When the rut ends, it becomes a whole new ball game for those of us still hoping to fill a tag. The biggest change is that we can no longer depend upon rut-induced deer movement and that, has been a major factor during that last week of October and the first three weeks of November. Oh sure, you might stumble onto one last thick-necked, old bruiser out cruising for just one more hot doe, and if you do, consider yourself very, very fortunate. And yes, in much of the country there will be some secondary rut activity kicking-in in another three weeks or so, but for now, the rut is pretty much out of the picture. So what can you count on to put deer on the move at this time of the year?
The answer is other hunters -- it's the biggie! Oh sure, some of us like to cuss a little when we have to share the woods with other hunters, but truth be told, without them, we would very likely see far fewer deer. When other hunters in our area are walking into the woods in the morning, climbing down from their stands and going in for lunch, walking back out after lunch, maybe trying their hand at a little still-hunting or putting on a drive with their buddies, all of that stirs up deer which otherwise would have simply stayed in their beds all day. I can't begin to count the number of deer our family has feasted upon, which were the direct result of other hunters setting them in motion. Anytime that I know there are other hunters in the woods, I try to keep my butt in the stand and then hope that they are not doing the same thing!
The other factor you can count on to induce some deer movement at this time of the year is hunger. Deer have to eat. You will often hear that bucks do not eat during the rut, so they are especially ravenous right now. Well, that not eating during the rut thing is just one of those hunters' tales, which has kept on growing. The truth is bucks do eat during the rut. They may not eat as much, but I have watched a lot of them eat during the rut and I have yet to kill a buck during the rut, which had empty stomachs.
But it is true that a sexually active buck will run off 20, sometimes 30 pounds while chasing does, and he knows that he needs to put that weight back on before the snow flies. And, of course, the does, and especially the fawns, are seemingly always hungry. For bowhunters especially, that makes food sources and the trails leading to and from those food sources prime stand locations.
For a fine selection of Big Game Hunting gear, click here.
For a fine a selection of Archery Gear, click here.
Gary Clancy writes a twice-monthly column for sportsmansguide.com. Gary has hunted whitetail deer in 20 different states and provinces. He has harvested many record-book animals, and presented hunting seminars from Tennessee to Wisconsin. Gary also has authored or co-authored six hunting books, four on whitetail hunting.