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Rut Tracker 2012: Deer Are Where They Eat

December 20, 2012

The biological rut might be over but hunting season is going strong in many parts of the country where understanding post-rut behavior is now critical to filling that tag. On the surface, post-rut whitetail hunting is pretty straightforward—find what they are eating this time of year and hunt it. Bucks are repairing their bodies after weeks of chasing does and are eagerly chowing down on their favorite late-season foods. Unfortunately most deer have been hunted for months and act nothing like the food-driven deer you hunted just a few months ago. It’s a lot tougher than finding a food source and staking it out.

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Harvest Stats
When, where and how BBZ fans took their deer in the 2012–2013 season.
Technique

Technique

97
Tree Stand
21
Ground Blind
15
Still Hunt
31
Spot and Stalk
0
Track
4
Drive/​Push

Recent News

  • December 13, 2012

    Rut Tracker 2012: Nasty Weather Will Get Bucks Moving-0

    by

    With the biological rut all but wrapped up, our buck sightings across whitetail country have dwindled dramatically. All the bucks haven’t been killed, but they are really feeling the pressure and making themselves scarce. Your best bets for killing a good buck now are taking advantage of severe weather conditions (providing you have them) and staking out high carbohydrate food sources like standing corn and unharvested bean fields. The post rut, need to feed is in full swing and mature bucks are repairing their rut-exhausted bodies by heading to food sources.

    [ Read Full Post ]
  • December 13, 2012

    After Years of Holding Out, PA Bowhunter Finally Takes Trophy Buck -2

    by

    Michael Charlton, 28, started this season like seasons past – scout, scout, and scout some more. Charlton had a piece of private land that he hunted with his father in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. They kept hunting to a minimum and let bucks reach maturity.

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  • December 12, 2012

    Monster Buck Taken on Public Land in Delaware -0

    by

    For the last 18 years, Nick Chadick has been hunting the same area in New Castle County, Delaware jumping between public land and private land. Hunting public land is a bit more challenging because stand location is determined through a daily lottery during shotgun season and first-come-first-serve basis during the archery season.

    The wind led Chadick to hunt public ground on November 13th. Shotgun season was in full swing and Chadick had to stick to stands put out by the State. Chadick chose a stand placed in a pinch point between a series of fields and a large creek.

    [ Read Full Post ]
  • December 6, 2012

    Rut Tracker 2012: The Rut (Mostly) Winding Down-2

    by

    The rut may be winding down, but there is some great hunting ahead if you are lucky enough to live in a state with seasons that extend well into December. This is one of our favorite times to hunt as mature bucks gradually shift from the need to breed to the need to feed. And, that’s just about where we are now.

    [ Read Full Post ]
  • December 5, 2012

    The 70-Hour-Wait South Dakota Buck-0

    by

    The summer months in South Dakota dragged on slowly while Calvin Gellatly prepared for archery season with weekly shooting sessions. Although he’s been hunting the same piece of land for 20 years, the property is owned by a group of hunters and this year there would be added pressure during the archery season.

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  • November 30, 2012

    Illinois Bowhunter Takes 216-Inch Bruiser Buck-0

    by

    Jay Cremer was hunting in central Illinois when a giant whitetail made its last mistake. The 250-acre property that Cremer hunts has been home to many big bucks over the years, but none were quite like this.

    It was November 15 and Cremer, who planned to hunt in the morning, was late getting to his stand. Once he was settled in things were slow – temperatures in the mid-50s weren’t helping. The only excitement of the morning was a pair of fawns that were hanging around his stand.

    Just as he prepared to climb down and head to work, Cremer spotted a group of does with a giant buck trailing behind them. As the buck closed the distance to 36 yards, he came to full draw.

    The shot looked good, but as the deer scattered the bowhunter lost sight of the buck and could only see the does as they headed to the west. With work in a few hours, Cremer climbed down from his stand and looked for some sign of a hit, but couldn’t find a single drop of blood. He decided to back out, head to work, and return the next day to pick up the search.

    [ Read Full Post ]
  • November 29, 2012

    The Rut Tracker 2012: Rut Winding Down, Time to Target Food Sources -0

    by

    The biological rut is winding down in most places and over in some. By now, 90 to 95% of the adult does in whitetail country have been bred and things are getting back to normal. As the rut winds down some great whitetail hunting lies ahead. Big bucks will be back on the feed and hungry bucks are very huntable.

    Even though breeding activity is diminishing, there will be another short flurry of rutting behavior in about a week as a small number of mature does recycle and a relatively small number of doe fawns come into their first estrus. That will create some additional activity, but is hardly a full-blown second rut as many would like to believe.

    [ Read Full Post ]
  • November 29, 2012

    Daigle Buck Could Become Massachusetts State Record-5

    by

    A giant buck has fallen in Central Massachusetts and it could be big enough to take the number one spot in the record books.

    On November 14, Dan Daigle was hunting in his hometown of Rutland. It was just after 3 p.m. when Daigle began his ascent up the hemlock to his Lone Wolf hang-on 25 feet off the ground. The northeast wind would be perfect for this stand and carry his scent away from the direction he thought that the deer would approach.

    Daigle is a scent freak and goes to great lengths to stay scent free—showering with scent free soap and wearing a carbon suit helped Daigle get an edge on the sharp nose of the whitetail.

    [ Read Full Post ]
  • November 26, 2012

    Ohio Bowhunter Takes 175-Inch Birthday Buck-1

    by

    Larry Leggett always wanted to kill a buck on his birthday. This year, on Saturday, October 27, he got his chance. The season started off slowly for Leggett, who usually had four to six shooters on his trail cam by the end of October. With only one shooter buck caught on camera this year, Leggett didn’t like his odds.

    Saturday was an ugly day, rainy and gloomy. Leggett decided to wait until the afternoon to hit the woods in hopes the weather would clear, but the rain kept coming.

    [ Read Full Post ]
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