By Troy A. Edwards
Most hunters accept the fact that the easiest time to kill a whitetail buck is throughout the rut. The reason for this is a consequence of the males being more likely to reduce their level of alertness whilst competing for the best does. This therefore is then the best period to go out to bag a buck, and add some meat to the freezer.
The rut starts with the males scraping the ground in close proximity to a branch of a tree all over their bit of forest or grassland. It is basically a scratch in the ground that should be seen by the rest of the males in the particular part of the woods or plains. The reason for this is in order to decide which male is the dominant male in that area. As the first male has scented the scratch in the ground (using his many glands for this purpose), the rest of the males will start to appear and begin the process of enlarging the scrape and adding their scent to the spot.
You'd think that, as you find a large scrape mark you'd think it could be a good spot to set up a stand and pass the time until the next bold male to stroll over. Sadly for us, bucks usually only wander through and leave their scents at night - which is unfortunate but is the most usual occurrence.
As the season progresses the males will begin the process of beefing up their strength by brushing and pushing their heads against trees and banks. This action helps and aids the process to scrape off the velvet-like material from their soon-to-be weapons, preparing them for the coming fights. The rest of the whitetail deer ought to see these signals, and also during this stage they begin to urinate in the marks. This therefore is without doubt the best time to be on the hunt for whitetail deer as at this moment their guard is down; they're preoccupied on seeking females as opposed to being only concerned with being attacked.
The males will carry on to add their scent in scrape marks and leave their smell all over until a doe urinate in the scratch, the reason for this is it enables the winner to know she is ready to mate. Of course he ought to then have a look at these marks as often as he can.
It's usually best practice to be out and about hunting for longer periods of time once the rut starts - the moment you begin to stumble upon the markings described above in the area. This process ought to improve your chances of spotting a great big deer while his alertness level is reduced. One good method to find out if rutting season is underway is to take a look at the hind legs of a buck. He has tarsal scent sacks there (that he urinates on) also otherwise known as hawks, and they tend to go darker throughout the rut.
The primary factor why the rut is the best time for hunting is a consequence of the males being distracted. They are concerned primarily on finding a doe and fighting with other bucks, giving the hunter a significantly bigger likelihood of bringing home a buck than at the other times of the season.
If you're eager to raise your likelihood of shooting a trophy to be proud of this time around, you should be out in the woods as long as you possibly can. Also, try to keep in your thoughts that if you're out to harvest a monster buck, don't shoot the first one that crosses your path! It may seem obvious, but I think we've all done it! When you've been out there for the best part of a day you can easily settle for less. In a lot of situations this actually is what prevents us bringing back a mature male at all, this is a consequence of the more mature deer will most likely stay hidden in undergrowth or tall grass longer than younger deer and probably be spooked by the attack on the other deer.
If you like this article, be sure to check out http://www.the-hunting-guide.com
I'm Troy Edwards and I runs this site for trophy deer hunters, I publish new strategies and tips all the time so come and check it out!
http://www.the-hunting-guide.com
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