Deer hunting is so exciting in the fall. We wait all summer for the season to finally arrive in October. If you haven’t learned exactly where your trophy buck is feeding and bedding, it may be a little slow to start. However, as October moves along, the activity increases exponentially. We finally see the famous whitetail rut emerging!
Rut excitement builds
Towards the end of October the whitetail rut, or breeding phase of the year begins to pick up. During the early to middle part of the month, you will start to see new scrapes and rubs being made by aggressive bucks that are ready to find does in heat. This time of year is so exciting. There’s always so much anticipation. Every deer hunter at this point is optimistic and enthusiastic.
As October progresses toward the end, and I mean the last few days in Indiana, the does are usually hot and the bucks are as silly as can be. They have one thing on their mind, and you know what that is. For the next couple weeks or the first half of November, this activity continues. During this period of the rut, every deer hunter should be taking PTO and sitting in the woods as much as possible.
Rut depression starts to set in
What do we do when the does are bred, and this excitement starts to diminish? I am guilty of getting the late November blues. It may be that you decided to pass on a buck that you now wish you would have taken. You may have suddenly gotten busy with life and missed a weekend at the absolute peak of the rut, and now your feeling bad about yourself. Your neighbor may have killed the buck you’ve been pursuing for years and posted it on social media. Not to mention these bucks have been shot at for two weeks and you think all hope is lost.
Don’t give up, the Rut is so much bigger than you think
I have experienced the relentless roller coaster of emotions that can drive a deer hunter crazy. In fact, it still happens to me almost every year. However, I can tell you with full assurance that things can still be good in the deer woods. There are so many positive things to think about for the remainder of this deer season. Here are a few to ease your mind and inspire you to get back in the stand!
Hunting pressure is about to drop, like a rock.
By the end of November, deer have experienced a world of pressure from every angle. They have been shot at, most likely more than once. Some deer have been hit by bullets and arrows. Many deer have encountered humans walking through the woods, coughing in the stands, or making lunch in the woods. Their world has been turned upside down.
However, after the first weekend of gun season, the amount of pressure on these deer begins to drop quickly. Most hunters don’t even use the last week of gun season. They have either killed one, or they aren’t up for the dropping temperatures, or they’re hanging Christmas lights.
After gun season goes out, the pressure drops even more! I can tell you from experience that it doesn’t take long at all for deer to begin to forget about the human pressure they have been experiencing. Don’t let this keep you in the house feeling sorry for yourself.
Temperatures are dropping
This may not sound like a positive thing, but it is! Bucks have been chasing does for the last three weeks and they haven’t eaten or rested much at all. As the temperature drops, deer know that they need to put weight on for the cold weather that is coming. Deer will hit food sources hard during this time. Bucks that are typically nocturnal will stay in the food sources longer in the morning and come out earlier in the evening. This increased need for feeding will be to your advantage. Position yourself near a crop field, foot plot, or other food source and hunt hard.
The other reason the cold weather is beneficial is that most hunters don’t want to sit in it. I recommend purchasing some good winter gear. If you can find a way to deal with the cold, you may just get the woods to yourself.
The Rut is NOT Over!
Yes, that is correct, the rut is not over. This is the best encouragement I can give you. Although we all know the chasing phase to be the prime time for deer hunting, this isn’t the only part of the rut.
Many does will get bred during the first opportunity of the rut. Most of them come in heat around the same time and this is why there is so much activity during the first couple weeks of November here in the Midwest. However, there is no way that all the does can be bred during this time. Some will get missed. Others may be just a pinch too young during that first phase and may just need a few more weeks or a month of maturing.
Therefore, there will be another dramatic increase in rut activity later in the season. We call this, the second rut! All of the does that were missed, or too young, or didn’t get fully impregnated, will come in heat again. Deer will come in heat one month later if they were not initially bred. Actually, 28 days to be exact.
Think about that. If bucks are seeking and chasing and then finally breeding does during the first part of November, that means this whole process will repeat itself! There will be another seeking, chasing, and breeding phase a month later. This is perfect for being in the woods, especially with a dramatically decreased number of other hunters.
The second rut is rarely discussed among deer hunters. Most folks don’t even know it exists. The reason for this must be that most hunters aren’t hunting anymore. It is too cold and they are tagged out and preparing for Christmas while bucks are fighting over does.
Hunting the second Rut
Here’s something I want you to think about for a minute. The second rut will have far fewer does in heat. Most of them were already bred. But do you think bucks will care if there are 3 does in heat rather than 30? It still smells the same and they have the same instincts. So now we have far fewer does in heat with the same number of bucks. What does this add up to? That’s right, fighting. For this reason, one could argue that the second rut could be even better than the first!
Since a large number of bucks will be fighting over a few hot does, this is the perfect time to pull out the rattling antlers! Bucks can be much more receptive to rattling and even a grunt tube during this time. So be sure to take the calls with you.
Make sure to purchase some good thermal hunting gear. It is bound to be frigid during the second rut.
It may be necessary to purchase a new weapon. If you have always been a firearms-only kind of guy, it may be time to buy a muzzleloader, compound, or crossbow. In Indiana, the second rut occurs at a time when muzzleloaders and bows can be used. If you find that you have to buy a weapon that you haven’t used before, be sure you give yourself time to learn it and become comfortable with it.
If you’re currently sitting at home feeling bad about this year’s deer season, get the gear back out and head to the woods. You may just have the hunt of a lifetime!
Check out my other whitail hunting article here.
