The time of year we look forward to 11 months a year. The time of year we day dream of day after day. The time of year, dare I say it, we live for. Well, not really live for, but you know what I mean. The rut has been said to be a marathon and I can agree with that to a point. So often we think of the rut as a buck crazed time frame with dreams of seeing double digit buck numbers for days on end. All too often we end up disappointed after not seeing the activity we thought we’d see. I can say that I’ve hunted enough ruts to confirm, there is generally just a couple days a year where the bucks are running around with their hair on fire. HOWEVER…are we going to be in the correct set of woods, on the correct day, and be fortunate enough for it to all come together so we can proudly wrap a tag around a hard earned buck. Well, there is only one way to find out, right? Hunting smart, hunting hard and finding that grit to grind will make the odds the best they can be.
Naturally, there is no guarantee, but knowing, absolutely KNOWING, you’ve done your very best will allow you to rest easy knowing you’ve done everything in your power to harvest your trophy. Here is the approach I take…
I have yet to go for an all or nothing type of year and only chase one deer. I actually hope to some year, but haven’t yet. We all know there is more than one way to skin a cat, this is just my style or plan of attack come late October. I can’t say this will work 100% of the time but I can say that this approach has allowed me to harvest several mature deer since 2010 and I can only hope the success will continue. So, how is it done? Like everything else worthy in life; time, focus, hard work, and all the luck I can get.
I like going into the season with a handful of bucks I’d be happy wrap my tag around. Whatever age and score that might be for you applies here. If you want to increase your odds of success to a very high percentage you’re going to need at least 4-5 which fit that category. Chances are 1-2 of them will fall off the map leaving you with 3-4 deer that you know are still in your areas and huntable. By this time of the season you’ve hopefully been running cameras for a solid 6 weeks and also have your sets hung weeks in advance. I’ll save all the details and specifics for a future article but it really boils down to the following keys. 1-running the heck out of cameras. 2-Hunting in areas where you KNOW they exist. 3-Having enough stand sets to make shifts, hunting different winds, and keeping your pressure light. And AND here is one of the biggest…4-having the mental fortitude, bullheadedness, and refusal to give up. What I am about to say is not for the faint of heart or for the fair weather hunter that simply likes to hunt to enjoy nature. If that is you, I admire your outlook and point of view. For better or worse, that is not me. I hunt to bring meat to my table and to wrap my tag around a buck I’m proud of. Not one or the other, I want BOTH. Therefore, in order for me to accomplish that I almost always have to hunt very hard and earn it. Even if means I’m hunting dawn to dark for days on end. By “days” I don’t mean 2 days. I mean 5 or even 6 full days, in a row dawn to dark during the best days of the rut. If the conditions are even barely survivable, I’ll do it. My wife thinks I have screws loose. Maybe I do? But she has also asked why some people rarely get a deer. A couple times I have answered her by saying, “You know when you see me on the brink of exhaustion, eating everything in site, and walking around like a zombie??? It’s largely in part because they are not willing to do that”. Please understand, I’m not placing myself on a pedestal. I am writing this with the intention of speaking to those of you that have a burning desire to do everything in your power to not eat tag soup. Once again, nothing wrong with tag soup, it’s just not something that agrees with my palate at all. How do I hunt this hard, I honestly just grit my teeth and do it! From about October 25th until about November 25th I try and not commit myself to anything but hunting and my family. Granted work stuff has to fit in there and my family might not be eating every supper with me each night but if there a way for me to be in the stand, I’m probably going to be there. I must divulge a disclaimer though, about 13 or so days of that month time frame the conditions aren’t what I’m looking for. For the days of Oct 25th through November 3rd I wont hunt much more than a 3 hours during the morning or evening and only on “high odds” days. (High odds meaning the weather conditions are favorable) Then November 13-18th I rarely hunt much as that is generally a heavy lock-down period.
Lets get down to the brass tacks; the rut has been compared to a marathon and its true, but even in a marathon you cant be the type that gives up if you hate tag soup as much as I do. I’ve been there in the past and this is what happens…A few days after you are back to your normal routine and you’ve got some rest, you will look back and think “what if…” What if I hunted harder? What if the rut was still going on? What would I do different? Did I give it everything I had” Do yourself a favor and remove all those questions! Hunt like you mean it. Hunt like you know you can. Hunt to where you know you did your very best! If you hunt your very best and eat tag soup then so be it. No shame in that whatsoever! You know you gave it everything you had. You know you gave it your all and it wasn’t meant to be. That is nothing to be ashamed of. That is something to hang your hat on, rest easy, and be proud of yourself knowing you where the best hunter you could be! This year, go hard. Find that grit and grind it out. Slay it!