10 Tips for Iowa Rut

10 Tips for Iowa Rut

By Josh Turner – Wapsi Bottom Outdoors

Time-is-a-ticking, and before you know it, you’ll be pinned down, eye to eye with that old mature doe. The stomps seem like days, and days feel like weeks. But this time you took the week off and dropped her with the “if she blows, she goes’’ motto. You sit down in your stand and ask the buck gods, “Why does this always happen?” As you patiently wait to go track her down, you decide to crack the antlers one last time. Moments later, the buck of a lifetime steps out; the wind is perfect, he’s standing right where you envisioned him to be, nose down, searching for the next buck to fight or doe to tend. Can your ticker handle it? I sure hope so! Most bowhunters live for the rut! You never know what will happen next. Let’s go over some Iowa rut tips that can hopefully get you that dream shot you’ve been waiting for!

Time Your Hunt
Planning a “rutcation,” or taking a week off specifically to hunt during the rut can provide an advantage. It allows dedicated time to study behavior, monitor patterns, and give room for error. Hopefully during this scheduled time off you will get a few cold fronts. Cold Fronts are pretty much what every deer hunter looks for to get the best deer movement. Weather plays a significant role in deer movement, and sudden changes, such as big storm fronts, can create opportunities. Storm fronts often lead to a drop in barometric pressure, which triggers increased deer activity. Before a storm, deer seem to sense the change and become more active. Hunting before a storm is a risky play for your well-being, but if your hunting area is on the edge of a storm give it a shot.

Identify Ridges
Flip to your topography map and find the highest elevation areas. Deer like the ability to see everything in sight. They will most likely travel and bed on flat bench areas of a ridge top and down into the low points. If you can put a stand at the top of a ridge and play the wind it can be a game changer. Bucks love to cruise down into the low points as well during the rut phase. Leaving you with an easy drop shot.

Food
You can’t go wrong with that old faithful field edge stand where all the deer movement happened in early October. Bucks will still be hitting scrapes on field edges as well. Just keep in mind that deer patterns will change throughout the season. So don’t be hesitant about moving a stand into the timber between food source and bedding area. That stand can be golden during the rut phase.

Water
Don’t forget, these rutted-out bucks need water. If you can position yourself alongside a high-traffic river bottom, pond, or lake, that can be a good spot for a morning or afternoon set, no doubt. Better yet, position yourself near a creek bottom, and the deer are guaranteed to move down there at some point.

Deer Beds
The lockdown phase tends to happen in the second week of November. Try and find or have a set ready that will be near some nasty thicket. In my experience, the bucks like to push does into thicker bedding areas like multiflora rose or a good patch of willows.

Mind the Wind
Always play the wind. Knowing the direction the wind is blowing will help you approach your stand or blind without scent being carried to the deer. A lot of hunters these days use deer hunting apps that will give you wind direction for your hunting location. I use hunting apps before every hunt. Wind indicators work great as well if you don’t trust the app or feel as though the wind direction changed while in your stand.

Be Mindful of Thermals
On ridges, thermals can carry your scent up or down. In the morning, thermals often rise, and in the evening, they fall. But don’t let that keep you away from a ridge top in the evening.

Scent Control
I like to keep all my gear in a plastic tote. I haven’t stepped up to the fancy scent control lockers or bags. I usually keep at least 1 cover scent spray bottle and run an ozone machine to break down human odor. In the stand, I’ll always have a good bottle of doe estrus to wipe on my boots. If you’re lucky it will bring a cruising buck right to you.

Utilize Calls & Rattling
In my opinion, the rut starts the last weekend in October. If you’re not beginning to hit the antlers here and there at this point, you’re missing out. Don’t be afraid to use the grunt call either; you’ll start to get the attention of dominant bucks. Time your doe bleats as well, and figure out a call sequence that you believe in. Obviously, use your calling in moderation to maintain its effectiveness. And never sleep on a good snort wheeze. I always use that call as a last-ditch effort to lure them in.

Stay Patient
If you have the time, develop patience! All day sits during the rut can eat at your soul, but also can give you the shot you always wanted. There are so many guys out there that look at trail cam pics and regret not sticking with it or have some excuse to not be there when the giant presents.