JUST SHOT: Rut Hunting Strategies with Bill Winke

November gets all the attention, but the buck movement can be very unpredictable with some very slow days. Late October has a more consistent action and is becoming my farvorite time to hunt big whitetails.

I once again go back into my archives and bring up three rut hunts, one from each of the rut phases. These hunts show how the strategies change depending upon the rut phase.

While most deer hunters focus on the build-up to breeding that occurs in early November - and rightfully so, it is great hunting - there can still be some really good hunting (maybe even better) on the back half of the rut. In this episode, I go over how things went on the second half of the rut on my farm and why it can be so good.

I have been blesseed with many great rut hunts, but the one that stands out is one that I will never be able to duplicate as two world-class bucks fight over a doe just a short distance from my stand. By day's end, I am able to wrap my tag on one of them. This hunt shows how quickly your entire season can change. You just have to be out there.

While entry and exit are probably the most important parts of any hunt, too many hunters still cut corners in this area. To be successful during the rut, you have to put in your time hunting deer that don't know they are being hunted. Be creative. Don't get sloppy or lazy. Go to the extreme.

One of the easiest setups to find and hunt effectively during the rut is to locate funnels between two doe bedding areas and spend your time in these areas. Rut funnels work during most rut phases but are especially effective when the bucks are the most aggressively searching for does.

I tend to be fairly conservative in the amount of calling I use during the rut. In this episode, I talk about my approach and why I have stuck with it for so many seasons.

Last week I talked about the value of keeping thing simple during the rut. One of the best ways you can do that is to hunt the does knowing the bucks will be doing the same thing. This week I take that strategy a bit farther by talking about the excitement that occurs every year right about now as the first doe in a buck's core area comes into estrus.

It can be tempting with all the buck sign you find while scouting and all the trail cam photos you have of a good buck to over-think the rut. You will be most successful, however, if you just keep it simple. Hunt travel routes between two doe concentration areas and you will find the bucks.

Mornings tend to be better during the rut for a few reasons that I get into in this episode. Plus, I talk about where to hunt and when the start hunting mornings. kwjust kwhunting kwwhitetail