Rut Myth Debunked – Is the rut the best time to hunt mature bucks?

© By Othmar Vohringer

Hunting is riddled with myths that have been passed on from one generation to the next. Without a doubt one of the most myth-ridden segments of the hunting season revolves around the deer rut. Many hunters plan their hunting strategies around these long-held but flawed beliefs. To become a more successful hunter this fall you first want to separate fact from myth.

Here on Whitetail Deer Passion we will help you in the next view days to separate myth from facts.

The first installment of “Rut Myth Debunked” we will examine the long held belief that the rut is the best time to kill a big buck.

This myth is so deep rooted in our mind that many hunters don’t think about pursuing mature bucks until the deer rut begins. This is too bad for them because the rut may very well be the worst time to be chasing a mature buck. You can confirm that fact by consulting one of the many trophy record books. Reading through these books shows that more trophy whitetails are taken during the early and late part of the hunting season not during the rut.

It makes sense too when you think about it. In the early season bucks are still on a predictable feeding to bedding travel pattern and again so after the rut. When the rut kicks in bucks travel randomly day and night in search of hot does. In other words, during the rut a buck could turn up any time and anywhere. To hunt the rut effectively hunters have to be mobile too. This is not the time to sit all day in the same stand hoping a buck will eventually walk by you.

Prepare to hunt all day long but instead of hunting one or two locations choose several stand sites that promote deer travel through well-defined bottle necks. Stay close to the doe groups as bucks will be there too.

Read the next segment of Rut Myth Debunked:
Hunting bucks by setting up over a scrape
Does the full moon have an effect on the timing of the rut?