10 11, 2023

How Bucks Rut in November

2023-11-07T09:33:46-05:00November 10th, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Rut, whitetail deer|Comments Off on How Bucks Rut in November

The seeking phase of the rut is in full swing in most regions (except the Deep South). Bucks begin to expand their range, wandering out of their home core areas to take the estrus temperature of does within 1,000 acres or so. Other big boys roam closer to home, especially in broken farmland where feed and cover are prime. If 2 dominant deer cross paths, a hair-raising stare down or a heavyweight fight might break out. Two mature bucks with broken racks just showed up on my camera in Virginia! Watch for a buck “lip curling,” or sniffing a doe’s urine to check her state of estrus. Bucks keep blazing rubs and pawing scrapes. Any day now the seeking phase [...]

8 11, 2023

30 Tips For Hunting The Deer Rut

2023-11-05T09:24:41-05:00November 8th, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, sportsman channel, whitetail deer|Comments Off on 30 Tips For Hunting The Deer Rut

You’ve waited all year for this, the rut baby! No matter which week in November you take off work, your Number One strategy is simple: Spend every minute you can in your best stands because you never know when a good buck will prowl by, or come a running hot on the heels of a doe. Here are 29 more tips to help you punch your tag. #2 In addition to big rubs, look for clusters of antler-mangled saplings or cedar branches. These “violent rubs” are sign of an aggressive buck, the kind you want to hunt because he’s apt to move in daylight. Set a stand in the area. #3 Several studies show that deer rut hard when the [...]

6 11, 2023

Rut-Hunting Gear: Keep it Simple

2023-10-24T13:32:30-04:00November 6th, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Rut, Gear Reviews, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Rut-Hunting Gear: Keep it Simple

I pack and use simple but effective gear every day that I hunt the whitetail rut: Carry a grunt call and use it every day. Hunters grunt in and shoot many giant bucks each November. Most any tube will do the job. I lay trails and set wicks with Mega-Tarsal Plus buck scent, and Special Golden Estrus doe near my stands. Make sure to use synthetic deer lure  if your state requires it. You can bring in a buck with a rattle bag or box, but nothing beats real antlers. Antlers off a 130- to 140-class buck are good. They have enough mass and tines to mimic the deep thudding and grinding of two mature bucks. Most realistic.

1 11, 2023

8 Best Days to Hunt Deer In November

2023-10-24T13:26:32-04:00November 1st, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Bowhunting, Deer Hunting, Deer Rut, whitetail deer|Comments Off on 8 Best Days to Hunt Deer In November

November 6, 2012, Wisconsin bowhunter Dusty Gerrits (picture left) sat and waited on a 150-class buck he called Tiny. “We had pictures of Tiny on a scrape the morning before, so I set up right there,” he says. Two small bucks showed early, but no Tiny. All of a sudden and out of the blue a giant rolled in! Not Tiny but bigger! “He pushed an 8-point off the scrape, but no shot,” says Dusty. Finally, he saw his opening and fired. The buck crashed 50 yards away. The monster netted 189 and change, at the time the new state record archery typical. Regardless of weather, moon or other environmental factors, the vast majority of does in the northern two-thirds [...]

30 10, 2023

Hunt Buck Scrapes at Dusk

2023-10-24T07:11:15-04:00October 30th, 2023|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, Deer Hunting, Deer Science, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Hunt Buck Scrapes at Dusk

Researchers at the University of Georgia’s “Deer Lab” conducted an extensive study on the scraping behavior of whitetail bucks. On major finding: 85 percent of all scraping (by bucks of all ages) occurs at night, and a 3½-year-old or older buck is rarely observed at a scrape. Take that at face value and you’d never hunt scrapes again. But not so fast; read between the lines for some useful data. When analyzing the time codes on their trail-cam images and video reels, the researchers noticed that a flurry of heavy scraping occurs at or just after dusk on late-October and early-November days. Hmm, so here's how to play off that science. Scout for a doe trail, draw or ridge funnel [...]

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