It’s roughly 11 hours and a wake-up until the 2010 firearm deer season opens. Some rutting activity is still in progress, and hunters are urged to be alert. Some rain today will have softened up the leaves, but if it frosts tonight, it may be possible to hear deer walking in the woods.
Firearm openers are calendar dates but the rut runs when does are in estrus. One of the hardest things to do is to predict the actions of a rutting whitetail buck. They are very intense, somewhat erratic and flighty, and trying to predict what they will do is like flipping a coin.
Heads or tails? Forward or backward? Right or left? A buck can move in any of these directions but the bottom line is a buck is going to head for where the does are. That's it! That's what hunters must remember!
Bucks in rut are very unpredictable.
If that doe is in estrus, and she shows herself to the buck, hunters know the buck will head her way. The next question is: at what speed? Will he move fast, slow or in the stop-go-stop, herky-jerky manner of rutting bucks?
Shooting a rutting buck is a bit different than a buck at other times of the season. Young bucks are more predictable than an older animal, and it's not uncommon for a young buck to stand motionless and get himself shot.
Rutting bucks, even when still, always seem to be in motion. Their body is moving, the head is up and then down or sideways, and they often move when they first spot a doe. Hunters, especially when in a tree stand, may spot the doe before the buck and get ready for a shot.
Guessing a buck's actions opens a hunter up to making errors. I once watched a buck dogging a doe across a field to a hole in a fence. She jumped right through without stopping. I thought he'd do the same and made my release when his nose entered the hole.
The buck stopped instead of coming through and the arrow sliced harmlessly through the air and stuck in the ground. The buck then jumped through the hole, sniffed the arrow and took off after the doe. No big deal for him but a complete miss for me. So much for trying to second-guess a rutting buck.
Don’t be too eager to shoot. Hunters usually more time to aim than they think.
Some bucks act somewhat predictably and others do not. Study the buck, and it helps to be at full draw when the buck comes into sight or, if rifle hunting, watching it with binoculars. If the buck takes two or three steps and then stops, shoot the instant he stops if it offers a high percentage killing shot. Running the clip dry on a running buck is usually a waste of time.
Sometimes a buck will head into the brush on a doe's trail, and stop before committing himself to the move. Be ready if he hesitates, but this isn't something a hunter can count on a buck doing.
A buck tending an estrus doe will often grunt as he trails along behind. Once the grunt is within bow or rifle range, come to full draw and be ready to shoot once he steps out. Often, a buck will stop just inside a clearing or wide spot in the trail to look around, and that may offer an opportunity for a clear shot.
Hunters who hunt near food sources may find an estrus doe will stop to feed, and the buck may approach as she feeds. I've seen bucks stop near standing corn fields or food plots, but it's not something a hunter can always count on.
Try mouth grunting to stop a buck. It may works, and at other times it won’t.
The one thing that decades of deer hunting has taught me is to always be prepared. Rutting bucks can approach quietly or with noise. A hunter who sits with his bow or rifle hanging off a tree branch usually doesn't have enough time to pick it up, come to full draw, aim and shoot.
All too often a buck moves past a motionless hunter without stopping. Or, if he stops, it is just for an instant and then is off again.
One trick that works on occasion is to wait until the buck is in a perfect spot, and then grunt loud and guttural. A harsh grunt may stop a buck for an instant, but it fails as often as it works. Of course, the hunter can't grunt, raise the bow and shoot. He must be at full draw when he grunts to stop the animal. A gutteral “eehhh” or “uuhhhh” eliminates the need to hold a grunt call.
The Boy Scouts of America have always had a motto: Be Prepared. It works for BSA members, and it certainly will pay off when bow or rifle hunting rutting bucks. Hunters who are not prepared, both mentally and physically, often miss their golden opportunity.
The only thing deer hunters can count on is the buck’s unpredictability.
Some firearm tips to remember tomorrow.
*Be afield and in your stand at least 45 minutes before sun-up.
*Plan on an all-day hunting, if necessary. Know when shooting times begin and end.
*Pack a lunch in soft cloth towels and bring along something to drink. (Not beer or booze).
*Deer are most likely to move at dawn, between 10 a.m.-2 p.m., and just before dark although if hunters are moving, the deer may move sporadically throughout the day.
*If hunting in the open rather than from a coop, be alert to wind direction and where deer move.
*Fast-paced shots seldom produce when shooting at a running deer moving through heavy cover. After two shots, the barrel heats up and shots begin to wander. It’s far better to watch the animal, and when it offers a standing broadside or quartering-away shot, that’s when to shoot.
*Positively identify your target as a deer. Scan the terrain behind the deer to learn if it is safe to shoot. Observe the 450-foot “safety zone” around houses, cattle, barns, etc.
*Remain as motionless as possible, and keep any sound to an absolute minimum.
*If hunting from an elevated stand, do not load a firearm until after is has been raised into the stand. Use extreme caution when walking into and out of a stand. Use a light in darkness.
*Wear Blaze Orange or Hunter Orange clothing.
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