Hunting Strategies based on Deer Breeding Season

If you’re a hunting enthusiast or a fan of whitetail deer hunting, you must be familiar of the “peak of the rut” and understands its importance especially among deer hunters.

Whitetail deer occupies a huge part of North and Central America, as well as a small portion of South America. In these areas, phases of breeding vary as the rut season is influenced by springtime and triggered by the amount of sunlight each day, also known as the photoperiod.

Enthusiasts of fallow deer hunting and whitetail deer hunting need to be aware that in North America, breeding period is short for having short summers as a result of having late spring and early fall. On the other hand, South America has longer breeding period that lasts up to 5 months because of its long summertime and late fall.

Phases of Deer Breeding

For hunters to make the most of the rut season, it is important to know and understand its phases to come up with hunting strategies that can really work.

Chase Phase

This phase occurs when there are already signs of fresh scrapes and rubs. This is the time when bucks are cruising and chasing does because only few does travel with bucks. To take advantage of this phase you can go near rub lines and fresh scrapes in the morning, then areas where does feed in the afternoon while making use of tactics such as grunts, rattles and decoys each setup.

Peak Breeding

This phase sets in once the scrapes have already dried up. During this phase, it will be easier to spot does with a buck. Peak breeding is also that time when overall deer activity is reduced. For deer hunters, it is best to stay in doe bedding areas and travel corridors to increase the chance of picking up a buck between mates.

Immediate Post Breeding

This is the breeding phase where activity near food sources is increased. During this time, mature bucks cruise and feed. Rub and look for feeding areas in the afternoon. You can also deceive a deer through rattling and grunting and can help you in finding a mature buck that you’d definitely want to bring home.

Timing and correct strategies are crucial elements that allow a successful hunt. Know the best hunting practices during the breeding season to make sure that you will have the best results from blackbuck hunting or fallow deer hunting.