Pre Rut Hunting Tips: How to Attract Bucks

I love being in the stand, hoping a doe drags a tall-tined love-drunk buck into bow range as much as the next guy. But if you asked me when your best chances of actually tagging a mature buck are, my money is on hunting the pre-rut. 

Let's talk about some pre rut hunting tips, including how to attract bucks, to boost your chances of tagging a buck earlier in the season.

What is the Pre-Rut?

When hunting deer, the pre-rut is the period leading up to the peak of the rut, when bucks begin shifting their behavior in preparation for breeding season.

During the pre-rut, bucks start sparring with other bucks, making rubs and scrapes to mark territory, and roaming more frequently to establish dominance and locate does. While not as intense as the rut itself, the pre-rut is a prime time for hunters, since bucks are more visible and active during daylight hours.

This behavior creates prime opportunities to intercept them.

When is the Best Time to Hunt the Pre-Rut?

The timing of the whitetail rut is governed by photoperiod, which is the amount of daylight we have each day. The length of daylight and these dates will vary by region, but they typically occur from late October to early November.

Whitetail pre-rut strategies can depend on your hunting location.

For example:

• Northern whitetails need to breed to have fawns within a window, just late enough that fawning conditions have enough food and cover to survive predators, but early enough that they have time to grow to size to be able to survive the coming winter.
   
• However, populations farther south can have breeding dates that vary widely due to milder climates and some genetic differences.

Bucks are still patternable before they become solely focused on breeding. Mornings (my favorite) and evenings are the most productive for hunting the pre-rut, as bucks are still mostly active during twilight hours. As cooler weather sets in, daytime activity will increase, and the first frost of autumn can often be a sign that things in the woods are heating up.

Use cold fronts as your guide to plan your hunts. Bucks tend to move around more just before and after drops in temperature. However, the opposite can have a negative effect on deer activity, as a few days of continuous warmer weather seem to slow down or stall daylight activity.

Imagine how you would feel running track wearing a winter coat. Miserable.

To plan around the weather, use HuntWise and the HuntCast feature for real-time forecasts. Know when a cold front is on the way so you can take a day off, gather your gear, and go get a buck.

Where are Bucks During the Pre-Rut?

Hunting the pre rut successfully requires understanding buck behavior at this time of year.

Bucks are now transitioning out of their fairly strict food-to-bed schedule they have had all summer. They will begin checking downwind of doe groups and their bedding areas, searching for the first receptive doe.

Setting up just downwind of travel corridors like funnels, pinch points, or ridgelines between known doe bedding areas and feed areas can be a good spot to ambush a mature buck looking for love.

Bucks will be a lot more active during this time, cruising for does, and as a result, will have more frequent trips to water. Waterholes near doe bedding areas could have bucks show up at any time of day.

What Are the Signs to Look for During the Pre-Rut?

You’ll know mature bucks are in your area and the pre-rut phase has begun when there is an explosion in the amount of deer sign.

Fresh scrapes, bare patches pawed clear of leaves and debris beneath low-hanging branches, and clusters or lines of rubs on small to medium trees will pop up more often. In areas with mostly younger deer, the amount of sign will be lighter, since mature bucks create a majority of the marking.

Sparring between young bucks will settle out their pecking order, and mature bucks will posture and display aggressive body language to any nearby challenger of their authority. And again, daytime activity will increase compared to early season as bucks venture out of their core areas looking for receptive does.

How Do You Attract Bucks During Pre Rut Deer Hunting?

Bucks who aren’t lucky enough to tend an estrus doe are frustrated and looking for a fight.

Light antler rattling sequences can pique a deer's interest to see who is in a school yard fight. However, aggressive rattling should be saved for closer to the rut when bucks battle for breeding rights with knock-down, drag-out fights.

Short, tending grunts with a grunt tube can mimic bucks seeking does, while a snort-wheeze can elicit a challenge from nearby bucks. Pair this with a buck decoy to add realism to your setup.

This setup helps in two ways:

1. The body posture of the decoy can help trigger a territorial response from a mature buck
2. It also gives the deer something visual to cue in on and focus its attention away from you.

Estrus bleat calls are effective toward the late pre-rut, as does come into estrus and signal their readiness to breed.

Be Real

Call realistically but sparingly to avoid over-pressuring deer. On public or small parcels of land with lots of hunting pressure, deer can become very attuned to every Bubba in the woods with a can call or a set of rattling antlers.

Also, sprinkling doe urine around a doe decoy can be the trick to lure that lonely buck into range. 

Create Mock Scrapes

You can create mock scrapes with a rake or your boot tread to clear an area roughly one to three feet wide. These scrapes can be enhanced and constantly freshened with scent drippers to simulate a receptive doe active in the area.

Hanging a hemp rope above the site with pre-orbital gland scent can increase the appeal of the scrape by giving deer a natural signpost used for nonverbal communication.

Hunting the Pre Rut is Better With HuntWise

While it may not get all the fanfare and attention as other phases of the rut, the pre-rut may be the time to make a move on that target buck before he goes bonkers and winds up who knows where. Use these pre rut hunting tips (and HuntWise) for better hunts at this point in the season!

RutCast from HuntWise can give you property-specific forecasts for deer rutting activity in your area and let you know the days you need to be in the woods. And remember, HuntCast and WindCast can help you pinpoint the best days and times to be in the field to take advantage of cold fronts and buck activity in your hunt area.

If you don't have it yet, download HuntWise today to help you tag out this season! 
We'll give you your first week in the app free!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

We have answers to some of the biggest questions about hunting the pre rut!

Q: Is pre-rut a good time to hunt?

A: Yes! Bucks are more active at this time of the season. They are establishing dominance and expanding their travel range, making them easier to encounter.

Q: How to hunt before the rut?

A: Focus on travel corridors, food sources, and staging areas. Hunt near scrapes, rubs, and bedding-to-feeding routes.

Q: What are the signs of pre-rut?

A: You'll see increased daylight movement, fresh rubs, opened scrapes, and bucks sparring.

Q: Where is the best place to hunt during pre-rut?

A: Set up in between bedding and feeding areas, along funnels, pinch points, and near active scrapes.

Q: Should I grunt during pre-rut?

A: Yes. Soft, short grunts can bring in curious bucks, but avoid aggressive calling too early.

Q: What is the best buck attractant for pre-rut?

A: Use fresh scrape scent, doe urine, and curiosity lures like mock scrapes or pre-orbital gland scents.