Ani-Logics Outdoors

In my last blog, I talked about picking your vacation days so that you can have a cold snap occur during your rut vacation.  Well, it’s getting close to the best part of the rut and there is no cold snap in sight.  What if that cold snap doesn’t happen?  Forecasters are already saying this could easily be the warmest November on record.  Many states are already shattering record high temperatures for month.

So, now that it looks like we will have warm rutting weather, what do we do?  Stay home and cry?  Go fishing?  I say we forget about the naysayers and make it happen!  Just because it’s warm doesn’t mean the big bucks are no longer there.  The trick is to find them when they are making that ever elusive daylight walk.  Here are some tips to keep you in the action at a time when other hunters have thrown in the towel:

Hunt Water Sources.  When rutting bucks chase does, they expel a lot of energy.  When the weather is really hot, they expel even more energy and they need water to help cool themselves off.  It may be too late to build a pond, but you may be able to use stock tanks or a kid’s swimming pool to create a watering hole.  You should try and find water sources that are near bedding areas.  A buck will likely scent check the downwind side of bedding areas and if there is water nearby he might grab a quick drink before continuing his quest for does.  I have seen bucks literally dunk themselves in ponds when we have warm rutting weather.

Hunt Green Food Sources.  The bucks won’t really care about eating because their mind is preoccupied, but the does will be hitting green food sources when the temperature is high.  Where you find the does, you find the bucks.  Don’t expect a lot of late morning or early evening activity.  The first 30 minutes of daylight and the last 30 minutes before dark are the best windows of opportunity.  Be careful not to wear too much clothes on your walk in.  Sweating creates more scent which can easily ruin your hunt.  You should still be mindful that as it cools down in the evening you may need to put on more clothing.

Hunt Mornings.  Even when daytime temps are supposed to reach the 70s, morning temps will be in the 50s.  50 isn’t ideal, but hey, at least it’s not 70.  When it’s hot, bucks will still breed and chase does, but most of the activity occurs under the cover of darkness.  If you get to your stand early in the morning, you might be able to capitalize on that little bit of movement that carries over into daylight.  When I plan a morning hunt, I try to avoid large food sources because I don’t want to bump deer on the way in.  I try and find a spot where I can sneak into a bedding area that is opposite from the food source.  Here is my game plan for this weekend:  Deer are feeding in a cut bean field on the south side of the property, I have a stand next to a bedding area on the north side.  I will sneak in from the north without any of the deer knowing I am there (hopefully).

Hunt Shady Areas.  When deer have many options for where to bed, it can be hard to pattern them.  When it’s a warm bright day, however, they have fewer options for preferred bedding sites. Deer are more apt to bed in a cool shaded woodlot compared to a grassy field on warm days.  You might know of a north facing slope on your property that will take longer for the sun to reach in the morning, which gives you a longer period of cooler temperatures to hunt.  Always be mindful of thermals when you hunt on or near a slope.  In the morning, you are better off hunting high on the slope as thermals are rising.  In the evening however, hunt low as thermals will be sinking.  Hopefully these tips can help you stay in the action even though the weather is less than ideal for rut hunting.

-Tim Neuman, Wildlife Biologist