How to Conquer the Lockdown Phase of the Deer Rut

Like the October Lull, the lockdown phase of the rut gets over-dramatized. I know bowhunters, lots of them, that won't venture into the woods between November 16 and 22. They believe the rut light switch goes off during this timeframe.

I'm not one of these bowhunters, and you shouldn't be either.

The lockdown timeframe may differ by geographic region, but regardless, it marks the peak breeding season. Peak breeding is a time during the annual whitetail rut when most of the girls in a specific location enter estrus. When a whitetail buck locks on an estrous doe, there is no getting him off her. You can grunt, rattle, and throw the kitchen sink at him, but if the doe he's on is ready to breed, your attempts to lure him in bow range will be in vain. He will follow her wherever she goes. Eventually, the two will find a location, and the breeding process will begin.

Whitetail bucks typically, but not always, drive estrous does into isolated areas, such as a weed patch along a fence line, a secluded swamp, or dense brush. A buck's goal is to get the hot doe into a location where the buck can breed the doe multiple times over a period that's typically between 24 and 48 hours without being interrupted by another buck. The last thing a breeding buck wants is for his in-the-woods hibby-dibbity time to be interrupted by another buck. Though this isn't always preventable, keep it in mind as you negotiate lockdown this year.

Lockdown presents you with several distinct advantages that work in your favor. When you notice lone fawns and fewer mature buck sightings, heed the to-come tactics.

Stay Put!

I've said it multiple times in various podcasts and articles: Terron Bauer is one of the best whitetail hunters that I know.

A Nebraska native, Bauer spends 11 months of the year preparing and planning for the annual November event that we all cherish. When the calendar flips, you can't keep him out of the woods. His big buck resume is ridiculous, and he's helped put lots of bowhunters, including me, on giant deer.

"When I hear guys talk about lockdown, they usually refer to it as the dreaded lockdown," Bauer said. "I like to look at it as one of the best times to be in the woods simply because not every buck in the woods can be locked down at the same time. In most areas, there will be more bucks than does. Bucks want to breed and stay with a doe, and then they scramble to go find the next.

"Yes, you may have a day or two where it seems like the light switch is off and the rut is dead, but just remember, they don't stay with a doe forever. For this reason, it's crucial to hunt all day if you can during this time.

"If you're fortunate enough to be in a stand around a locked-down buck, you are in for a treat. More than likely, multiple bucks will also smell that estrus and be in the same area if the buck didn't push the doe to an area and disappear. Even if he does, the scent of estrus lingers. They don't always take them to weed patches and isolated places. Keep that in mind."

Get In Really Tight

Mature bucks know their home turf like the back of the hooves, and they know locations where they can push a ready-to-mate doe. Many bucks, especially those who dwell in heavily timbered areas, tend to force girls into thick, nasty bedding areas. As Bauer noted, sometimes these areas are not too far from known buck travel areas. Other times, bucks will drive a doe to an off-the-beaten-path location where other deer won't discover the duo.

If you've done your summertime scouting and paid close attention to trail cam photos, chances are you know where a heavy patch of weeds, isolated cattails, etc., are. Here's a hint on what to do if you're unsure.

Jump on HuntStand or onX and study every inch of your deer dirt. Look for thick, nasty areas that are away from known buck travel corridors. If you've decided to go off grid, this isn't a map study of funnels, waterways, and river crossings. This is the time to look for areas where a buck can take a hot doe and fly under the radar of other bucks.

Take a morning or an evening and spend time glassing these locations from a distance. Utilize the same tactics you would use during a summertime greenfield scouting mission. A buck locked down with a doe will stand, breed, and move around several times throughout the day. Both may even move 50 or 60 yards to a different location. If you spy a buck locked down with a doe, you can play it safe and wait for him to come off the doe, in which case he will start frantically searching for another, or you can roll the dice and kill him.

If you're like me and hunt aggressively, you're ready to roll the dice. One option is to play the wind and position a treestand as close as you dare to the duo. Play the wind and keep it quiet. Be in your stand before first light and listen for tending grunts.

If you don't want to risk setting up a treestand, use a bow-mounted buck decoy. Ultimate Predator Gear makes a great one, and whitetail goers all over the country are discovering that if they have a UPG Stalker Doe with Whitetail Deer Stalker Antlers attached, they have a ground game.

Because a doe and buck are locked down for such an extended period, they spend a lot of that time lying down. That means you can get the wind in your face, crawl in close, and start doing some light grunting. Sometimes, that's all it takes to get the buck up. When he sees the antlers on the decoy, it's typically too much for him to resist.

If the grunts get the buck up but he won't come close enough for a shot, give him a good snort wheeze and use your non-bow hand to manipulate the decoy's left or right ear. A snort wheeze and some decoy movement will usually do the trick.

Stay Near Doe Bedding

One tactic that has worked very well for me over the years is to stay the course and grind out all-day sits in known doe bedding areas. As I noted earlier, I'm a camera junkie, and I try hard to track when a specific buck stopped getting his photo taken. Having this knowledge gives me a general timeframe.

This timeframe gives me a good idea of when the buck will come off a doe and where I need to be. If you're in an area where girls are napping, chances are super good bucks will travel through. That's why it's so important, even on those days when it seems like you can't stand to sit another minute, you stay. You must be in a tree when he releases that doe and starts moving again.

Get Away!

If you hunt whitetails in a location where you have a mix of woods, open pasture, agriculture, and the like, one of your best methods for scoring during lockdown is to get out of the stand and hang a stand where you can observe lots of country.

Often, open-country bucks tend to bed does in odd places. Some favorites include tumbleweed-lined ditches, plum thickets in the middle of an open pasture, a willow-lined pond, small CRP patches, and abandoned homesteads. If you're glassing from the vehicle, a high point, or an observation stand, chances are good you'll see a buck push a doe into one of these areas if peak breeding is underway in your area.

It's also very possible, as was the case for me in 2010, 2016, and 2023, to spy a buck/doe combo when they stand up from cover to breed or stretch.

If you can isolate a breeding pair in an area, you can execute a spot-and-stalk mission or use a bow-mounted buck decoy.

Final Thoughts

The lockdown is only one phase of the rut, and it’s not one you need to dread. Could you have some cold, deerless days? Of course! However, if you utilize the tactics above, chances are good you’ll send a broadhead-tipped arrow at bruiser buck.

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