Rut Tracking 10-7-19
(Rut Meter 5%)
We have been officially tracking the 2019 rut for over two weeks now and we can report with 100% confidence that the rut is nowhere in sight. Our rut meter has moved a few points but that is primarily due to the days ticking off the fall calendar.
Our team of rut watchers is reporting all kinds of “bucky” behaviors but they are being driven by increasing levels of testosterone in a buck’s system. We are not seeing any signs of does being in estrus, which is critical to the rut we are waiting for. We watched 2 young bucks spar for an hour last week but it was far from a fight to the finish.
The same goes for the rubs and scrapes that are showing up, a dress rehearsal for the upcoming main event. A buck moves into a food plot and a doe moves out, but no, not a breeding chase. The rut watchers at The Hunting Page are all over this year’s rut and you will know when it’s “Rut On” as soon as we call it.
Does that mean there is no point in climbing up in a tree stand? Heck no! Some of the best whitetail hunting of the season is right now. Deer are feeling the “need to feed” and food is everywhere. Acorns are hitting the ground and so are apples, pears, and persimmons. Did we mention beechnuts and hickories? Maybe a chestnut or two? Fall food plots are in their prime, as well as agriculture crops like soybeans. Fall is the time of plenty in the deer woods, and the deer are doing their best to pack on the pounds.
Savvy hunters know that deer are slaves to their stomachs and take advantage of the “need to feed”. Hanging a stand on a well-worn trail between a deer’s bedroom and his dinner table has led to more than one early fall buck decorating a game pole. But remember, favorite feeding areas change often so keep track of what your game cameras are telling you. Cameras, like some hunters and all fishermen, don’t lie. Bottom line, the season is open; get out there and hunt, hunt food, and hunt often.
