I am off to Ne. this weekend for a few more days of archery whitetail hunting and I have read/seen articles wherein people speak of the second rut.  It will be the right time for this and I was wondering how you all hunt during this time.  During the prerut/rut hunt I do some rattling( without much for results I might add),estrous bleats and a lot of grunt calling(which works the best for me).  Do you use the same calling strategies or just set up on a good trail and wait in "silence"?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hunt close to a doe bedding area, and hope a hot one runs past you.

How do you know when the second rut is?  If the main whitetail rut occurs in November in NE Ohio, how do you determine when that second rut will come in?
BillJ

I hunt when work, family, and other commitments allow.  Hopefully when I retire I can worry about such things...    .

I used to love the December bowhunting.  Many of the younger does seem to be coming into estrus and the bucks will follow.  We now have late season doe hunts in Michigan and it has taken some of the fun out of it.  I know we have to take a number of does in some counties and I do my part, but I think a lot of button bucks get killed by the gunners during this time and some bucks that have shed.  The season runs until January 1 so that does happen occasionally.  We also have more trouble with trespassing during this hunt.  They organize drives and hook into our bedding areas and run.   All that being said, I will be out there with my Pronghorn until the bitter end.

Dave

I'm hoping to get out this weekend myself!

BillJ,the 2nd rut should be around 4 weeks after the first rut.The does that don't get bred will come back inheat 28 days later thus the 2nd rut.Hope this helps.

The second rut occurs about 28 days after the first. The 28 days is the time it takes for does not bred the first time to come back in to estres.Also late in the year some young does from the previous come in for the first time. With fewer does coming in the competion between bucks is greater and calling,rattling and scents work well, that is if the deer have not been hunted to hard and educated. I've seen deer tend to shy away from calling and scents late in the season.

Yup around 28 days form the main rut the does that were missed the first time and some fawns will come into estrous. Where I live in NY the main breeding was from Nov. 17th(give or take) until the 24-25(give or take, so we may catch a tad of the second rut, as we can bowhunt until a week before X-Mas. Shawn

I've been hunting steady all along, and I have yet to see bucks stop chasing does at all since Oct. Seems like one long rut to me.

Doe`s that did`nt come in heat the first time can come in at any time.thats why you see some bucks chasing all the time. Natures way of making sure the guns stay primed.

Went out tonight. Bumped a deer on my way in, not good for the 10acer woods I hunt but tried to keep my hopes up. 45 min before dark I can see deer walking in the woods in front of me. Just a skiff of snow on the ground. Next thing I knew deer running everywhere. A nice buck was chasing a doe all over. Almost got a shot at another doe in the mean time but its tough with so many eyes and hunting from the ground. It was a great night out with my Widow.

In my part of Georgia, I'm wanting for the 3rd rut.  I've aged a fetus to conception on 10/22.  Three of the last four years I've killed my bucks on 10/12, 13 & 14.  Early rut around here.  Good luck.

find out when they think they're peak is in that given area and hunt,i don't believe there is an actual (2nd)rut i think its just one long continuious cycle because the whole deer herd don't come in the same day,hunt close to doe bedding,feeding areas and natural funnels and travel corridors,,good luck.

It is happening here in Oregon right NOW! and I am at WORK! The couple of bucks I have seen taken in the last week have been rutted up real good. Can't wait for this weekend!

I hunt the entire length of the 99-day Nebraska season.  Most years I don't notice a second 'rut' although I'm sure there still some love in the air.  I mostly focus on trails between bedding and feeding.  I'll often see bucks following does but often it seems like they're doing so to use them as 'cover' instead of trailing them with romantic intentions.  The Dec. 1-31 MZ season in Nebraska has changed the late bow season and the deer stay 'wired' more than they used to.  Of course, in some areas there is very little late BH or MZ pressure.  I live in the east, where there is still quite a bit of both.

With studs like this hanging around my property why wouldn't I want to continue to hunt?

that's a nice one!looks like you were close enough to have shot him  

I have a ground blind about 15-16 yards from where he is  standing....downwind!

in that case- it dont look like he's liable to get much older  :cool: