How to Hunt the Whitetail Rut (Successfully)

With tried and tested whitetail rut hunting tactics from Jeff Sturgis – an innovator in whitetail hunting strategies for over 35 years – and first-of-its-kind, localized rut tracking tools like RutCast from HuntWise, you now have scientific and historical data, expert insight, and real-time weather forecasting at your fingertips to track every phase of the whitetail rut as they unfold right where you are.

So, how should you hunt the whitetail rut? Keep reading for our insights and use them to your advantage this season.

The Rut Starts at the Same Time Every Year

However, rut activity is weather-dependent.

It doesn't matter what the weather or phase the moon is in; the rut starts at the same time every year. 

We have ultrasound data from thousands of does over three decades, alongside many other studies conducted by biologists around the country, to prove it – but rut activity varies greatly depending on the weather.

If it's a 90-degree day in late October, deer will not be very active. However, if it drops thirty to forty degrees a few days later, deer are going to be very active. Once cooler temperatures hit, you find bucks cruising a lot more.

In the upper Midwest, for example, trail cam activity noticeably picks up when the temperature is under 50 degrees.

"The rut starts at the same time every year, but rut activity varies greatly depending on the weather."

Daylight rut activity is most affected by the weather. Deer are still being bred at the same time each year; it's just that a lot of that activity will shift to nocturnal if the weather is warm. 

Even some seasoned deer hunters who are very conscious and aware of weather-based rut activity have a misconception that the rut doesn't happen at the same time every year, which puts them behind other hunters who know to plan for the rut to start consistently every year.

For instance, even now, some of the moon charts could say that the rut should be really peaking around the opening day of gun season in Wisconsin – but if you wait for that period, you'll be three weeks behind. 

Wisconsin's gun opener is typically the Saturday before Thanksgiving. By then, you're in the post-rut phase, and things are winding down. So, if you're counting on peak rut activity based on those moon charts, you'll be sorely, sorely mistaken.

The Rut Rollercoaster: Mature Bucks and Increased Activity

Again, the rut takes place at the same time every year. However, in addition to weather, another factor affecting rut activity year-over-year is whether you have either mature bucks or a number of younger bucks in your hunting area. 

If you have older bucks around or a sizable number of bucks in general, they'll leave many more rubs and scrapes because there's a lot more competition. However, if you don't have older bucks or a large number of bucks around, you won't see that rub and scrape activity and will have to wait until the peak rut.

Based purely on a lack of rub and scrape activity, many hunters get into the peak rut and think the rut has just begun. The truth is, there just weren't any mature bucks or bucks in number around when the rut actually started in their hunting area weeks back. 

"Besides weather, where you'll see the biggest difference in rut activity year-over-year is if you have older bucks around or you have bucks in number in your hunting area."

That's why it is crucial to have a tool like RutCast to accurately track every phase of the whitetail rut as they unfold on a localized, geo-specific level.

Trail Cams, Mock Scrapes, Tree Stands, and Buck Cruising Areas

One very effective three-part tactic is to link your trail cams to your mock scrapes, to your tree stands, and your buck cruising areas:

1. Put your trail cams on your mock scrapes.
2. Put your mock scrapes in front of your tree stands.
3. Put your tree stands in front of cruising areas – such as in between bedding locations – so that bucks don't have to go out of their way to hit your scrape. 

Speaking of scrapes, one myth that seems to crop up every year is that bucks have to freshen their scrapes up after it gets done raining. It's simply not true. 

Bucks do not freshen their scrapes up in response to rain. Bucks freshen their scrapes up within their daily habits based on the low-stress/low-pressure opportunities between their normal travel routes. 

Hunt the Weather During the Entire Rut

I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a tool like RutCast at your disposal. It combines scientific and historical data, expert insight, and real-time weather forecasting to track every phase of the whitetail rut as it unfolds on a localized, geo-specific level.

The worst thing you can do is take nine days off of work in a row and call that your "rutcation." Most times, three or four of those days will be horrible weather – and you shouldn't even be in a stand because you're spooking things on the property, especially if you're limited to a small parcel. Then, only three or four days are top-notch.

"RutCast combines scientific and historical data, expert insight, and real-time weather forecasting to track every phase of the whitetail rut as they unfold on a localized, geo-specific level."

You don't want to lose three or four quality days you could have taken another time. You're better off taking three weekends in a row and hitting the pre-rut, peak rut, and post-rut than putting all your eggs in one basket and burning out your land, your stand, your family, and your boss.

Case in point: As I typed this in southwest Wisconsin, I looked at RutCast to see that an upcoming Friday is a great morning to be in the stand. I can plan my time off based on that information and expect a much better chance of success than taking a longer, less data-informed rutcation.

Hunt The Whitetail Rut (More Successfully) With HuntWise 

Use these tips to track and hunt the whitetail rut in your area right now, keep an eye on your app, and shoot straight. When you know the rut is coming, make sure you have your gear ready to go, your license in hand, and the HuntWise app to show you the best days to hunt and where to find those bucks.

If you don't have HuntWise yet, download the app and explore every feature free for a week.

You'll have an advantage over other hunters who don't have the insights you have into the start of rut season!

Content updated June 11, 2024.