"It’s too early in the season yet. You gotta hunt the rut. That’s when you get the big bucks."

These words of wisdom were being offered by a toothless stranger who happened upon us in the remote corner of an alfalfa field. It had taken us an hour to walk in, but he had made the trip it in only a couple minutes, behind the steering wheel of a pick-up that is. He had undoubtedly killed several big bucks in his day, but I had a sneaking suspicion that the mirror had been used as a rifle rest on many of them.

"The rut," that he was referring to, was undoubtedly the actual breeding period, when big bucks seem to lose some of their wariness and are occasionally caught, nose to the ground in the middle of the afternoon, in wide open fields. This is when they are the ideal quarry for the truck jockeys. During the rest of the season, however, bucks are more secretive and not so easily taken while listening to Waylon and Willie on the truck stereo.

There are actually four periods to the rut, and as many of Alberta’s whitetail seasons begin in late August and early September, it is important for the hunter, if he is to be successful, to be able to identify these stages and hunt them accordingly. Deer act very differently during each period, and the hunter must react accordingly. If your idea of hunting the rut is waiting for a buck to cross an open field, you are missing some of the season’s greatest opportunities.

The term pre-rut is somewhat of a misnomer, as this period is actually the very beginning of the rut. This is when the bucks have just finished shedding their velvet and they begin rubbing trees and creating rub lines. This is also the time when they will be found in bachelor herds and minor battles for dominance are carried out. It is rare to encounter a serious fight during this stage; it is more just a matter of sparring and pushing, usually between younger bucks. This behaviour, however, will establish breeding dominance in the months to come.

The pre-rut is one of my favourite times to hunt, especially if a bow or muzzleloader is my weapon of choice. Bucks tend to be very easy to pattern during this six-week season, that typically runs from early September until mid-October, and setting up a tree stand on a well-established travel route is a guaranteed way to score.

Bucks can have very large home ranges during this period, although a prime source of feed will be the hub of activity, and likely where you will find the bucks during the shoulder hours. Alfalfa fields, especially those that were cut early and have good second growth, are excellent places to start your search. Locate a rub line in the trees adjacent to the feeding field, especially one with rubs on larger diameter trees, and you’ve hit pay dirt. I like to set up a treestand a couple hundred yards away from the feeding field, on one of these rub lines. Daytime activity will be minimal, but during morning and evening, you’ll be amazed how many deer you see.

THE CHASE PHASE

In Alberta, this three to four-week phase begins in mid to late October and ends in mid-November, when the first does begin coming into estrus. During the chase period, the buck’s fancy shifts from food to females, and you will find him traveling great distances in search of receptive females. Often, bucks will totally abandon much of their pre-rut range and be found near concentrations of does. During this period of the rut, hunting near does is critical.

I find that during the chase phase, bucks are much more active during the day and rattling is my favourite technique. Due to our low buck-to-doe ratios in Alberta, hunters will never experience the success that hunters enjoy in states like Texas, where ratios approach 1:1 on the better ranches, but there still is a good opportunity to rattle in a buck.

Bucks will be busy working scrapes during this period, so it is wise to rattle near active scrapes. This can be a great time for archers to utilize decoys as well. Bucks tend to become very territorial during this period and will aggressively approach a decoy that is in close proximity to their scrape. Sitting in treestands along active scrape-lines can also be very productive.

The breeding phase is what most hunters in Alberta refer to as the rut. This two-week period begins in mid-November, and is when the bucks are actually breeding does. This is the time of the season that most hunters long for, yet it is the toughest time to kill a big deer. Bucks become very unpredictable and their movements are almost totally controlled by their desire to breed.

For the truck jockeys, driving hundreds of kilometres each day, the chance of running into a deer in the middle of a field is good, but for the hunter intent on hunting on foot, it can be tough. The one saving grace is that the does still remain fairly predictable, but don’t expect to see bucks actively working does in the middle of fields. They would much rather pick them off in the heavy cover adjacent to the feeding fields and take them to a secretive location to breed.

My favourite method during this period is to hunt areas that are comprised of a liberal mix of open fields and heavy trees. I like slowly walking the ridges, cutlines and any other location that affords me a good view of the country. It’s not very scientific, but the bucks are moving so much during this period, that by literally just putting in loads of time in their home range, you will eventually run into them. This is an all-day endeavour, as the bucks will be moving throughout the day.

By the end of November the breeding period has pretty well ground to a halt and it will be another 28 days until the second breeding period begins, long after the season has closed. This in-between time can be tough to hunt, although good bucks can still be taken, especially if the area you are hunting has not seen excessive hunting pressure. In lightly hunted areas, treat this post-rut phase in much the same manner you did the chase phase.

While scrapes are less important, rattling is still a very effective technique. The competition between bucks for the few does that have come into heat late is very intense, so there is an artificially high buck-to-doe ratio created. I have had the opportunity to hunt the late Wainwright season a couple of times, and was blown away but the number of bucks we rattled in. Rather than setting up near scrapes, we utilized natural travel routes like creek bottoms and ridges. There is no patterning bucks during this phase. Your best hope is to set up along well-used trails and rattle there.

As you can see, there is much more to the rut than first meets the eye. By learning to identify the different phases and employing the proper techniques, it is possible to consistently score on big bucks right from season open to close.