While this year might have been a little hectic and overwhelming with the election, things are calming down now and we can focus back on the rut! November typically means cooler weather and the start of the rut when those mature bucks begin to show up on your Ze cameras during daylight! Ask any deer hunter, and they will likely tell you that hunting the rut is their absolute favorite time to be in the deer stand. The reason is simple, there is not a better time to come face to face with a mature whitetail buck than during the rut when his instinct takes a back seat, and he tosses caution to the wind in search of love. This is why deer scents, doe estrous in particular can be so effective.

Now, although hunting the rut greatly increases your chances of encountering a big mature whitetail buck, it certainly doesn’t mean that you are guaranteed to see a Pope & Young every time you hit the woods. Hunting the rut really comes down to a couple of simple rules, spend as much time as you can in the deer stand, check your cameras as often as possible, and use every tool that you have available such as deer calls and deer scents to help give you the upper hand.