If there’s anything deer hunters can agree on, it’s that we love to argue. There’s plenty to debate: scent control vs. hunting the wind, treestand vs. saddle hunting, compounds vs. crossbows — the list goes on. Unsurprisingly, the advisability of harvesting does during the rut is no different.
Like many hunters this season, I’ve been patiently waiting for any mature deer to slip up during the craziness of the rut. Because, alongside the lone Pennsylvania buck tag in my pocket, are plenty of doe tags. A couple days ago, after passing a few doe fawns and young bucks in hopes that a more mature doe or buck walked through, I began to wonder: How many hunters are purposefully passing does during the rut? And more importantly, is it a good idea to wait or shoot? That’s why I reached out to Lindsay Thomas Jr., chief communications officer of the National Deer Association, for advice.
Why Doe Harvest During the Rut Is Controversial
There are two lines of reasoning on why hunters should or should not shoot does during the rut. The more does running around, one argument goes, the more bucks those does will attract. That camp passes does during the rut because a live doe might walk by and bring a big buck in on her trail, or to the area you’re hunting when she goes into estrus in a few days.
I fall into the other camp. I agree that nothing beats a real doe’s scent — which is why I want to put a doe down nearby. Thomas agrees.
“My personal belief is there’s no better attractant for bucks during the rut than a doe on the ground in your hunting area,” says Thomas. “There is no better attractant. I don’t care what’s in a bottle. I don’t care what calls you’re using, nothing beats it.”
Both Thomas and I have experienced just how successful dropping a doe near your stand during the rut can be. Last year I dropped a doe about 40 yards from my stand early into an afternoon rut hunt. About an hour later, two small bucks came in to check her out, both presenting broadside shots multiple times. I chose to pass those two, but had they been bigger, more mature bucks, one wouldn’t have been so lucky.
“Many other hunters I know have seen this strategy work,” says Thomas. “Dr. Grant Woods has got some great video that he captured showing a buck actually using its antlers trying to get the dead doe to stand back up. By understanding tending behavior, we know that when a buck separates an estrus doe from the other deer, she will typically bed down until she’s ready to breed. Oftentimes this involves the bedded doe laying for upwards of an hour or two just chewing her cud until she’s ready. So, a doe lying on the ground smelling like an estrus doe and looking like an estrus doe is not at all alarming to a buck this time of year. In fact, it’s totally natural.”
Pick Your Shot Carefully
If you’re interested in trying to fill an antlerless tag and shoot a buck during the same hunt, it’s important to do your best to put that doe down close to your setup. It’s not unusual for deer to run up to 100 yards after the shot (particularly if you’re bowhunting). In my mind, if a doe piles up that far away, it lowers the likelihood that a buck comes into bow range if he cruises by to check her out.
True, it may not matter because a buck could follow her scent on the exact same trail she took and present the same great shot. It’s also just as likely that another buck cruising through the area catches a whiff of her where she fell and beelines straight to her. If she’s lying dead out of sight, you may never see him. Personally, I get down, tag her, and bring her closer to my setup as quickly and quietly as possible. (Plus, in Pennsylvania, you have to tag the first deer you harvested before filling any other tags.)
Thomas is less inclined to climb out of his stand.
“I don’t think you want to get down and spend an hour blood trailing if it’s not going to be an easy blood trail,” says Thomas. “Walking all around that area is a ‘no’ for me, but if you saw her go down in some brush and know right where she is and you can make it quick, dragging her into the open where she’s visual from more areas might be a good thing for the remainder of your hunt.”
It’s worth noting that it is a hunter’s duty to always ethically dispatch and recover the first animal you shot, so make sure to pick your shots wisely, make smart choices about the recovery, and, if you’re choosing to use the doe as an attractant, only do so on cold days where the meat won’t spoil while you sit for a few more hours.
Doe Harvest During the Rut Can Help Achieve Management Goals
Regardless of your opinions on rut tactics, the NDA has been a proponent of harvesting does as early in the season as possible to meet your properties management goals. Experts say shooting whitetail does during the rut can also support healthy deer herds. Since one adult doe eats 6 to 10 pounds of forage per day, managing the overall deer population becomes more crucial as winter approaches.
“There are three things that help produce good bucks: age, nutrition, and genetics. We can only control two of those, age and nutrition,” says Thomas. “And by taking a doe as early as possible, or even during the rut, you’re helping enhance nutrition. You’re bringing the overall deer density down [and] producing more forage for other deer to help get them through the winter.”
In short, shooting does early in the season leaves more forage for the rest of the herd, enhancing the health of your overall herd, and enhancing the nutritional output of the habitat for your bucks, resulting in larger, healthier bucks next season. It’s also more difficult to fill doe tags the later you wait into the season as does get spookier and harder to pattern during the late season due to hunting pressure and food availability.
Final Thoughts
As we enter mid-November, many deer hunters across America are reaching the top of the bell curve of rut activity. In some areas, we may already be on the backside of peak rut. If you’re still holding your buck tag and a few doe tags, get out and hunt. If a big doe piques your interest the next time you’re hunting, you can rest assured that putting your tag on her during the rut is only helping your odds that a big buck might just come into your area to check her out.
