December Rut Tracker: Late Season Food is Key

Rut Tracker 12-7-2018       Rut Meter 30%

Last week we lowered the rut meter down to below 50% this week it climbs even lower to a low of 30%. Does mean the breeding is all over? Not really, it simply means that most of the does have been already bred, fawns of the year can still come into estrus and the occasional old doe can still cycle into estrus. And, there are a few parts of the whitetail world where the rut has yet to arrive. The fall rut as we know it and love it is all but over in about 95%  of whitetail country.

The majority of the deer herd is moving beyond “the need to breed”  and entered into the  “winter is coming”  mode. That that means the emphasis shifts from breeding to feeding. Rutting bucks have lost 25-30% of their body mass and does and fawns are putting on weight for the winter. The deer are feeding off and on all day, especially during temperate conditions, more and more deer are feeding during the warmest times of the day and fewer deer are exposing themselves to the severe conditions of winter weather.  Weather and hunting pressure are important factors in predicting where and when deer will move (and feed).

Speaking of food, foods high in carbohydrates are still highly attractive, corn and beans beat leaves and twigs any day of the week, and if you have some fresh greens and tubers growing the deer will thank you as long as they last. When it comes to hunting the late season, it is more important than ever to be stealthy. The deer you are after have most likely been hunted for a few months now, and nothing is tougher to kill than a big buck who knows he is being hunted.  The buck you haven’t seen on camera   for a couple of weeks, may be very much alive, but just laid up in some out-of-the-way place. With pressured deer, a little weather or wind is often an advantage when trying to connect with a wall hanger buck.  A mid-day hunt is often more productive than

the same ole, same ole morning or evening sits. Mr. Big knows he is being hunted so don’t be afraid to change things up and don’t be surprised if a chase erupts out of nowhere, there are still does who haven’t conceived yet, and there are still plenty of  bucks out there who are always happy to oblige.