will keep the does coming, and even though you might never see a mature buck come to those food plots, you can bet they are coming to the edge of the woods, peaking out into the field, just to check for does,” he said.

“You can’t sit in a stand and just stay zoned in on the food plot. You’ve got to scan the tree line, and just inside the tree line. Now, every now and then you’ll have some bucks that just walk boldly right out in the open in broad daylight. And if that’s going to happen, it’s going to happen during the rut. But even during the rut, most of them are still being somewhat cautious. They’ll poke their head out of the tree line, see if any does are there. If they don’t see something they like, they’ll disappear back into the woods,” he said.

Seamster also suggests creating food plots or bait sites in small, narrow clearings surrounded by woods.

“Bucks will feel more secure coming to a small opening than walking right out into a wide open field. Some will do it more during the rut than normal, but others will still hesitate to walk out into wide open areas,” he said.

The most important thing, Seamster said, is to be in the stand as much as possible during the peak of the rut.

“This is the time of year that we as deer hunters wait for. And even when I’ve hunted multiple days in a row and am feeling worn down, I remind myself that the rut is only here for a short period of time each season, and we have to make the most of it,” he said. 

“This is the time of year when anything can happen at any time of day. So get in the stand as often as you can, as early as you can, and stay as long as you can,” he said. 

Should you call during the rut?

One of the most effective calls hunters can use during the rut is a simple grunt call. The rule of thumb here is to not overdo it.

Some hunters have good results using a grunt call to bring deer to their stand. But others use it only as a last resort, when a buck is in range, but not offering a clean shot, then begins leaving the area.

In this case, blowing a grunt call can change their mind quickly, as they scan the area looking for the buck that made the grunt. This will often stop them in their tracks and turn them around, giving hunters time to prepare for a shot.

Rattling a set of antlers can also have positive results. This simulates two bucks trying to establish dominance. And when the actual dominant buck in the area hears this, it will often drop its defenses, charging to the sound in order to prove who is in charge.

You’ll get a mix of opinions from different hunters when it comes to calling during the rut, but one thing is for sure: when the rut is on, anything is possible. Bucks are prone to making big mistakes when the most prominent thought in their head is to breed. 

Some hunters would prefer the bucks just make their own mistakes. Others think provoking them into making those mistakes by calling to them is even better.