Hunters look forward to getting stuck in a ‘rut’

Lately, I’ve been walking outside in a T-shirt wondering, “When is it ever going to get cold?”

I suppose I should be enjoying the warm weather, but as a deer hunter there’s only one thought that crosses my mind this time of year.

No, it’s not the weather heating up; it’s the deer mating season, aka “the rut.”

I’m sure some of you will be reading this article thinking, “What the heck? He’s talking about the deer mating season?” However, let me assure that I’m not the only one on campus who has this rather absurd thought process.

The reason the rut is on the minds of most deer hunters is that there is no better time to bag a big buck than this time of year.
Since the end of summer, these big bucks have been packing on the pounds, just waiting for the first doe to go into heat. As late October and November approach, testosterone levels start to rise in the bucks and their necks become increasingly swollen.

Once the time arrives, these guys are well-tuned machines. Bucks frequently spar with each other to determine who will be the “king” in the area.

In other words, they engage in an all-out brawl by clashing their antlers together. It’s a winner-takes-all fight, with the victor establishing his dominance and therefore cementing his right to mate with does in heat.

You’re still probably asking yourself, “So…why is it a good time to harvest a good buck?” The answer to that question resides in the demeanor of the mature bucks during the rut.

Most bucks, by the age of three years (when a buck has reached maturity) become increasingly nocturnal, and therefore are often thought of as “ghosts” to many deer hunters (including myself).

Obviously a deer hunter cannot hunt deer in the dark. So, this leads to a bit of a problem. However, during the rut these mature bucks start to show themselves more in the daytime while searching for does in heat. Therefore, if a hunter is in the right spot at the right time, they might just be lucky enough to harvest a magnificent trophy.

So where is the “right spot?” There are many things that factor into the right spot when it comes to getting within range of a big buck.

First of all, you need to spend time looking around your hunting area and locating where the deer are traveling. If you can find good beaten down trails or natural funnels, odds are there will be some deer moving through these areas.

Even if most of the deer traveling on these trails are does, the bucks will surely be showing up about the time they start to go into heat.

Also, two things to look for when trying to find a good spot to set up are scrapes and rubs.

Scrapes are territorial markings that bucks make to let other bucks in the area know that they are there.

These marks look just like they sound: an area of earth that has been scraped up by the hooves of a buck.

Typically scrapes will be located under an overhanging branch, which the bucks will rake their antlers in while pawing the ground. Also, bucks will typically urinate in the scrape to leave “their mark.”

Rubs are formed by bucks as they shed their velvet, a fuzzy coating on the antlers, in the early fall. These velvet-covered antlers aren’t conducive to fighting.

Thus, as the rut approaches and testosterone levels start to rise, the bucks rake their antlers on trees to remove the velvet and expose the hard bone underneath.

Now these bucks are ready for action, and you’ve got an idea of what to look for when picking “the right spot.” As the weather heats up once again, so does the rut. The bucks are chasing does, and I’ll definitely be out this weekend chasing big bucks like many other bow hunters on campus.

Who knows, maybe this weekend could be the weekend.