Updated March 2023

You’ve been waiting all year and the time is finally here. The whitetail rut has officially kicked off with bucks on their feet at all hours of the day. The rut is an exciting time to be in the woods as your odds of harvesting a mature buck are greatly increased. While you’re putting together a plan of how to hunt the rut in your area, this article will cover various strategies that can help you locate mature bucks during this magical time of the year.

7 Strategies to Kill a Mature Buck During the Rut

As deer activity shifts through the different phases of the whitetail rut, many strategies remain the same, especially during the peak rut period. The seven strategies below will you help locate more deer and increase your chances of harvesting a mature whitetail buck during the rut.

• Hunt the Does – When looking for bucks during the rut, focus your attention on finding the does. Does are what bucks are after when the rut is on and will travel further distances than normal during non-typical times of the day to find them. Pay attention to areas that contain doe bedding as bucks will not be far away. Bucks will consistently scent check these areas looking for a doe that is in estrous. Hunt the downwind side of doe bedding areas to catch an interested buck searching for does. During the rut, pay attention to does to see if they are looking back behind them as this often an indicator that a buck is closely following.

• Try Calling – Rattle, grunt and bleat calls are all great ways to bring in mature bucks during the rut. Bucks often show their dominance over one another by fighting, especially when it’s over breeding rights to a doe. Hitting a pair of rattling antlers together is a great way to entice a curious buck to your stand. If you’re not seeing much deer activity, try blind rattling aggressively for 20-30 seconds to see if you can draw in any bucks nearby. Grunt and bleat calls can be incredibly effective during this time of year. If you see a buck that is out of range, blowing a grunt call can quickly get their attention as they think another buck is in the area. Bleat calls are also great for drawing in bucks that are actively searching for does.

• Use Scents – During the rut, there are a variety of different scents that deer use to communicate with one another. The most common and effective scent is doe estrous, which is used to mimic a doe in heat and is what rutting bucks are on the lookout for. Regular doe urine is also effective in attracting interested bucks to an area. During the rut, bucks are asserting their dominance with one another and marking their territories with scrapes. After making a scrape, bucks will urinate on the ground to mark it with their scent. Making mock scrapes and putting buck urine in them can be an effective way to get a buck’s attention.

• Read Sign – Buck activity is at its peak during the rut and often results in increased sign making behavior. Keep an eye out for fresh scrapes, rubs or large buck tracks where you are hunting. Areas with a lot of buck signs are where you want to be. Look for well-used trails that are beaten down from deer traveling them frequently. Doe bedding areas will often have bucks nearby that will regularly check these areas throughout the day.

• Hunt Terrain Features – During the rut, bucks are on their feet all day searching for does. While doing so, they want to remain safe and will use areas with adequate cover as much as possible as to not be detected. With increased buck activity, focus on terrain features such as funnels, pinch points and field edges that contain travel routes. These terrain features naturally force bucks into predictable travel areas. During the peak of the rut, bucks will be thirsty from increased activity. Key in on water sources as bucks will often visit these areas to hydrate.

• All Day Hunts – All day hunts can be really tough. This is where time spent in the stand is important. With bucks moving at all hours of the day, including the middle of the day, staying in your stand can pay off big. Big bucks are on their feet during the traditionally “slow” times of the day between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The key to enduring an all-day hunt is to make sure you are comfortable and prepared. Dress warm and bring plenty of food and water. Also, be sure to pay attention to scent control, stand access and wind direction while out all day.

• Be Mobile – Being flexible and staying mobile is an important strategy that often pays off. The whitetail rut can be unpredictable and remaining adaptable allows you to move to where the deer are. During this time of the season, there are a lot of hunters in the woods, resulting in increased hunting pressure. If you are not seeing deer in an area, move your stand somewhere else. A climbing tree stand or a tree saddle makes this easy to do. Also, be sure to keep an eye out for fresh sign and hunt these areas where you know deer are.

The rut can be some of the best and most challenging days of the whitetails season. Many hunters often find themselves grinding it out during this time of the year. With a little bit of planning, preparation and strategies, you should be able to put yourself into position to take a mature whitetail buck. For related articles, check out other posts from Bowhunting Depot!