Make the most of the rut

Big bucks let down their guard during breeding season

The exact timing on the rut varies considerably in North and South Carolina, and like anything to do with real estate, it’s about location.

Rut patterns change from the coastal plains to the mountains in each state. But the key element is the rut is driven by biological changes within deer.

To make the most of the rut, hunters first need to understand when it’s going to occur in the areas they hunt.

Moriah Boggess, the State Deer Biologist for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC), said the rut process is determined by the does.

“Every deer has their own internal clock in terms of breeding. So the timing is not exactly the same. But deer in the same general locations tend to develop similar patterns for estrus.” Boggess said.

“Physiologically bucks are ready for reproduction when they shed their antler velvet,” he said. “At the same time, their coats begin to change. They abandon bachelor groups, and bigger bucks typically no longer associate with smaller bucks.”

Boggess said these biological changes create a prime opportunity for hunters. Bucks begin to strive for dominance and leave more sign in the woods as they seek does.

“It’s the one time of the year when propagation of the species outweighs a big buck’s normally acute survival instincts and food,” he said. “Knowing when the rut typically begins is a key to making the most of the rut.”

The other factor in making the most of the rut is employing the right tactics to see more deer at this time of the season.

Plan it out

Tyler Chappell from Gray Court, S.C. said a planned strategy is crucial to success. But in its simplest form, rut-hunting success is all about finding doe deer.

“Find lots of does and bucks will be around,” Chappell said. “It’s not totally that simple. But finding does is the core component of killing big bucks during the rut. They’re going to seek does to breed. So I find does on the property I hunt and plan my hunting strategy around those locations.”

Chappell (864-419-1462) is a professional turkey hunting guide and along with business partner, Andy Shaw, operates Solid Stand Property Management company. They design and implement plans to transform property into elite hunting areas.

“Does move from summer and early season areas to thicker vegetation areas,” Chappell said. “It may be thick, gnarly bottoms near a water source, or a cutover area. Thick areas offer a sense of privacy and serve as bedding areas. But deer still travel for food. When planning a rut-hunting setup for a specific property, I identify the cover where deer are likely to be and I locate nearby food sources and the travel route options to the food.”

Chappell said a buck’s attitude changes during the rut.

“Bucks transform from wary, secretive creatures to behaving like teenagers,” he said. “Hunters still must do everything in their power right in terms of stand location, playing the wind correctly, ingress and egress to the stand and scent control to see bucks.

“Part of that is to fool the bucks. But hunters often forget if they’re hunting areas with a high doe population, that a mature doe deer is extremely wary,” he said. “You often have to defeat the highly refined senses of multiple adult deer before you have the opportunity to see a big buck. But spook the does, and odds dwindle dramatically.”

Target specific areas

Chappell said he’ll identify stand sites where hunters have clear visuals of edges between various types of vegetative growth to see deer movement.

“Edgelines between mature woods and a cutover, for example, are prime travel routes for bucks during the rut because they can see longer distances looking for does,” he said. “They can usually find ideal places to make scrapes, too. As the rut nears the peak of breeding activity, scrapes are less often activated. But these edges are still excellent places to see bucks and does traveling.”

Chappell said every property is unique in terms of where deer may prefer to move. But identifying funnels of cover where deer feel more protected, such as thick bottoms and natural areas of dense cover, are ideal travel routes. Climbing stands, when appropriate on the property being hunted, can provide hunters increased mobility to select ideal setups to take advantage of current travel routes.

“The entire deer season is made up of changes and the rut is no different,” he said. “The movement patterns change as food sources vary and as the rut morphs from pre-rut when few does are in estrus and competition among bucks is great, to the peak when many does are ready to breed. Don’t simply scout for deer, but think in terms of food and water too. Bucks may not eat a lot, but they will check food sources for does constantly.”

Chappell said strategically located food plots for the rut can be a key attracting feature for does, and thus bucks. Plus, bait stations such as corn placed in the right areas can be extraordinarily productive.

“Bucks may or may not feed at corn piles,” he said. “But if you’re in a well-hidden stand overlooking a bait station in a narrow lane of thick cover, odds are high bucks will step out downwind of the corn and check that spot for does. But be ready, because if no does are feeding he’s likely to step into the thicket and be gone. He may eat, but you can’t count on it.”

Trail cams are essential

Chappell said he loves the real-time opportunity to see deer on cellular trail cameras.

Employing cameras throughout the season enables him to see what bucks are available. He can literally name the ones he deems to be “shooters” on his hit list. As deer patterns morph, he tracks this change via cameras and switches stands, or employs climbers, to hunt where deer are more numerous or where a specific big buck is currently using.

“On a large tract of property, we’ll assign the various property types into different zones and have cameras along with feed or mineral stations for each,” he said. “A 1000-acre tract may have multiple zones based on topography and vegetation. And we’ll make specific hunting strategies for each zone.”

Chappell said success during the rut comes down to hunters being in the right place at the right time. And that’s not always as simple as it sounds.

“But the odds are better for big bucks during the rut than any other time of the season,” he said. “Hunt as often as you can, focus on thick cover and travel routes to food sources from agriculture crops, natural forage or bait stations. Always play the wind and don’t hunt a stand if the wind is wrong. And despite the benefits of the rut with mature bucks, they’re still challenging and have proven that by surviving multiple seasons to become mature.”

Understanding when the rut occurs in your area and having your game plan operational for the specific area you hunt, and adapting to changes, are keys to making the most of the rut and tagging that trophy buck this season.

Make the Most of the Moon

Darrell Madden from Semora, N.C. has hunted deer most of his life. The member of the RedHead Pro Staff Team at Bass Pro Shops said moon phases are important to him.

“My years of hunting have proven that the full moon phase during the rut is an important time to be locked into the seat of a good deer stand,” he said. “I’ll get comfortable and stay as long as my schedule allows. Mid-day deer movement can be excellent throughout the rut. But around the full moon, big buck activity is high and it doesn’t necessarily occur early or late in the day.

“It’s the one time of the year when big buck movement is likely to occur mid-day as much as any other time,” he said.

Tyler Chappell agrees. He said hunting mid-day is a good bet anytime of the rut. But his hunting success suggests that around the full moon phase is prime time for mid-day hunting.

“I’ve patterned deer for many years. And some of my biggest bucks were shot around 1 and 2 o’clock in the afternoon,” he said. “Patience and time spent in the stand pay big dividends.”

When is the rut in your area?

Moriah Boggess with the NCWRC said the current information, including the latest data compiled in 2022, of peak breeding shows a range in peak rut dates from Oct. 4 in Hyde County to Dec. 19 in Macon County in North Carolina.

The peak rut dates by Biological Deer Management Units are:

Unit I – Dec. 3

Unit II – Nov. 25

Unit III – Nov. 17

Unit IV – Nov. 8

Unit V – Oct. 31

In South Carolina, Charles Ruth, with the SCDNR, said the rut for the majority of the state will be from mid-October through mid-November. But detailed records show that from Oct. 20 until Nov. 10, over half of all the deer conceptions occur in South Carolina. And that’s considered the peak of the rut.

“Localized areas can certainly experience peak rut activity anytime within that period and it may change year-to-year based on external factors,” Ruth said. “In the upstate, mountainous section of South Carolina the rut is usually later, with the peak typically in late November. With that peak time, deer rut activity can continue into December.”