Favorite "RUT " stands

[RedShaft]

Since it's rite around corner. And my anticipation is growing. Where do you guys like to have your stands for the rut?

Not if you your hunting a particular buck. But say your just going to go do an all dayer or few all day sits hoping to catch a buck crusing, what's your preferred spot to go to?

Mine would be a very narrow funnel that's brushy n thick on both sides n kinda open through the center.

[Ryan Rothhaar]

Funnel is fine, but I think that term is way overused.  What does it mean, and how do you determine?  Dad always said that hunting "funnels" is great, but all of them that he had ever seen were oily and hanging on garage walls.

Any deer movement is dictated by such a multitude of factors - terrain, wind currents, cover/foliage, wind currents (again, not a mistake             ), human movement, year to year crop rotation, and subtle transitions/combinations of any of the above as well as others things that I think most "funnels", if you will, or factors influencing the patterns of movement are too subtle to see upfront.  

The big factor that is so often overlooked, underappreciated, or totally missed is how what you are looking at fits into the big picture of a deer's life.  The movement in the 40 or 80 or 200 acre property you are on is a TINY picture of the overall deer movement in the area.  Where are they going from/to, and why? is a question that is VERY difficult to ascertain in the big picture of a deer's home range - especially a buck on the move in November.

I find that my best rut stands have evolved over years and years of observation, scouting and plain hard work, along with LOTS of noodling over in my mind what is going on.

My starting point is looking for big rubs...not just any big rubs, but the big signpost rubs created year after year.  Even old rublines that haven't been hit for several years, but were signposts in their day, mean more to me than last year's rut sign.  Keep in mind a buck standing over/guarding an estrous doe during the active breeding period will create many, many rubs and tear up the woods in a relatively small area out of exhibiting dominance to other bucks.  This can look GREAT when you find it, but all it means is that for a 12 to 36 hour period a buck was there with a doe breeding.  Good to remember the area, but I don't plan on setting up on that sign next year.  The true signpost rubs develop where they do for a reason. I'm looking for generational buck travel patterns from years and years of use.

After the fact you could probably define these as "funnels", but I bet the "funnel" is so subtle on 90% of them you would never see it without the generational buck sign.

R

[Shadowhnter]

I prefer buck travel routes, and funnels between 2 doe beds.

[bluegrassbowhunter]

Downwind of bedding area...bigguns sure like to cover alot of ground with their nose...

[mec lineman]

I totally agree with Ryan, those big sign post rubs are a beacon for me. Some years they may seem dormant,but they will be used again. Where I Hunt if I find a large number of rubs in or near thickets, I know I'm close to his core area. I also agree with Ryan about a large number of fresh rubs that seem to have been done in one day,I can assume a estrous does has been there.

[NittanyRider]

That's some great info, Ryan!

[J. Cook]

When I'm back home hunting in WV during the rut, I like to set up on the highest lateral benches on the upwind side (when the wind allows).  The bucks like to cruise the edge of the benches and can sent check all the lower benches based on the wind blowing up the hill.

This requires a very specific wind to work though - that uphill wind allows the bucks to cover the entire downhill range with his nose when cruising for another doe.

[RedShaft]

Originally posted by NittanyRider:
That's some great info, Ryan!

I second that.

[3arrows]

J.Cook X2

[vintage-bears]

I'd like to hang out with Ryan for a week.
Great info, thanks.

[Michael Arnette]

I'm with Ryan on the rubs! It's the first thing I look for in an area and has been the signpost that helped me home in on all my best rut stands except one which doesn't look like a good stand at all...I have yet to figure that one out but it's a great stand

[TIM B]

Strips of woods with good trails and a good doe population in the area.
Tim

[beyondmyken]

The bucks around my woods prefer to make small signpost rubs on 1 inch diameter saplings.    :D

[southernarcher]

Here is SC when they Butcher the timber on the public land, they will usually leave an 80 yrds wide buffer around creeks. Leaving a perfect travel corridor for bucks searching. Only problem is you have to work to get to the ones they use in the daylight, by getting far away from hunting pressure.

[southernarcher]

Sorry double post

[macbow]

Ryan when I visited your dad several years ago he showed me several of the big sign post rubs on his farm.
Made my jaw drop.

[JakeD]

My preference is the downwind side of doe bedding areas. If I'm not directly downwind of the bedding area I try to find a pinch point between two close bedding areas.