THINK FOOD, FIND EARLY SEASON BUCKS
by Brock Ray

 You and the buck you are hunting are not as different as you might think. When you are hungry, you do what? You poke your nose in the refrigerator. After you eat you do what? You bed down in front of the television under the pretense of watching a program with your eyes closed. If sex only came around for a few days a year, you would probably be as irritable and edgy as a buck. Luckily, for most of us, it is at least twice as often.

One difference between bucks and guys in this department is that bucks usually only get highly sexually focused during the rut, (this is when does enter their “annual” estrus cycle). Until then they eat and sleep, and then eat and sleep. October is the last month prior to the rut, which in most locales peaks between the second and fourth weeks of November. Bucks rarely eat on a regular basis once the peak of the rut arrives (as well as for weeks thereafter). However, prior to the rut, these animals instinctively eat to accumulate as much body fat as possible to carry them safely through the rut and into the rigors of winter.
Much is written about pre-rut behavior, how it affects buck behavior and how it affects hunting strategies. Many so-called whitetail hunting experts put considerable emphasis on October hunting strategies that rely heavily on using mock scrapes and rubs, attractor scents, and calling. I would be the last to say these are valid in many instances, but having hunted whitetail from Mexico to Alberta for an average of over 50 days a season for the last ten years, in my opinion focusing on food sources and needs is a superior all round approach.

There are for a variety of reasons that explain this. The first is that during the pre-rut every big buck spends time checking out the locations and disposition of does. Sure, some does come into estrus prior to the peak of the rut, just as do the does that were not successfully bred during the peak of the rut come back into estrus in December and even January. Bucks literally pester does to the point of near madness at this time, but once they see the does are not yet receptive these fellows move on. Does now spend time eating as much as they can digest to build up reserves of body fat to ensure their pending pregnancy is successful during the upcoming winter and early spring months when food sources dwindle to their annual low points. By hunting food sources, you learn where the does are, who ultimately will be where the bucks are that you seek.

Mock scrapes and rubs sprinkled with buck urine is a valid, long accepted method for hunting pre-rut. The same is true of antler rattling. Sure, during the pre-rut bucks establish territory and local breeding dominance. These animals create their scrape lines and mark their territory. Sparing occurs a lot at this time, although full blown battles are not as common as they are during the peak of the rut. Old time hunters made a big deal out of hunting scrape lines, and subsequently created the popularity of creating mock scrapes and rubs. While they work, the use of mock scrapes and rubs can put you in a tough position if you rely on only what a these tactics can do for you.

Scrapes are urine and glandular secretion tainted calling cards to let nuptial does know there is a suitor in the woods, and to announce to other bucks that this “corner” is taken. When a buck approaches its own scrape, it is alert for a responding message in the form of urine from an estrus or near-estrus doe. He is wired for action, which as noted earlier in the article, is an annual event. When approaching a mock scrape made by a hunter that was soaked with bottled urine from a buck, the animal you are hunting will either react with indifference, outrage or be intimidated. Again your quarry is at a full state of alert. If you are lucky you will see this occur from a treestand. However, at this time of the season odds are you will not see as most scrape checking efforts conducted by larger bucks occurs at night.

Hunting food sources is my preferred pre-rut strategy because is where the does and bucks will naturally spend at least a portion of their time and be at their most at ease state. It holds back the temptation on every whitetail hunter’s part to hunt at those key breeding areas for when the peak of the rut occurs. Feed areas are often nocturnal haunts, so once you locate where these animals are doing a portion of their feeding, the next step it to locate a high percentage ambush point.

My favorite treestand locations have often been where two primary trials intersected within 100 to 300 yards of a major feeding area such as a grove of acorn laden oak trees, or where whitetail liked to slip into a soy bean or wheat field. While it is not uncommon for these animals to bed where they feed, most of the time they prefer to retreat from feed areas to either dense cover or the top of the a ridge where they have a good view of approaching danger. This is especially true of mature bucks over three years old that have reached that point in life by not making themselves any more apparent during day hours to humans than they can possible avoid.

Locating feed trails is often best accomplished by zeroing in on where these animals are feeding. If it is a grain field, you may need to glass it from a distance for a few days, and then walk its perimeter for where these animals enter and exit. Back tracking the entrance points should be all you need to find a suitable treestand or ground blind location. When in largely wooded terrain, looking for hardwood mast producing trees where these animals concentrate to feed is your goal. Many times it is only the existence of lots of droppings that give you a hint which trees are attracting feeding whitetail, and which appear to be being ignored at the time.

Another source of food that is often abundant and highly sought after at this time is carbohydrate rich soft mast. Soft mast is a category of wild and domesticated sources of food that includes wild grapes, persimmons, apples, pears, and other similar soft, sweet morsels. Whitetail have a sweet tooth, and when any of these is available, they are eagerly eaten by these animals. Wild grapes are often found in heavily wooded areas as well as along edges and breaks. Persimmons are successionary growth trees that are most common in gullies, along fence lines and cut-overs that are ten years or older. Apple and pear orchards were common around most farm houses that have been abandoned over the last 50 years. Abandoned homestead orchards as well as commercial orchards are invariable whitetail magnets whose locations are well-kept secrets by those fortunate enough to know their locations.