This is the time of deer hunting when bucks throw caution to the wind and go searching for a mate.
The first two weeks of firearms deer season have passed, signaling the midway point of the hunt. Those lucky hunters who tagged out early can spend time on fall chores or prepare for the upcoming ice fishing and rabbit hunting season.
For the rest of us, we have only two weeks left to have an affirmative response to that oft-asked question, “Did ya get your deer, yet?” It makes sense that those of us with an unpunched license will have to hunt harder – if we expect to put meat in the freezer this year. While late-season deer are typically wary, hunters have one advantage over deer during the next two weeks that can even the odds or tip the scales in our direction; the rut.
The rut, or the peak breeding season for white-tailed deer, is that magical time when bucks abandon their wits to chase does and breed. It also provides hunters with a great opportunity to catch a buck with his guard down.
My first experience with a rutting white-tailed deer came in 1985. I was hunting with a college friend in a large tract of woods outside of Old Town. We had scheduled our fall classes so that we had mornings off on two days of the week, allowing us to hunt before our afternoon classes. We also hunted all day on Saturday. One particular Saturday, just before Thanksgiving break, Jeff and I headed out into the woods and sat in our favorite spots while the sun came up.
By 8:30, I was cold, so I got up and began walking the many tote roads that bisected the woodlot we were on. I heard a shot that came from the direction of my hunting buddy, so I walked toward his usual spot.
Close encounters
As I made my way toward him, I heard the sound of a deer running on the dry leaves. I stopped and watched. A doe was trotting right at me. I remained still, and she stopped just a few yards in front of me. More leaf-crunching came from my right, and I got a glimpse of a massive buck following the doe’s trail. His nose was almost gouging the ground as he tracked the doe. I could see a gigantic rack with at least 10 or 12 points and a monstrous spread.
This was easily a 200-pound deer, and I could not believe my eyes. He ran to within 20 feet of me and began courting the doe. Here I was in the middle of the woods, and I had a front row seat to the Nature Channel. I quickly came to my senses and raised my rifle at the deer. I could envision the trophy rack on my dorm room wall.
When I looked through the scope, all I could see was brown. He was so close that my 4-power scope filled up with his image. Then it hit me, a dreaded case of “buck fever.” I got nervous and began to shake. The shaking caused the crosshairs to go from deer to ground to sky and back. I felt like I was coming unglued. I jerked at the trigger, and to my dismay, the buck spun around and bolted off. The doe quickly turned and ran away, as well. I stood there, still trembling, in awe of what had just happened. I found my bullet lodged in the bark of a 4-inch maple, so I knew I had missed cleanly. Frustrated, I trudged off looking for my friend.
I met up with my buddy while he was scanning the ground on a trail. He told me that he was walking along when a spike buck trotted right toward him on the same trail. He fired a quick shot at the deer, but thought he had missed it. I told my story, and we both remarked that we had surely blown it that day. I suggested that we look a little further for any sign that his deer was hit, and he agreed. After a few minutes of checking for hoof prints in the mud, we found his buck piled up in a ravine, not far from where he had shot. What were the chances that two hunters would have a buck run up to them in the middle of deer season? Because the rut was in full swing, the chances were good that even the craftiest of bucks would expose himself to a hunter by being preoccupied with the fairer sex.
Back on the trail
Many veteran deer hunters believe that the rut is triggered by the onset of cold weather, just before first snowfall. Others claim that the moon cycles trigger the rut. But a scientific study in the mid 80s showed that despite where you hunt along the Eastern Seaboard, the 10-day peak of the rut ran somewhere between Nov. 13 and Nov. 25. Just how did wildlife biologists come up with these dates? By examining road-killed does, biologists were able to age the fetuses present in pregnant deer. By aging the fetuses, the biologists were then able to count backward from the time of death to establish the exact date of conception. Maine conducted a similar study, and biologists here found that Maine deer bred at approximately the same time as deer in southern states and Canadian provinces.
Aside from being nearly run over by amorous bucks, hunters should key in on locations that exhibit signs of rutting bucks. One excellent indicator of rut activity is a “scrape,” which is a circular patch of disturbed soil created when a buck deer paws the ground and urinates on it to mark his territory. A mature buck will create dozens of scrapes in hopes that an interested doe will stay nearby and await his arrival. Bucks will almost always make a scrape below an overhanging branch which they lick, chew or rub their eye glands on for added “appeal.” If you manage to find a series of scrapes, chances are that a buck will visit the area over the next few days. By applying a doe urine product to a nearby branch and sitting back in hiding, a patient hunter can often take a rutting buck as he works his scrape line in search of a visiting doe.
I found a few scrapes while hunting on my woodlot last week. They were rather small, so I surmise that a young buck made them. I may just hang around them to see if the youngster, or perhaps a bigger challenger, will show up to claim his doe. Who knows, I may be lucky enough to redeem myself from my first miss 20 years ago!
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