Search for 170" - Late November Rut Observations

Charlie Reade

The last week of November was Fantastic as always! Does in heat seemed to be frequent and bucks were on their feet during daytime hours. My last few sits of the season were all that I could have hoped for with multiple bucks in close, one even as close as 4 yards. Bucks of all age classes were moving looking for any opportunity they could a hot doe. Does that were hot were often being pestered by as many as 3-4 bucks at a time. Trail cameras showed bucks active at all different times of day on a few different scrape lines.

I worked Monday until Wednesday but had a few days that I was able to take off on Thursday and Friday. Thank goodness I did, because they were the best two days of the season on this hunting property. Multiple mature bucks were on their feet on the 27th. The above buck cruised by one of my ladder stands at 10am which would have offered me a 12-15 yard chip shot, the problem is I have 2 really good stands for a west or south west wind and I chose the other on this day. I am happy I did, despite seeing this buck after the fact on trail cam, I had a much more active sit in the stand I chose. These first 2 photos very clearly demonstrate how a mature buck will use their nose as a way to “see” into bedding areas. The below photo also highlights why I chose this location for a tree stand site.

To the left of this buck is a very heavily used doe bedding area I identified with trail cameras last season. During the rut, mature bucks like this will often cruise the downwind edges of these bedding areas to “look” into them with their noses and pinpoint hot does (notice wind direction noted by blue arrow). This site also offers a natural “funnel” or “pinch point” where trees almost butt right up to a fence line, condensing traffic to a point. That point is about 15 yards upwind of my tree stand. If you are new to deer hunting and are looking to get a little more bang for your buck with your tag, try hunting areas like these during the rut, things can go from 0-100 really quick and big bucks can step out at any time of day.

From my tree stand on the morning of the 27th before even lifting my bow up, I watched 3 small bucks lingering. You could tell by their behaviour that they were not alone. They were very interested in something. It wasn’t long after spotting the 3 young bucks that I was able to watch a really nice buck tailing behind an obviously hot doe, a few minutes before legal light and a rifle shot away, I videoed then pulled up my bow excited that there was a hot doe only 300 yards away. (see pic below)

8am until 10am was actually pretty slow, one of the spikes I had originally seen worked it’s way underneath my stand and through a fence at the base of my stand making for excellent video and a good chance to practice drawing my bow when a deer is that close.

Shortly after 10am I had hands down my best opportunity to kill a mature buck as a bowhunter. A very respectable 145-150” 5x5 was working it’s way towards me. When I spotted the deer it was about 25 yards from me and on a steady pace. He was working his way into a cross wind and through a maze of young willows. Not offering an ethical shot I frantically tried to follow him with my video camera and prepare for an eventual opening of about 8 feet wide and hopefully a shot. My only chance was when he crossed the quad trail behind my stand that I walk in on. As I spun my camera around to get it on where I thought he would cross, I was crushed when I saw a giant spruce bow hanging right in the center of the camera frame. With seconds to make a decision, I decided that this was too good of an opportunity to pass up and I was going to try and get that buck to stop on the trail long enough for a shot.

Knowing I no longer have to worry about the camera. I attached my release to it’s D-ring and drew my bow. My heart was pounding for the first time this season. I thought for sure this was it.

As he stepped out onto the trail I let out my best “Meh”. But that buck had one thing on his mind…. Following his nose. He continued at the exact pace he was carrying all along as if he didn’t hear me or didn’t care about me. I went from on top of the world to crashing down into flames in a matter of seconds. The heartbreak of fair chase bowhunting can bring you to your knees when you start targeting specifically, mature whitetail bucks….. and then add a video camera!

I originally planned on sitting the whole day in that stand on the 27th but I couldn’t help but feel like I just blew my one chance. I decided to get mobile, walk back to the truck which would warm me up. Then I could quickly have a mug of coffee and head to a different stand. The wind had switched and was coming from the North West. I really only have one good tree stand on that property for that wind so I got in it as quick and as quiet as I could.

Turned out, this ended up being a good move as well because bucks were doing the same thing at this stand that they were at the stand I sat at in the morning. Running the down wind edges of heavy cover looking to get does on their feet. Within 20 minutes of being in this stand I had a really nice 150” class 5x5 with a broke off right G2 in front of me. How this deer acted was what I was most concerned about. Most of the deer I have seen this year are less than 4.5 years old, and when deer reach 5.5 and up they almost become different animals all together. One thing this buck taught me was how in tune with the wind they really are. I watched this buck come from very thick cover and stand on the edge of an opening. Before stepping anywhere he would have been in danger, he examined the wind from every angle, licking his nose constantly to help him detect scents better. Once he was sure of the wind direction, he positioned himself so that he could cross the open area directly into the wind. He did it very quickly and once he reached the other side of it, he used the wind to cruise along the cover on the down wind side. Very important to note the wind direction if you wanna hone in one these mature bucks. If I had any piece of advice for any new bow hunters, it would to be aware of your wind direction at ALL TIMES.

With my bow in hand and camera running I decided to pass this deer. My property has a disproportionate amount of 4x4s, as well as a huge number of 2-4 year old deer. It’s important to let a relatively young (5.5) deer like the above 150” 5x5 live so they can breed and cull the 4x4 genetics with family and friends when I can. (see title photo and below photo)

Unfortunately, about an hour after I passed this deer, the wind started to gust really hard. And as luck would have it, a large branch snapped in the tree above me falling on me and my bow. I was able to avoid any serious injury, but my bow was not. It fell from about 20 feet snapping my stabilizer, sight and jumping my string off the cam.

That was going to be a wrap on my 2020 hunting season with one gust of wind. For the last 2 days of the season, I was going to be a spectator. On the positive side of this. My buddy Brody was also hunting this property looking to fill a tag late in the season and help me cull a 4x4 buck. Minutes after dropping my bow, Brody sent the text that the below 4x4 was down and he was tagged out.

All in all between what I saw in the morning and what I saw in the early afternoon, I probably learned more about mature bucks than my whole 4 years as a bowhunter. They just don’t act the same as young bucks, I have said it before and I’ll say it again. It’s like a 5.5 year old or older buck is just a totally different animal than a young deer. After spending years watching young deer step out into the open heading to either their food source or bedding area throwing caution to the wind, and then watching these bucks skirt across the edges of open areas and immediately back into cover has shown me more into the world of these big bucks and has given me a ton to work with for next season.

I logged over 200 hours in one of many tree stand this season and captured hours of video of deer. Ultimately, I fell short of my goal of a 4.5 year old buck on film, but it wasn’t for the lack of opportunity.

November 30th is always a bittersweet day for many of us here in Alberta. Bitter because the chase is over for another season, but sweet because we can finally get some much needed rest!

December 1st is one of only a couple days a year that I take off from doing something to help me increase my odds at killing a big buck. But December 2 I am back at it in full force. Taking down tree stands where I was busted at one point or another and moving them 6-8 feet back into “the right” tree or moving them altogether. Taking down ground blinds for yearly maintenance. Moving cameras from rutting locations and scrape lines back to food sources, as deer switch gears from a more intense rutting situation into a survival scenario where dropping temperatures force them to replace valuable calories and nutrients lost during the past month.

My next few weeks will be spent surveying satellite maps looking for any kind of geographical features I can use to my advantage for next season, trying to gain permission on those properties if they are private, and then getting some cameras out on some food sources until about the end of January. This time of year is also the time of year I like to really dive into my trail camera photos from this past season. It’s a great time of year to look for any kind of patterns you can notice your bucks making year after year on the properties you hunt ultimately this will help make them easier to kill. It’s also a great time of year to day dream about how big some of the bucks you passed this will be next year. Like these guys below.

Thanks for reading folks and check back in with us as I continue my search for a booner. I’ll be completing several projects throughout the winter to increase my odds for next season. So be sure to read along, maybe it’s something you could easily do to up your odds as well.