With the rut beginning to heat up, be careful not to get stuck in one. There are major changes taking place in a buck’s routine this time of year. These changes offer your best chance at placing your tag on a nice buck.

Food has become secondary to mature bucks by the first of November. This causes most hunters to change their tactics while others get stuck in an early season rut. Does dictate buck movement during this phase of the rut. Although the bucks aren’t as concerned with food, the does will still continue a typical feeding routine. The pressure of human presence has pushed the deer deeper into bedding areas, which may cause a late entry into a food source, but may also cause them to arrive at the bedding area a few minutes late in the morning. I recommend getting off the food source by a few hundred yards if possible. I tend to use the same trail systems, but track them back in the direction of their beds. Remember to stay far enough away from the bedding area to prevent spooking them. The bucks tend to be a few minutes behind the does, so if you want one, I recommend letting the does pass.