© Copyright John Trout, Jr.

I have never met a serious whitetail bowhunter who did not want to be on stand when the rut peaks.  After all, many bucks will make their last mistake during this period.  Deer begin taking chances and often forget their common nocturnal habit in order to chase does in estrous.

However, I am not so sure that the peak rut is better than the pre-rut period.  If a bowhunter relies on rubs and scrapes to find a buck to hunt, it is the pre-rut period that will serve him best.

Bowhunters usually see bucks during the peak-rut period.  Bucks are in strong pursuit of does, simply because the breeding has begun.  However, remember that a buck is ready to breed long before the peak of the rut.  They will make scrapes and rubs near bedding areas, food sources and along travel routes.  They seem to go crazy while doing it, knowing that the does will soon be ready.

The pre-rut frenzy begins two or three weeks before the breeding or peak-rut begins.  The bucks want to check scrapes consistently, hoping to come across the first estrous doe of the season in a given area.  Rub lines provide the bowhunter with proof of a buck’s existence and where he travels regularly.  Stands set up near these locations may prove to be effective, simply because the bucks could return.  During the peak-rut, however, the bucks often abandon scrapes and rub lines while searching for breeding does.

As for food sources, I pay little attention to these when the pre-rut frenzy begins.  When the buck’s testosterone level rises during the weeks before breeding begins, they concentrate little on eating.  The archer must forget about whitetail foods and concentrate on various hunting techniques in areas where they know the bucks soon will be.

Whenever and wherever bucks travel, they are waiting to hear, see or smell something that pertains to breeding.  The breeding is close and any sound resembling rattling antlers or grunts will interest them.

Although rattling works better in some areas than in others, it can work anywhere during the pre-rut period when the right deer is nearby.  Many bucks will only spar, while others will get into knock-down fights for a doe that is about to come into estrous.

The grunt tube is essential during the pre-rut period because it will tell one buck that another is close by.  It may send a signal that tells him an estrous doe is near.  During the pre-rut frenzy, it is not unusual to see bucks pass by just out of bow range.  A stand in the right place, along with a grunt call, may be all it takes to put him in your lap.

Scrape and rub lines located near thickets that might be bedding areas are excellent choices for ambush locations.  I do not recommend walking into possible bedding areas, but if you hunt nearby, observations a few mornings or evenings should tell the story.

When the pre-rut frenzy begins, you cannot count out the midday hours.  Even the 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. hours can be effective.  Usually, you cannot spend all day in the woods, but if you stay an hour or two later in the morning and arrive an hour or two earlier in the afternoons, you can count on seeing more bucks.  This is particularly true when you set up stands near the bedding areas.

A buck may sacrifice his normal routine of moving early and late when his pre-rut instincts kick into high gear.  Suddenly, when the alarm clock rings, he has a burning desire to move, regardless of the time of day.

There are no guarantees that I will fill my tag when the pre-rut frenzy arrives, but I do know that my chances will improve.  I wait anxiously for its beginning and always dread its ending.  Sometimes, between the beginning and end of the pre-rut frenzy, I will discover why it is worth waiting for.

John Trout, Jr.