Skip to main content

Pre-Rut: Best Tree Stand Locations

With the early season coming to a close, bedding area and food source locations are shifting. That means our hunting strategy has to do the same.

Pre-Rut: Best Tree Stand Locations
Hard mast is essential to a whitetail’s diet, so deer hunters must factor the mast crop into their hunt plan. Focus on the first and last falling mast to find the most concentrated deer activity. (Photo courtesy of Josh Honeycutt)

The pre-rut is the early season with a shot of B12! The focus is still food; however, many of the bedding area and food source locations have shifted since the early season. And now, with testosterone levels on the rise, bucks are beginning to feel some starkly different feelings about the deer around them.

The Pre-Rut

The Thick ‘N’ Nasty: As the early season gives way to the pre-rut, things change. Hunting pressure is mounting. Food sources are shifting. Bedding needs are altering, too. This leads deer into new areas, and these are commonly full of thick, nasty cover. Here, they get mast, browse, good bedding and security.

Heavy Buck Sign: Hunting over scrapes isn’t always advisable, especially on field edges. But don’t ignore rut sign. An abundance of rubs and scrapes indicates frequent travel. If it’s likely to be daylight movement, certainly keep that in mind for stand locations.

A Secluded Snack Bar: Whitetails are lovers of seclusion. They like being away from everything. This makes a small, secluded food source close to bedding an excellent daytime interception point, especially for mature bucks. Oftentimes, these become staging areas that deer feed in during afternoons before moving on to larger food sources closer to dark.

The Oxbow Bed: Whitetails select bedding areas that offer quality bedding cover. Oftentimes, water adds a layer of security to certain bedding areas. This includes oxbows, which are peninsulas of land created by a U-shaped bend in a creek, river, stream or lake. Deer generally bed toward the base of the U. Rarely do predators come from the water side, but if they do, whitetails easily escape on land out of the mouth of the oxbow. If predators come from land, they bound across the water to safety. With the right wind direction, hunters can set up closer to the mouth of the oxbow and wait for deer to leave their bedroom.

Leeward Ridge Lines: A leeward ridge is best described as the downwind side of a ridge line. Here, the prevailing wind comes over the top of the ridge; in the morning, thermals rise from the valley below. This creates a wind tunneling effect that allows deer to catch scent from multiple directions. This helps bucks to detect danger as they return to their bedding areas. It also helps detect estrus does, which will bring us to the rut next month.




GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Recommended Articles

Recent Videos

Danny Farris puts his Browning OVIX camouflage to use in the rocky terrain of Texas.
Gear

Team NAW Tests Taurus' Raging Hunter on Texas Axis Bucks!

Danny Farris puts his Browning OVIX camouflage to use in the rocky terrain of Texas.
Gear

Winchester's Continued Legacy: The .400 Legend

Danny Farris puts his Browning OVIX camouflage to use in the rocky terrain of Texas.
Gear

Savage Unveils New Line of Popular Axis Hunting Rifles

Danny Farris puts his Browning OVIX camouflage to use in the rocky terrain of Texas.
Gear

Browning's Brand-New X-bolt 2 Hunting Rifle

Danny Farris puts his Browning OVIX camouflage to use in the rocky terrain of Texas.
Gear

Ripcord Arrow Rests Rejuvenates Lineup with Three New Models

Danny Farris puts his Browning OVIX camouflage to use in the rocky terrain of Texas.
Gear

Don't Sleep on Conventional Trail Cameras

Danny Farris puts his Browning OVIX camouflage to use in the rocky terrain of Texas.
Gear

Browning Trail Cameras Announces Cellular Innovation for 2024

Danny Farris puts his Browning OVIX camouflage to use in the rocky terrain of Texas.
Gear

ATA 2024 Core SR First Look from Bowtech

Danny Farris puts his Browning OVIX camouflage to use in the rocky terrain of Texas.
Gear

Browning OVIX Camo: Ultimate Concealment for Any Time, Any Place

Danny Farris puts his Browning OVIX camouflage to use in the rocky terrain of Texas.
Gear

Air Venturi Avenge-X Classic PCP Air Rifle Reviewed

Danny Farris puts his Browning OVIX camouflage to use in the rocky terrain of Texas.
Gear

Primos Edge Carbon Fiber Tripod Shooting Sticks

Danny Farris puts his Browning OVIX camouflage to use in the rocky terrain of Texas.
Gear

Bowhunting Aoudad in Texas with Browning OVIX Camo

North American Whitetail Magazine Covers Print and Tablet Versions

GET THE MAGAZINE Subscribe & Save

Digital Now Included!

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Give a Gift   |   Subscriber Services

PREVIEW THIS MONTH'S ISSUE

Buy Digital Single Issues

Magazine App Logo

Don't miss an issue.
Buy single digital issue for your phone or tablet.

Get the North American Whitetail App apple store google play store

Special Interest Magazines

See All Special Interest Magazines

GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Get the top North American Whitetail stories delivered right to your inbox.

Phone Icon

Get Digital Access.

All North American Whitetail subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets.

To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine.

Get Digital Access

Not a Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Enjoying What You're Reading?

Get a Full Year
of Guns & Ammo
& Digital Access.

Offer only for new subscribers.

Subscribe Now

Never Miss a Thing.

Get the Newsletter

Get the top North American Whitetail stories delivered right to your inbox.

By signing up, I acknowledge that my email address is valid, and have read and accept the Terms of Use