Strategy to bust the Lockdown phase of the rut!

STEVE SMOLENSKI

11/22/2015

Many deer hunters look forward to the rut each fall, but their success can highly depend on the stage of the rut they are hunting. The Buck Advisors’ Jeremy Flinn discusses one strategy to bust the Lockdown phase of the rut!

The lockdown phase of the rut can be one of the slowest times you hunt in almost a month! With almost every shooter buck synced up with a doe, the days can be long and uneventful. For many states, gun season opens right as deer are hitting the lockdown phase of the rut. If this is the case we have a proven tactic to help you see some action.

Though many deer hunters love to play the waiting game, moving can actually be one of the greatest tactics during this phase of the whitetail rut. In fact, when I hunt public land, I almost exclusively use this tactic. I’ll often post up somewhere for the first few hours of the morning, and then start to still hunt my way across the property.

I’ll move anywhere from ¼ to ½ mile slowly, and then stop for 15-30 minutes. There are good odds that you may have rustled something up out of its bed, but not enough to spook it. With bucks pared with does, there are good odds if you see a doe there is a buck nearby.

Not only that, but this type of hunting can shed some light on some great new hunting spots. The amount of rubs and scrapes I found on my recent trip on public land here in Missouri was insane.

For more whitetail deer hunting tips, join us on Facebook!