Although the peak of the rut is often touted as the "only" time to waylay a mature buck, the 10-day period just before and just after peak breeding dates can often be just as effective.
By Steve Bartylla
As excited as most hunters get about the rut, I've come to the very firm belief that the 10- to 14-day period on either side of the peak-breeding phase is the best time to take a truly magnificent buck. The reason is simple. The vast majority of mature and/or dominant bucks are simply breeding machines. It's my experience that they waste comparatively little time roaming in search of does and spend far more time actually courting them.
Furthermore, I have come to the belief that the old story about does leading bucks around by the nose is more fallacy than fact -- at least, when it comes to Mr. Big. If you doubt this, ask yourself if you truly believe that the doe bedding in the middle of that picked cornfield at high noon would be there if Mr. Big wasn't standing over her? If you've been lucky enough to find that remote pocket which serves as an annual breeding ground, you might ask, Does it make sense that the doe naturally led her suitor there?
WHY ARE THEY ALWAYS IN HARD-TO-GET-TO PLACES?
Think of every time you've seen an absolute brute of a buck tending a doe. Sure, during the chase phase she leads the pack, but does it really appear that she's leading Mr. Big once he's laid claim to her? Or is he actually herding her in the direction he wants her to go? More often than not, it seems that the final destination will be a place that is not easily accessible by hunters.
During the peak breeding season, the dominant bucks are with does a higher percentage of the time and have them locked down in relatively small areas that are difficult to hunt. Sure, these bucks are moving occasionally, but just long enough to protect the doe they are with or find another one, and their dominance and rutting experience makes that a relatively easier task. Then they're locked down all over again!
On the flip side, the days leading up to the breeding phase and the days that follow are altogether different. Sure, there are still a few random does out there to be bred, and Mr. Big is fully intent on finding them. However, there are not nearly as many available does before or after the rut as there are during the peak-breeding phase. So this means that Mr. Big now has to work much harder to find that available doe.
Obviously, this increased daylight movement becomes a huge advantage to hunters, and that is precisely why I believe hunters stand a greater chance of killing the area's dominant buck during these two time frames. Sure, you'll see more bucks during the breeding phase. However, we're not talking about yearlings and 2 1/2-year-olds here. We're talking about Mr. Big & Nasty. Through my own experience, as well as through the majority of the big-buck profiles I've done over the years, I've come to the conclusion that it's easier to connect with a truly mature and dominant buck on either side of peak breeding dates.
TARGETING SCRAPES
There's no doubt in my mind that hunting scrapes during the breeding phase is most often a waste of time. The big boys are trying to find does, not advertise their presence or stake out their place in the buck hierarchy. Those tasks are now taking a back seat to courting and breeding. Sure, the big boys still continue to work scrapes during the breeding phase, but not nearly as often. What's more, when they do visit their scrapes during peak breeding times, it's often under the cover of darkness.
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