As you have seen from my past articles, I primarily deer hunt in New York where the annual deer harvest is one of the highest in the country. Most of the deer taken are from gun season (which can be like WWII from city hunters) but archery season is very quiet throughout the state. For this 2015 season, the experts are projecting the rut to kick off about a week earlier than last year. This will bode well for archery hunters. Hunting whitetails during the rut, especially in the Northeast, is one of the best times to increase your chances at taking a nice buck. Clearly a no brainer, but be prepared for bucks to start chasing earlier this hunting season, so plan to adjust your tactics accordingly.
There are different theories as to when bucks begin their rut and the most popular one is to follow the moon phase. This year, the rutting moon falls on October 27th. The rutting moon is the second full moon after the Autumnal equinox. I’ve read a few articles that say this will trigger bucks to begin their early “seeking” phase of the rut. Some does will begin an early estrus cycle during this time. Be prepared to change your tactics from hunting predominately over food areas to bedding transition zones or rub lines.
I haven’t killed the monster bucks like the Lakosky’s, but I have success every hunting season following fundamental tactics. In the early season I strictly choose to hunt near food sources or transition zones. During this time, I build a profile of my hunting grounds and lock down deer patterns. I rarely use any estrus in October, but occasionally put a scent wick out if the weather patterns become unseasonably cold. With my experience, temperature in Upstate NY is one the leading factors that affects rut activity. Deer will start moving around much more and not be locked into their nocturnal patterns. During the early stages of the rut, I spend a lot more time on post, typically taking a two hour break for lunch and sometimes changing my afternoon stand location. Putting time in the stand will get you a deer, but yes you can get lucky just sitting for the last hour of daylight! I’ve shot some nice deer during midday and highly recommend you sitting as long as you can during chase rut.
I hope you have success this hunting season! I will post more videos and articles once November comes around when I don’t have my hectic 9-5 schedule. Be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for great pictures. Thanks for reading.
-Michael
Green Lake Chronicles 