Whitetail Pre-Rut Tactics?

C

cnelk

New member
Mar 23, 2017
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My son and I have deer tags for a Limited Entry unit in Eastern Colorado.
The season is from Oct 25 - Nov 4. The bucks can get BIG
Even tho there are primarily WT deer in the river bottom, a big mulie buck is possible.

I havent hunted WT bucks for many years at this time.
The terrain is river bottom with cottonwood trees and brush that ease up to crop land [Private]
What tactics would you employ?
We have tree stands
Would rattling antlers be something to do too?
Does that \'Doe in Heat\' stuff work?

What is your WT \'go to\' technique?
 
Its a little different up here timing wise but I would be hunting the edges of where the does are. The bucks here are making scrapes and are starting to scent check the does.

I don\'t have much luck rattling. I use it but only get young bucks to show up.

Scents work for me sometimes.

I would probably hang some stands were the does are heading to eat and can cover the down wind side where the bucks can scent check them from cover.
 
ive had one buck come to rattling in all my wt days. my brother had pretty good luck grunting but i never had one come to that either. or scents for that matter. for my money its alot like elk hunting. 90 percent of the deer will be in 10 percent of the area. find that area an you will be good. also remember to hunt all day. that time of year the bucks get anxious an go looking. you wont see many deer at noon, but the ones you will see are usually big bucks.
 
Usually before the rut I am hunting closer to the bucks beds, scraps after rain and where the deer are feeding.
Once the rut breaks out then I am hitting my selected spots that are mostly full of does. That\'s where I find the big boys roaming.....


I am sure you already know, but if it\'s not rut you will be most likely finding them early morning or late in the evening. HOWEVER, I am a firm believer you can still find bucks on their feet during the before the rut, you just need to know what they do and when they do it.


I wouldn\'t be rattling unless it\'s beginning of the rut (light rattle) or during it.
The scent stuff could help a little, but I use it pre rut for more of a scent cover up.


All I would say is focus on the basics: play the wind, keep your scent low, hunt the funnels, and have fun :D :dance2:
 
I agree with everything above. The only thing I can say from 25years of WT experience is 1) you have to be were the deer are, 2) Hunt the edges and near food. Water might be a factor in the dryer eastern part of the state.

I see several deer each night durring my walking with a pack or biking. They ALL are on a nice green alfalfa field. At least half bucks. One evening last week 5 bucks and 3 were 120\" deer.
 
Got a question.
How long before daylight do you guys like to be situated in your stand?

I remember one time many years ago I went into my rifle stand REALLY early.
Probably too early as when it got light, I saw a doe bedded about 20yds away.
I thought to myself SWEET! What a better decoy than the real thing!
So I sat there and watched her.

Sure enough, about 30 minutes after daylight a nice buck came strolling by.

Boom - gut - drag
 
I get in the stand at least 30 minutes befor shooting hours, which is 30 minutes before sunrise.
 
All of the states that I hunt I can shoot legally 30 minutes before sunrise. So I\'m usually in my stand 30 minutes before that. I enjoy getting into my stand, getting fully prepped, and then having a few minutes to unwind mentally and physically.


It also depends on where you are in relation to their pattern. If it\'s a spot that they don\'t show up until the afternoon, then you don\'t need to be out there at the crack of dawn.


Are you going to be able to scout this area before you hunt it?
 
Yes, I will scout the area.
My buddy hunted the area about 3 years ago and he shot this buck opening morning.
Not a bad buck - he hadnt shot a WT in a few years and he was happy with it.
He and I will head out and look at the area in early October
 

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If I were young and agile I\'d find where several deer trails goin\' to and from feedin\' area crossed and setup treestands for the wind.... I\'d hunt most all day unless ya wanta take a nap and I\'d do that after 12 noon and before 2 PM.... :mrgreen: :mrgreen: In other words I\' hunt most all day since that what ya are out there for in the 1st place... Pre Rut bucks are still eatin\' a lot and peckin\' order has been established... They\'ll still feed in the same general area and use the same trails as other bucks and does... Biggest WT buck I\'ve even seen in the wild alive was in that same situation close to a soybean field where numerous deer were usin\' to feed... It was durin\' daylight but he and several doe a trail that was too far for me to shoot um with my bow...
 
All about the does. Bucks are starting to cruise like others have said but this can be area dependent. Up north, in this time frame, I am hitting the antlers together and hitting them hard. I have had my best luck bringing in some really nice deer this way.
Night time I would hunt the field edges of heavy cover. Morning hunts get in at least an hour before shooting light and play the wind to your stand. I get more aggressive and set up in the funnels and travel paths(back in the timber) at this time. Like others have said bucks will cruise but might not be until later in the morning or mid afternoon. This is where I would wait and pick the right weather and wind for this type of stand location. Thats why it is crucial to be in there well before they decide to head to their beds. Be prepared for a long sit. As the morning goes on I would drop the calls...
Like bnsafe said, not many deer in the middle of the day but its when I have also seen my biggest whitetails bow hunting.
 
Not sure what the WTs are doing out there at that time of year. It is likely pre-rut which is my favorite time to hunt. I have a couple of tactics, I hunt scrapes, not just any scrape but big scrapes (can be tough to find) scrapes that are used year after year. Look for scrapes that have multiple licking branches, generally incidates more than one buck is using the scrape. I also sit from daylight till dark. Most of my big bucks have been killed between 10:00 and 2:00, while passing several small bucks in the earlier hours.

Grunting, rattling and bleating (Primos can) can be effective during this time of year but sometimes pulling them in close enough for a bow shot is tough. Don\'t underestimate a grunt snort wheeze. It\'s a 50/50, I have brought in big and little bucks on a string and also ran big bucks off.

If you find that it\'s a little deeper in the rut, hunt the does and funnel points. All bucks will be cruising, mature bucks like to cruise the downwind side of known bedding areas. You will know this if a lot of the scrapes look old. Our bucks just quit hitting them when the peak of the rut hits, they shift their focus to seeking does. This can be a discouraging time to hunt for me. It seems like there\'s not as much chasing like there is during the pre-rut but hang in there. Big bucks are actually tending does and locked down, does are only in estrous for about 48 hours and things will break loose but it won\'t be an all out party like the pre-rut.

I stay away from all scents, I\'m a tree stand hunter so it\'s easy for me to take a scent-free shower, spray down, rub in cedar and manage my scent. I\'ve found that to be the best strategy. I\'ve used real tarsal glands and about every scent on the market as well as pulling urine from a bladder with a syringe. All will spook a deer at some point, not saying they won\'t work at some point but just not worth the risk to me.
 
Lots of good advice here Brad, not much I could add but here are my answers to some of your questions. Tactics? Tree stands if you are after a big one. Doe-in-heat scent? No! Thirty min. before light is good. If you don\'t make it there that early, your morn. isn\'t ruined. You\'ll see more movement when the sun\'s up as they\'re heading for the bedding areas than when it\'s still fairly dark.
That week and a half is probably, in my opinion, the best time of the season! Earlier they are more nocturnal and later they go into lockdown with the does and don\'t reappear much until after the rut for a few days. I am talking about big bucks. You can see average ones the whole time.
Like others have said, funnels and edges. Also take enough stands to cover a good spot or funnel from different directions depending on the wind.
What crops close by? Corn stubble or cut beans can be good. The best that time of year would be wheat no-tilled into corn. It won\'t be hard to see where they are feeding the most.
When you are there scouting, it wouldn\'t hurt to stop and talk to the landowner/farmer of the crop ground next to the area you\'ll be hunting. Approach them correctly and they could give you a lot of insight.
You and your son are going to have a great time!
 
That time frame the bucks are going to start cruizing for does in my area. From the 21st of Oct. on I start seeing big bucks on camera I\'ve never seen before at all times of the day. IMO this is the BEST time to kill the biggest buck from the neighbors property :D . Tactics I suggest is to find the best bottleneck (covers the most area, thickest, etc.) and put as many hours in the stand you can muster. You will see smaller breeder bucks actually with the does, but the big boys will still be running solo looking for the breedable does. Most if not all of my biggest of my WT were killed between Oct. 21 and Nov. 1
 
How much hunting pressure are you anticipating?

In my opinion, pressure is THE determining factor when it is present. It trumps time of day, timing of the rut, where the feeding areas are ... all of it.

If it were me, I\'d scout for obvious entry points for hunters, and then find funnels of habitat that would connect private land with larger public bedding areas.

But sometimes there are such obvious sources of hunting pressure that you can use them to get in front of deer. I like using \"soft drives\" when hunting whitetails, and the best \"soft drive\" is the one using another, unsuspecting, hunter as the \"driver\".
 
Deertick-that\'s how I\'ve killed some of my best rifle bucks on public land. On stand very early and don\'t get down until I kill. I was just assuming he would be bowhunting without a lot of pressure. If it\'s like Missouri rifle season though, you are spot on!
 
This is a limited entry unit.
There are 17 tags and my son and I have 2 of them.
I don\'t think pressure will be a great concern.
 
That was what I was thinking when I originally posted. Our public land doesn\'t get hammered real bad during bow season, especially if you are willing to walk a little. Again not sure what phase they will be in out there but scrapes will pretty much tell you. If the scrapes are active, it\'s pre-rut and IT\'S ON! If the scrapes look old, it\'s likely the peak and to me activity is spotty. Big bucks seem to hole up with does that are in. You really don\'t have to put a lot of thought into it though. Pre-rut just hunt the most active deer sign. Droppings, rubs, scrapes, beds anything big bucks can and will show up about anywhere. My favorite time to be in woods around here is 18-25 Oct. My favorite time of the day is between 10:00-2:00 but I will ususally sit all day on those particular dates.
 
Anyone that uses \'The Can\' bleat call:

How often do you call?
Is there a time of day that is better to call with it than others?
 
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