Talk to many bowhunters today and this is when they’ll say they most want to be in the woods. True, peak rut is a great time to be in your tree stand from sunrise to sunset. It’s when you’re likely to cross paths with the local monster that many people have spotted after dark, but very few have seen while seated in a tree stand. The peak of the rut makes those big bucks goofy.
Unfortunately, peak rut is also the time when you might encounter lock down. That’s when the chase has ended and a big, mature buck has successfully won the heart of the doe-of-the-moment. The buck and his doe lock down together to breed, and neither moves around much, if at all, for a day or two. It can be a lonely time on stand for a bowhunter – and still be the peak of the rut.
Eager bowhunters would do well to expend just as much effort during the early part of the rut in mid to late October as they do during the peak rut in November. You’re not necessarily going to get the king of the woods – those guys know better than to move around during daylight at this time of year – but you certainly have a good chance of encountering a heavy 3.5 year old with respectable headgear. READ MORE….