With the rut’s crazy madness drifting away in the past and the deer beginning to focus more on surviving the winter how should you change your hunting tactics? The post rut can be one of the toughest times to hunt but also very successful. There are several different tactics used by hunters while in pursuit of a mature whitetail as the rut winds down. Here are a few I believe in.
In the beginning of the post-rut phase the bucks are desperately trying to find the remaining does not yet bred in the heat of the rut. Sometimes you will notice the mature bucks are even more active now having bred already, they desperately search for more receptive does. They may travel much farther than their home range this time of year. The tough part with this is the deer have already felt the hunting pressure too. I recommend finding an area that hasn’t been hunted a lot yet even if it is lacking in sign. The deer will be pushed into these areas by hunters. Bucks generally use thicker areas where they have less pressure to push the doe into for breeding. Hunting all day can also be a big advantage as the colder temperatures come in. The deer are use to being hunted more in the morning and afternoon and since the weather isn’t too warm they may become active during the middle of the day. Keep an eye on your doe herd; usually your younger does are the last to be bred because it is their first year to come in season.
As the rut closes down and the weather gets tougher to handle deer turn to their survival instincts. Food, rest and shelter become top priority. The mast crop of acorns has usually become scarce and the deer turn to alternative meals. Try hunting crop fields such as uncut corn or winter wheat. Also keep in mind the bucks are usually the last to filter into the fields and rarely use the primary travel route. Try to find a smaller trail off to the side of the primary one and that is usually where your bigger bucks will be. Of course they usually stage until dark before they filter into the field so hunt where you can see into the woods well, in case he decides to hang out there before going into the field.
Deer keep a good eye on the sky this time of year due to the changing weather patterns. Try to hunt with the weather, what I mean by this is if a front is coming in hunt before its arrival and be in your stand as soon as the weather breaks. I remember visiting Cades Cove one year and it had snowed four days. The last day the weather broke and we decided to ride up to the park. I have been many times and saw on average 50 deer, rarely more than 100, but I saw over 200 deer out that day. They were out in the fields everywhere the sun had melted the snow. The barometric pressure was up and the snow was melting. If there was a patch of green anywhere, 10 deer were fighting over it. Also during the bad weather, deer tend to stay much closer to there bedding areas due to the thick cover. So if you are hunting close to an impending winter storm, don’t get too far from the bedding area. But when the weather breaks be on top of the food source because after a lay up the deer are in search of nutrition. Be sure to play the wind this time of year, as deer are well aware of hunting season by now.
The post-rut can be a tough time to hunt with few does still left to breed, the weather, and hunting pressure, so don’t be afraid to change hunting locations and try different areas. To quote what a friend said, “This time of year I let them set the pattern and I just play the game.”
Rachel Edmons is a member of Hoyt's National Shooting Team and a WomenHunters.Org staff member. She is also a member of TnHunting.Com's Field Staff.
