Rut Tactics and Pre Iowa Breakdown

On this episode of the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John uses his upcoming Iowa trip to talk about some key whitetail rut hunting strategies. John lists his four keys to being successful during the rut, and then goes through his week-long rutcation plans and talks about how he is going to use those four keys. This is John's first ever true rutcation. John has never hunted whitetails for more than three or four days at a time, but on this trip, John will have at least 6 straight days to chase big ol Iowa bruisers. Or at least he hopes! John breaks down the property he will be hunting a little bit and gives a rough breakdown of his daily plan. While John knows he will have some prime areas to hunt, he is still walking in completely blind, having never actually stepped foot on the property. Aerial scouting and conversations with the land owner are all he has to go on, which should make for a wild and exciting week!

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[00:00:00] Hey guys and gals, welcome to the Oklahoma Outdoors podcast brought to you by Arrowhead Land Company. Here, you will be educated, entertained, and equipped to get more out of your outdoor experience. So hold on tight, because here we go!

What's up ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast. I am your host, John Hudspeth, and welcome to the show. We have a jam packed one this evening. I have a lot of stuff to cover, and so I'm gonna try not to dilly dally too much. I do want to throw out there real quick that it is currently raining outside, so if you hear some like fuzziness in the background or the audio just sounds a little off that is why.

My apologies, but it's basically raining every day this week, and I don't want to complain about the rain, [00:01:00] and but I did just want to throw that out there. If something sounds a little weird, it's just because it's raining, anyway, with that out of the way, like I said, we got a lot to cover this week.

I want to start off with talking about Youth Weekend that was this last weekend. Gonna try to make this story fairly short and sweet, but leading into the weekend, I had my nephew and my niece that we're planning to hunt. My brother had already talked about in advance that I was going to take my nephew, because this is his second year hunting.

He killed a deer last year. And he was going to take my niece. Leading up to the weekend unfortunately my brother wasn't able to shoot with my niece as much as he wanted to. And again, this was her first time hunting. She shot guns, but she's never shot like a deer rifle or anything like that.

And Friday... I went ahead and took my nephew Ty and my brother stayed back at the house with his daughter and they just spent a lot of time behind the gun, making sure she was comfortable, shooting targets and bottles and all kinds of stuff. Just making really certain sure. That she was solid behind the gun.

So she did that Friday. Like I [00:02:00] said, I took my nephew Friday evening and leading into the weekend, I was honestly really nervous because it was really hot. I think on Saturday it ended up hitting like 91 or 92 and then, we'd had a really windy week before that. Knocked a bunch of acorns down and as I've mentioned before on the show, we don't have a lot of acorns because our place is a cattle ranch and it was logged back in like 2008.

But our neighbors have a lot of oak trees. And so this time of year is just really tough hunting on our place. Add the warm temperatures and everything. And it was just not a very good recipe for youth weekend. And so I, I was honest up front with the kids and my brother. I was like, Hey guys it's going to be tough hunting.

Like we're probably not going to see. a ton of deer. I really wanted, we need to kill some does. And I was afraid we wouldn't see any bucks. And so I told both the kids, I was like, Hey, if y'all shoot a doe, I'll give you 10 just a little incentive and something to make them look forward to and happy to, just basically just to see anything.

And [00:03:00] as always, yeah, I think I talked about it last week. I always have a little bit. Anxiety going into youth weekend because and I feel very selfish saying this I think I talked about that to you But I just I put so much time and money and effort into Growing and hunting and chasing these deer And not that I don't want to share that, with my niece and nephew.

But they just, they don't, so I want to show them a good time. I want them to hunt. I want them to be successful, but I am slightly picky, more picky than even I would like to admit. About what they shoot. And so I had sent my brother, I think four bucks that were the off limits deer.

But like I said, any young buck, older buck does we've had tons of hogs running around lately. So they had plenty to go after. And like I said, first evening me and my nephew go out, we're in the blind and I'm trying to keep it, fun, exciting. Of course, he wants to like, play on my phone and stuff, and so I let him a little bit, but trying to keep him [00:04:00] engaged.

I was like, hey you got your good eyes I need you to spot the deer for me and everything. And we got probably like an hour left of light, and I, I take the phone, I was like, hey this is gonna be the time, and of course, he's asking a million questions what time did the deer come, and, where did they come from, and this and that, and so we're sitting there, and it's probably 30 minutes till dark and sure enough my nephew's oh dear and so i'm like hold on be quiet And it was coming from the left kind of my blind side And he's like it's a buck.

No, it's a doe And finally the deer comes out to where I can see it and it was a little buck And I think I mentioned, you know when I shot my buck This is my nephew that was almost sad because I killed a big one Because he wanted to kill the biggest buck this year. So anyway, so I wasn't sure what he would be willing to shoot.

Especially, on the first hunt. And so anyway, this deer walks out. And I'm guessing it's a yearling. May have been a two year old. But it was like a four by two. Nothing crazy, but like the perfect buck for him. And so I asked him. I was like, Hey you wanna shoot this one or you wanna wait for something?

And he's [00:05:00] I wanna shoot this one. Which I loved. It honestly did my heart a lot of good. Because I just want these kids to be... Excited to shoot something, like these deer these kids shouldn't be waiting for some monster at nine and ten years old Like they should just be excited to shoot anything So anyway, so the deer comes out the edge of the food plot He's like right on the edge the tall grass and in the food plot and his vitals were exposed I was like, all right Ty, you want to take it?

He's yeah, so Set the gun up, you know getting him set up. Of course the deer sees us luckily Like I said, it was a young deer And he's just sitting there quartering to maybe just a little bit. But I was like, I kept telling him control your breathing. If you're, when you're ready, take the shot.

He shoots deer goes running off. And to be honest, I was a little worried. The leg was flopping a lot. But it looked low. And I just had flashbacks to the deer I shot with a muzzleloader a couple of years ago that I ended up never finding because I hit him low in the leg and there are no vitals and that's what was going through my mind here.

So I texted my brother like, Hey, we got [00:06:00] one hit. Not sure about the shot. Of course immediately my nephew's Hey, let's go look for it, and I was like, No we need to give this deer some time. And to buy some time, I was like, Hey you stay here and watch. I'll go get the truck. So I walk back, get it, bring it up.

And I'm purposely dragging my feet and stuff just to give the deer more time. So we go over to where the deer was standing. Can't find any blood. I'd marked really well where it went into the woods. We're walking over there, can't find any blood on the trail. We get to where he jumped.

The fence, couldn't find any blood. And so I tell my nephew, it's getting dark at this point. I was like, hey, you stay here. I got my headlamp. I got a handheld flashlight, and I'm gonna take the gun and go see if I can find him. He said, okay. And in my head, I'm thinking I'm probably gonna find this deer.

bedded down still alive Jumping and possibly have to shoot him on the run and try to get this deer down That's just what i'm prepared for So i'm, basically just grid searching and luckily there was like a big stit steep creak creek bait Wow, I can't talk a big steep Creek [00:07:00] bank and in the fence and so I'm hoping that kind of funneled him and so like I said just grid searching My brother calls and tell him what's going on.

He's he's you know My wife has cooked this big dinner and my dad was there and we were planning this big family dinner And so I was like what you know, I think this deer is probably still alive I think he might die like I think we might have got him killed, but I just don't know So why don't we come back to the house?

We eat dinner. We might even let this deer just go overnight. We can talk about it, come up with a game plan, and he's yeah, that's, that sounds good. And basically, as soon as we decide on that plan, I step around this tree, and there's the buck just laying there dead 10 feet from me.

All that worry, obviously, immediately went out the window. I yell at my nephew I found him, and he's really? So I go back over and get him and let him come running up and find the deer and man he was so excited. It was awesome. I got a really cool video of him and He's did I hit its heart?

And I was like, I don't think so. And he's good. He's that's my favorite part to eat. [00:08:00] And so anyway, I got to drag the deer out of the woods by myself. He wasn't a lot of help. I'd let him pretend to help go back, eat a great meal that my sister in law cooked. We get all the other kids and we get the deer and they're watching and asking a thousand questions.

And anyway, it just turned into a great evening. So that was good for him. The rest of the weekend did not go that well. It really dried up. He kept hunting Friday, er, I'm sorry, on Saturday because he wanted to try to shoot a doe. My niece I think Saturday morning before shooting light, they had a doe coming in that they didn't see.

And I don't remember if they opened the window or I think my brother might have Blown his nose or something and that deer ended up running off And I think that was the only deer they saw the whole weekend my nephew and I we walked up on some hogs walking to the stand didn't get one shot, but we didn't see any more deer It was just Hot, no wind, just terrible conditions.

So anyway, so we went one for two. My niece is definitely going to keep hunting. Some of her friends at school shot some deer, so she still wants one. So we'll hunt [00:09:00] again when the regular rifle season comes. But yeah, so that was our youth weekend and it was pretty stinking awesome, even though there were some terrible conditions.

So yeah, that is that portion. I did not intend for that to take, almost 10 minutes. So we're going to move on again. So big announcement type thing not necessarily announcement, but just want to let you guys know the schedule of what's happening. So just like with my Nebraska trip the episodes that are about to come out are going to be a little oddly timed and spaced.

And so today I'm going to talk about my Iowa hunt as well as some rut tactics, because I'm going to be hunting the rut in Iowa. So those two things come together. And I also want to cover some rut stuff before we actually get. To the hardcore rut and so that's what we're gonna be talking about today.

So that episode will drop on like the. October 30th, I think. October 30th. Yeah. So this episode that you're listening to right now comes out on October 30th. The next Monday, November 6th, I will [00:10:00] just be getting to Iowa. And so I have a pre recorded episode that I've already done with a buddy of mine. So that episode will be coming out on the 6th.

And then again, just excuse me, just like in Nebraska, I'll be hunting that week. So I won't record one. And so I have another pre recorded episode that will be coming out on Monday the 13th and then that following week on the 20th That is when I will probably do like my Iowa breakdown Talk about my muzzleloader hunt cuz I'm going basically going almost a month without getting like a fresh kind of new episode recorded And I apologize for that.

I know this is like prime time and y'all are probably wanting some like more tactic driven stuff. But that's just the cards I've been dealt with trying to go on this trip and again like I, I, I really want to focus on that Iowa hunt and that's, part of what we're going to be talking about today.

So anyway, so that's the big announcement for this week. Is that I got two pre recorded episodes that those will be coming out the next two weeks So you won't hear like really fresh stuff from me until November [00:11:00] 20th. So so yeah, that is the big announcement That's gonna do it for this intro. Like I said the rest of this episode I'm gonna be double dipping with my Iowa trip slash rut tactics Because it is that time like when y'all listen to this It will be the week of the first week of November sweet November is here Crazy to say it seems like October just completely flew by.

I have only hunted I've only deer hunted for myself, I think twice. And October's almost over, so I do plan to do a little bit of muzzleloader hunting this weekend. Hopefully, if it's not just storming. I really want to hunt on Monday, but I'm not sure work's gonna allow that or not.

We'll see. But anyway that's besides the point. So yeah, that's what we got for this week. I've rambled enough. Thank you guys for listening. I hope you're ready for this episode. It's rut time, and that's what we're going to be covering right after this. There is truly no place like the great outdoors in Oklahoma.

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Visit BravadoWireless. com or check them out at one of their retail locations. Bravado Wireless, the power of connection. Alright guys, I'm gonna be honest with y'all. I just recorded for And then turned around and deleted it because I got so off track of what I wanted to cover because I'm so excited about this stuff.

So this is me being open and honest with you guys. I'm starting fresh. I'm backing up. I took a couple deep breaths. And so we're here now. We're good to go. We're ready. All right. As I mentioned before this episode is going to be about rut tactics and my Iowa trip. And I need to apologize to you guys real quick, because the last few weeks I [00:13:00] have not done a very good job on the education side of this podcast.

I've been a little busy, I've been getting episodes out, but it's been a lot of stories, which are fun. I killed a buck, a lot of my friends have killed bucks, and so I've been recording those episodes and sharing them and stuff. But I feel like I have not done a very good job. Job of like I said the education side like the tactics what you need to be doing Right now to make you more successful.

And so that is what I want to do on this episode So again, I'm meshing the two because again my Iowa trip is going to be a true rut hunt and that is what I want to equip you guys with our rut tactics because again, this will be dropping October 30th, right as things are heating up we got an amazing weather system that's coming through today, or I guess it probably came through last night technically but it is just a really good, excuse me, and really important time to be in the woods.

[00:14:00] So like I said, I got a little too excited and off track, so I'm backing up now. And I got four things here in front of me. I got my four keys to a successful rut. And so I'm gonna run through these kind of real quick, explain them all, and then I'm basically gonna start at today, at October 30th, and I'm gonna walk you through the next two weeks, what I plan to do when.

We have enough of a weather forecast. I'm looking at the extended forecast. I got an idea of what's gonna be going on when. Obviously that's going to be subject to change a little bit, but for the most part I think the weather and the dates should hold up pretty firm. So that's what we got going.

That's why I started over. So here are my four things. So number one on my list is when it comes to the rut. You have to be adaptable, and I mean that in so many different ways, I can't even, explain, but You have to be adaptable on when you're hunting, or when you're not hunting. You gotta be adaptable on your setup.[00:15:00]

You have to be adaptable with family stuff. Halloween's gonna be in here I'm taking vacation time. Because you wanna be in the woods a lot, but you have to be smart, and you want to make the most of it. of when you are in the woods and you gotta be smart about where you're hunting, when you're hunting those locations.

And like I said, number one is you just have to be adaptable. And we're going to talk about that a lot in this episode. Number two is you want to be aggressive, but smart. And I think a lot of people use the rut as. As an excuse to just go buck wild, they're throwing scents out there and calls and using all these products and maybe they're going into places they normally don't go into but oh because it's the rut and it doesn't matter and stuff and sure you can get away with a lot more because it is the rut.

But you still have to hunt smart, and I have a specific story I'm going to tell later about that, [00:16:00] but I guess what I'm saying is, yes you can be more aggressive, but you Don't necessarily just want to throw the whole kitchen sink in there at once. Like you have to be tactical and smart about being aggressive.

So number one, be adaptable. Number two, be aggressive. Number three, use historical data if you have it. And that, that same story that I'm going to tell here in a little bit about being aggressive but smart plays a huge role. In this one, too, of using historical data to the point where, I've heard people talk about and like I was saying, and I think that was in the one I deleted actually, but as far as when the rut is and all that, I'm seeing now is prime time on Facebook of ruts early or, next small and rut started or, this or that.

And then you got the other side of the people were like, Oh, rut's the same exact time every year. And. Yeah. And all of that is true to a point. Yes, the rut is the same time every year. Like I fully believe that when does get bread is the [00:17:00] same. Give or take a couple days every single year.

And that's the historical data I'm talking about. But when you hear people talking about Oh, the neck's swollen or this or that, that stuff is also true. So basically the closer we get to the rut those bucks, the daylight's getting shorter and that is a trigger for them.

And so their testosterone is rising right now. So you're gonna see some more swollen necks. You're going to see some some more aggressive behavior, some fighting, some stuff like that. Those bucks are going to be ready before the does are. And that's that stuff that, people are talking about on Facebook and stuff.

And the other people are fighting back at. But when I'm talking about historical data again, like I mentioned, those dough are gonna come into heat roughly the same time every year. And I've seen something on our place where like pockets of dough will come in at different times, a few days apart.

And I've seen like bucks actually. know that and shift to those areas. Like [00:18:00] on the Northern portion of of our property, I see a lot of bucks up there around like the 26th. I shot a big buck with my muzzleloader October 28th in one year. That, and that was the first year we had that property.

The next year I saw a really big buck chasing a doe. I think it was October 29th. And then as you go to the southern portion of the property, and, not that far. It seems like it's just, a couple days later. And I think you're just getting into a different family group.

So yeah, anyway, I don't want to get too scientific or anything but just using that historical data, knowing when things happen, where, is very important. And again, I'll tell that story here in just a little bit. Number four, and my last big tip, is you just got to be in the woods.

When it comes to the rut, that is the number one thing. You just have to be out there as much as humanly possible. And again, all these other factors play into that. Being smart, being adaptable, all that stuff. And [00:19:00] again, I'll get into that in here in just a little bit. But over the next, I'm gonna say three to really four weeks, the more you can be out there, the better.

Like it just increases your chances because all it takes is one hot dough, one buck that finished breeding one dough and is looking for another one. One cold snap one butt getting pushed off of a doe because of a hunter or a vehicle or whatever, like it just takes that one thing, and so you just have to be out there.

As a quick refresher, and then we're gonna get into kind of the story and the Iowa side, be adaptable, be aggressive but smart, use historical data if you have it. And just be in the woods. All right, we're going to shift portion two here. And I'm, I got my calendar pulled up and I'm going to basically walk you guys through the next two to three weeks.

And I'm going to say if I'm hunting, this is this day, this is what I'd be doing. If you're hunting this day, if the weather's this. This is what you should [00:20:00] be doing. And so hopefully this is going to be a good exercise for everybody. So this episode, as I mentioned earlier, is dropping October 30th, and I hope my greatest wish for you is that you're listening to this in a deer stand because the 30th looks awesome.

We got all this rain that's been happening, all these thunderstorms, all that's moving out Sunday night. We got a big cold front coming in. And I think the woods are just going to be magical today on October 30th. The 31st is also looking really good. And the next several days, and obviously that's leading into the first week of November.

As I mentioned, this year muzzleloader falls into that week. That is going to be absolutely deadly. Absolutely deadly. I hope this week in particular you guys are getting to hunt a lot. If it were me, and again, I'm not sure if I'm gonna get to hunt Monday or not. I'm gonna try to. This is when I would pull out the decoy.

[00:21:00] I, admittedly, I've never killed a buck over a decoy. Part of that is just because I'm pretty timid. I'm, I just don't have enough experience with it. But I've always dreamed and wanted to kill a buck over a decoy. And this is the perfect time. We're in that pre rut. As I mentioned, the does aren't really ready.

The bucks are getting ready. If you have a spot where that decoy can be visible from a distance, a good travel corridor, throw that puppy out there. I named mine Kevin. I don't know why. It just came to me. But me and Kevin if at all possible, if I can sneak away from work, we are going to be out on either the 30th or the 31st set up, probably with the muzzle loader, trying to draw in the 2 percent buck.

Obviously shifting into November, that's not going to change. That whole first week the last little bit of October and that first week in November, that is your prime pre rut strategy. That is your decoys, your rattling, maybe a little bit of blind [00:22:00] calling. I'm not real big on blind calling, but if you're going to do it.

That is the week to do it. Part of the reason I am always a little uncomfortable with the decoy is it's just, the situation has to be so perfect and it's so situational that I'm always just a little hesitant to pull it out. But if you're gonna pull it out, like I said, that really, I'm gonna back up probably, again, this will have already happened, but, October 28th to like November 5th, that is probably gonna be your prime decoy dates.

So like I said, not sure where I'm going to be hunting in there. One one adaptable thing that I'm trying to figure out still is where I'm going to be that first weekend of November. As I mentioned, it's muzzleloader season in Oklahoma, which I love. That is that Saturday, the 4th, is the opener for Texas Rifle.

And that's when my, buddies and I always do our hunt camp out in West Texas. That is also the date that I can leave for Iowa. And so I [00:23:00] know First World Problems, but I basically have three different states that I can be hunting that weekend in the first weekend of November. And and I'm trying to figure out what I want to do.

If the 2 percent buck is showing in daylight, I might hang around and hunt like with my bow on Friday and the muzzle loader, or no, that would be muzzle loader, never mind. I might try to hunt Friday or Saturday with the muzzle loader there. The weather right now is looking really good in Texas as well.

And part of me would love to go out there, hang out with my buddies, experience that with them. It's our once a year big get together, and so I, I hate to miss that. And honestly, again, looking at the future forecast that good weather doesn't hit Iowa quite yet that weekend.

I think it's supposed to be like in the mid fifties, which for up there is normal that time of year. So it's not like a big cold front or anything. So as I sit on, October 25th, sitting here talking to you guys, I'm thinking I will probably be hunting either Oklahoma [00:24:00] or Texas on November 4th.

And then November 5th, I am going to head to Iowa because, if you've ever listened to any big time deer hunter that, lives in Iowa, they talk about that November 6th and 7th date, and I just really want to be there for that. When I did my kind of pre Iowa trip thing a few months ago I wasn't sure if I was going to be on private or public or what, and I was thinking about trying to miss the crowd.

I talked to my guy in Iowa this last week. And I do have permission on his private. He told me I could hunt there at his house. I think he has one other small farm. He's going to let me hunt. And then he has some access to some pretty good public that that I can hunt as well. And so I'm going to have some really good places.

And so I am going to go that week. So I, I booked my hotel from the 5th to the 12th. If I end up going to Iowa early, I'll either sleep in my truck or try to find something, for Friday or Saturday. But I definitely have a hotel room for that Sunday night. So yeah, so that's [00:25:00] bridging into the Iowa stuff.

As far as tactics when I get there and I want to go back to my notes here. So obviously adaptable, I'm talking about getting up there. where I'll be hunting, whether it'll be public, private the deer again, I talked to the guy, I was asking him about what I can or can't shoot.

He's basically giving me free reign of the farm which is amazing and I can't, thank him enough. He kinda harped on basically not shooting, the first decent deer that I see because he does have good deer and he would love for me to kill one, so that's gonna be a challenge on its own.

But what I'm really getting at here is my second point of be aggressive but smart because when I get there It's not gonna be like walk until you run. I am jumping headfirst into prime Rut time on a southern Iowa farm first week in November And this the

landowner he's gonna help me out [00:26:00] He said I can hunt in his stands. I'm bringing the saddle. I'm bringing my own stand. And like I said, he's gonna be able to point me in the right direction, but I have never stepped foot on this place. I've never seen pictures yeah, I've done a little bit of aerial scouting from Onyx, but I have no idea what I'm getting into.

And I've done this enough to know that it's not always how it looks on the map, and so my biggest kind of conundrum that I'm in right now is, that first day when I go out to hunt, do I just set up blind and see what happens? Because I would love to do some scouting, but I don't necessarily also want to go just running all over and spreading my scent on this nice new farm that I get to hunt for seven days, on the first day.

But I also feel like I need to know where the activity is. And so I'm thinking that first day I'm going to just bathe myself in as much cover scent as possible You know really harp on that [00:27:00] and there's a big creek kind of where I feel like a lot of the deer activity is Going to be it's got a big Timbered hill that comes in from the west it hits that creek and then up to the right is his like pasture land And so I think what I'm gonna do Is I'm going to make just one loop around that creek, you know Go up the creek on one side cross it and come down on the other side And just see, I'm going to have onyx open any time I come across a trail, I'm going to mark it.

If I come across, scrape or rub or anything like that market and just do a really thorough Fairly quick run through along that creek because again, I think that's where most of the deer activity is going to be And then the rest of the time i'll basically just be scouting as I hunt, if the wind is From the west, I'm going to go in there with the best wind that I possibly have in my favor, and I'm just going to slowly work my way in until I find some sign that looks good, and I'm going to set up.

And I'm going [00:28:00] to, while I'm set up, I'm going to be looking around, I'm going to be reading sign, I'm going to be watching for deer activity. If I see deer in the distance, I'm going to make a note of that. And and just basically break the farm down that way. And I've already, again, been checking the winds.

Looks like we're gonna have a lot of westerly winds. Which I think are really good for this property. And again, like I said, I'm just gonna do the best I can. Not be overly aggressive, but at the same time, I'm going to be hunting a lot, and I'm not going to be afraid to get in there if I feel like I need to, if we have that real cool crisp morning, I'm going to push the envelope a little bit, and I'm going to go a little bit further than I would have otherwise because I, again, I Seven days is a lot.

I don't know if I've ever white tail hunted seven days in a row. But it's also those are the seven days I have. And so I need to get something done. My other point about historical data, I personally do not have historical data. Again, I've never stepped foot on this place. But this landowner he sent me some [00:29:00] pictures last year.

He's gonna show me some pictures this year. And so I'm going to be using that to my advantage. He has these stans. He hunts some. He doesn't hunt a ton anymore. I think he has like a nine year old son that, is getting into hunting and stuff. So I'm going to be very reliant on him.

for getting that historical data. And then, the just be in the woods part, that part's gonna be I think easy. I have nothing else to do there but hunt. I have never done an all day sit. I've talked about that on here before. I've always wanted to but man, I just don't know if I can sit in a tree stand all, I don't know if my back would let me, I don't know if my bowels would let me.

But I plan on being in a tree a lot. And, if I, if my back starts hurting or I get hungry, walk out to the truck, spend an hour or two there, relax, stretch, whatever, and get back in there. Because I know that I need to be in that tree as much as humanly possible. You have the right to the best wireless [00:30:00] service.

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Let Bravado Wireless connect you to your family, friends, and business partners. all over the world. Bravado Wireless, the power of connection. All right, I got swept away there with my list again, so let's back up. Let's get back on these dates and tactics. We talked about up until, November 4th, 5th, 6th.

Like I said, that end of October into the first little bit of November. That is your hardcore kind of pre rut strategies that I talked about. Your decoy, your rattling, little bit of blind calling, stuff like that. Once you get a little deeper into November, that kind of 6th, 7th, 8th, [00:31:00] give or take a couple days, obviously.

That is when you're starting to have a decent amount of does actually coming in to estrus. And so this is where, again, I tend to lay off some of the more aggressive tactics. And it's time to just buckle up and hunt. This is when you need to be in your pinch points. Your travel corridors. Your creek crossings, stuff like that.

Like deer are just going to be up on their feet, moving around, and you need to be in a position where you can intercept them when the does really get, coming into estrus, like I said, and everything gets hot and heavy, those deer know that it's time and they're not quite as concerned with.

The decoys and the fighting and the grunting and all that stuff. Like they just want to breed and they are going to actively seek that out. And so I tend to put away, not necessarily put away, the rattling antlers, that stuff can still be effective. But again, it's [00:32:00] more about being in the right place at the right time.

Again, those travel corridors and everything. Now I still bring my grunt tube. I still bring my antlers and stuff, but I switched to doing it more blind to doing it. If I actually physically see a deer and I don't think he's going to come into range. The spot I'm thinking of right now in my head is the saddle where I can see a long way.

I can see like almost 300 yards. There's a lot of deer crossing through there. If I'm up there, maybe I have my bow, or they're out of muzzleloader range or whatever, I see a deer crossing, or maybe they're just moving too fast, and I don't think I can get my muzzleloader out and get a shot.

That's when I'm gonna break out the antlers, or the grunt tube, or something like that. Get that deer to stop. Maybe get them to come in and check me out real quick. Come a little closer. And that's what I'm gonna be calling in that situation. Probably not so much blind calling. Because again, I think they're just losing interest in that and they just want to find [00:33:00] Something to breed and that is going to carry into Man, that's going to be hot and heavy for really the next couple weeks You know So I said that's going to start around six seventh eighth Once you get a little further than that most places in north america and I don't want to paint too broad of a brush, but most people, or, studies that have been done is that peak breeding actually happens like smack dab middle of November.

12th to the 15th, something like that. And that is when hunting can be really good, but also really tough. And the reason it's tough is because it can get slow. Because there are so many does actively in estrus that there are just a ton of does to breed. So a lot of those bucks, a lot of people call this the lockdown phase.

They're starting to get locked down. They stay with that doe for usually 48 hours. They'll breed her multiple times. And so there's just [00:34:00] all that crazy running around movement that you've had going on. Just seems to come to a screeching halt. But the reason this is still a really good time and a really important time to be in the woods is because as soon as they're done breeding that doe, they're gonna be looking for the next one.

And so the movement won't be as consistent, it won't seem like it's near as crazy, but those deer are still gonna be on their feet, and they're gonna be on their feet whenever they need to. As soon as they're done with that doe, they're going to the next one. They don't care. If it's midnight or noon, they're going to be going to that next dough.

And so during this time of year, I transition. Somewhere in the middle of the last two, so those first, that beginning time I talked about, end of November, or end of October, early November, I like to be able to see a decent amount of way, or decent ways, sorry, I like to be able to see a decent ways.

You still obviously want to be close enough to kill, but I like to have some visibility. Once you move into that kind of [00:35:00] next part where it's really getting close, that's where I don't care about seeing quite as far, I want to be in the kill spot, because I don't know if I can draw them away. When their mind is really set.

This time of year, I want to be somewhere in between. Because I want to be able to see that movement. I want to be able to see something happening. But you still have to be close enough to kill. Because if that buck does find that doe, he's gonna chase her around a little bit. But the does are going to be getting tired of being, pestered by now, the bucks are going to start getting a little bit worn down, and so there's usually not quite as much of that crazy chasing going on, obviously you'll still see it, every area is a little different but you want to be somewhere in the middle.

I want to be able to see, but you still got to be close enough to kill. And thinking of, back to my eye trip I get, or I keep mentioning that Creek, or I mentioned that Creek at least. And that just seems like a very good natural corridor because I'm gonna be in pretty hilly terrain, like much hillier than what I'm [00:36:00] used to here.

And those transition funnels and topography, you're gonna be huge. And that's why I keep harp harping on that creek is because there's several different little hills and stuff that funnel down to it. And so I think that's just going to be where I need to be to catch up with that.

And one side of it is a little bit more open. One side of it is thick. And like I said, the first couple days, I'm probably going to be on the thinner side, just checking it out, trying to look for stuff. That middle of the week, that, 8th, 9th, I'm probably going to switch to the other side of the creek.

Get in that thick stuff. Get right in there. Use those funnels and that terrain to my advantage. To where if something comes by, it's gonna be in bow range. Once we get toward, a little later in the week closer to that 11th, 12th, I don't know, it's, that's where you gotta be adaptable like I talked about.

Yeah, it's just gonna be kinda what I've seen. Where I've seen deer if I haven't had any luck on the private, by the time that, 9th, 10th rolls around, I'm probably gonna go jump on the public which I [00:37:00] know sounds crazy giving up private, but if it's not happening there that's that aggressive and smart thing if it's not happening on the private.

I gotta go somewhere else and so I'm willing to go to public and I think the public that I'm gonna be on is going to be better than the majority of private in a lot of the country so I'm, obviously not afraid to do that either. But man, yeah, that's an exciting time and that's gonna pretty much, close up my trip.

I come home on the 12th whether I killed a buck or not cause that's when I need to be home. If you're still hunting here, you know that next week that is that prime lockdown phase and that's man, like I said It's one of the best and worst times to hunt because you can definitely kill a really nice buck there But man, you may go two or three days without seeing a deer because everything is just locked down, you know You might catch a glimpse of a little yearling buck running around trying to get on some action But things really slow down and then towards the [00:38:00] end of November That's actually when I have had a lot of my you know Quote rut luck and killed a lot of my bigger bucks because a lot of times by then, Things are dwindling down a lot of those younger bucks have ran themselves ragged And those bigger, older, more mature bucks, that's when they thrive.

They've saved themselves, they have more weight, they have bigger bodies, they have more energy, and they tend to just really, basically run clean up that last week or two of November when you're getting into Oklahoma Rifle, which is obviously also another huge advantage is that you get to hunt with a rifle.

So yeah man, yeah, that's my plan for Iowa. I know I ran through that seems like really quickly, but first, first day I'm there, I'm gonna do a very quick, smart scouting mission, and then I'm gonna be reliant on that and the information that I get from the landowner. To just hunt very smart in a lot of hours that week And if by the end of the week things aren't happening there i'm gonna [00:39:00] shift it I'm gonna go to public and I will be completely on my own then like they're gonna give me a general area to hunt but it's going to be probably a lot of just scouting my way in, finding some sign or trail or a pinch point or something and setting up on it.

So I keep mentioning the story that I want to tell, and this is my biggest educational rut story that I can talk about. And it takes all these four things that I've been talking about into account. Being adaptable. Being aggressive, but smart, using historical data, and just being in the woods.

So this happened, I want to say three years ago, and it was the first That's not nice. My watch just talked to me. So this would have been the first weekend of Oklahoma rifle season. Week the weekend before Thanksgiving. Again, I talked about that. We're in the later part of the rut.

I had not killed a deer yet, so I'm feeling a little angsty feeling a little [00:40:00] pressure. I was actually hunting the 2 percent buck on this hunt three years ago. This was, he was in his prime at this point. Had a few other deer, that I'd kept an eye on. And I was actually, I was hunting in the saddle, so I had my rifle blind there.

I didn't have a food plot or anything at this point. Just hunting this natural corridor. I'm on the edge of the canyon that I'm always talking about. And it was a morning hunt. And the morning's going on, and I'm not seeing anything. Like I mentioned, it's that later time of year, the does are tired of being chased.

And probably, I'm gonna say like 8. 30, 9 o'clock comes around, and I've not seen a single deer. And this thought creeps into my mind of, I'm not being aggressive enough. And like I mentioned, I'm on the edge of the canyon, I know that's a bedding area. I had done a little, I think I had done a little bit of clearing that year.

And I start thinking to myself I need to be in that canyon. I'm not being aggressive enough. And so I'm having this mental battle with myself and the other side of my brain is like, [00:41:00] man, it's that time of year, you're in a good travel corridor, you got a rifle, you just need to be patient. And so I'm going back and forth with myself, and about 9, 15, something like that comes along, and now I'm really like, alright you either need to get down in that canyon or you just need to go home.

Getting frustrated and I see a deer and it's a young buck. It's a yearling I think he had like a spike on one side and maybe a fork on the other and this deer goes from my right to my left all the way through the saddle and So I was like, all right, like that's a good sign. Like at least I finally saw a deer It was just a yearling but I saw a deer and so I'm sitting there and I'm still like man I feel like I need to go to the canyon I feel like I need to go to the canyon and I'd pretty much made up my mind That I was gonna walk down in there And that spike actually came back out and he walked straight up to my blind.

He walked I want to say five to 10 feet in front of me. I think I have a video of it, walked in front of me and then went back [00:42:00] down to where he came from. And so basically like I didn't leave my blind just because he was there and I didn't want to spook him. So he disappears and basically as soon as he disappears, a nice mature eight point comes out of the canyon and walks across right in front of me and I'm like, oh man, I'm glad I didn't go in there because I would have spooked that buck.

So he walks all the way across, actually he gets to the edge and he actually walks, up towards me a little ways and then dips down into that draw. And I was like, alright, sweet, like that was good. About, gosh, 15 minutes later, another big mature nice 8 point walks out exactly where he did.

Walks across again, and then instead of turning towards me, which would have been east, he turns west, goes down into that draw, and I was like okay maybe I made a good decision. A few minutes later, he actually pops back out, comes back out, walks to the middle of the saddle, sits there for a second, and then walks straight away to me, from me, to the west.

And I was like okay [00:43:00] there you go. A few minutes later, a different, I thought it was the first 8 point, different big 8 point. Actually it was the deer I killed last year with my bow, big 8 point. Yeah, he came out from the north, sniffs around a little bit, and I came really close to pulling the trigger on him.

But he was pretty far, that would have been about like a 250 yard shot. And while I was trying to make up my mind, he actually turned for no reason and ran off. A few minutes later, I think I ended up seeing like one or two other small bucks. I think maybe one doe, something like that. But all that's to say, the reason I tell this story is because it's all these...

Crazy things that I've been talked, talking about coming into one thing. I was trying to be adaptable. I was like, I'm in this spot, nothing's happening, I gotta move. But that immediately goes into the second point of, you want to be aggressive, but you gotta be smart. I had been hunting that stand for, gosh, I don't know, three years or something to that point.

I knew it was a [00:44:00] great rut stand. I knew that deer use it just very naturally and I knew that I needed to be smart and just stay there. Even though I'd pretty much, talked myself into leaving I, I needed to stay there. And the reason I needed to be smart and stay there was because I had that historical data.

I had hunted that spot in the past. I've tried to put cameras there, but it's just too big of a space. You don't pick up the deer there. Basically I just got lucky and I've watched it over the years. And learned how they used it and then go into the last part of just being in the woods.

It's getting pretty late. Like I, I hunted till 11 or something that day, and that would have been, roughly the 20 something of November, not your, First week all day sit type time, that was much later in the year But I was just in the woods and part of the reason I was in the woods because I hadn't killed a deer and I was You know feeling anxious and crazy about it But I feel like that's a good story to talk about All those different things in one So like I [00:45:00] said, you gotta be adaptable, But you gotta be smart Take what I'm talking about, Take what you've seen, Try not to read too awful much about what you're gonna do off of Facebook and everything, Because, yes there are some really good hunters on there, But there are also some really not so great hunters, And people that get a little too excited and everything so you gotta be smart.

And use that historical data. This year, hunting the 2 percent buck, I that's what I'm going off of. I have I made a folder on my computer with all my old pictures of him. I've been following that folder keeping up, obviously, with where he is this year, where I'm getting pictures.

But in the back of my mind, I always try to think about where he was In previous years and on what days he was there. And one thing he's already started moving into his rut pattern. So I got a picture of him last night on the very East side of kind of our back area, two nights ago, he was on the West side and he was coming from his old historical [00:46:00] range to the Northwest.

And so he's already starting to get a little I don't know if I'd say frisky, like he's I know he's not necessarily chasing does yet. But his movements are becoming a little bit more sporadic. And yeah, and like I said, so the picture I got of him, it was actually technically this morning.

It was like 6. 50 something, like not long before daylight. The other picture I got of him was nine something, like a little after daylight. And so just trying to track that dadgum sucker down and use everything I can to my advantage. One kind of downside about my Iowa trip is I feel like, ah man, if I had seven days during the rut in Oklahoma, I feel like I could kill that Joker.

I don't know, maybe I couldn't. I've had, plenty of years to kill him and I haven't done it to this point. But I know it's going to drive me nuts if I'm sitting there in Iowa and I'm getting a bunch of daylight pictures of that deer. So you can't win them all. You win some, you lose some.

So yeah, [00:47:00] I'm trying to think if I missed anything. The biggest point that I want to drive home is that number four, just be in the woods, just get out there, set yourself up in the best position you can possibly. Think you can set yourself up and just be patient, keep your head on a swivel, try not to be on your phone or podcast or whatever.

This is one time of deer where you can actually hear deer coming a lot of times because a lot of times they're running or being chased. They're not necessarily being sneaky and everything. So don't have headphones in or anything like that like really keep your wits about you and keep your head on a swivel All right.

I think that's about it Coming up on about 50 minutes here. So I don't want to stay too much longer Again, if you skip the intro or whatever This episode is coming out on the 30th and I have already pre recorded two more episodes that will be coming out the next two weeks And then you'll hear from me With a, quote unquote live episode after that, man, it's that time of year guys. [00:48:00] Get out there, be smart, hunt your hearts out, and most importantly, enjoy it. This is why we do it for this time of year. Don't let things get to your head. Don't get too disappointed. Keep your head on straight. Keep your eyes open. Get out there and enjoy God's creation.

Alright, that's gonna do it for this week. Thank you guys so much. Please follow along the rest of the season. We got a lot of stuff coming up and even though it seems like the season's blowing by, there is a lot of season left and we haven't even gotten into like Duck hunting and all that good stuff. So that's it.

That's it for me. Thank you guys for listening to this episode until next week. I will see y'all right back here on the Oklahoma outdoors podcast.[00:49:00]

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