Are you sitting in your favorite rut stand too early in the season? Here is how to know if you should be sitting in an early season stand instead of an outstanding rut stand, that you should be using later in the season….
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Now I think it's important to point out The difference between a rut stain an Early season stand we're getting the Early season I see a lot of people packing their bags For an all-day set in a rut stand and They really don't have a great Opportunity for Success because rut Stands are more bedding area stands and More cruising stands the Bucks aren't Cruising early season a lot of times They're already back in their beds and I'm not saying there's not an Opportunity on public land to go get to Some Island to cover wait for the deer To come back to you awesome distance and AG Fields especially people are pushing Them but that's a limited opportunity to Beat them back to their beds maybe get To the back side of a wood lot In an island of AG country where you're Just going to this little pocketbook of Cover getting to the backside and Waiting from for deer to come half mile Three quarters a mile even a mile from Across the fields getting into the back Side of this wood lot maybe a Creek System running through there are Occasions that you could take advantage Of early season deer movements in the Morning but for the most part Those are rut stand locations where They're near bedding and we're just Blowing deer out in the early season
Going in so early season stands are a Lot different I'm really focusing on Afternoon food sources and some of those Stands are really good afternoon rut Stands especially in look at post rot Where the Bucks are really the Especially those mature ones are looking For that last dough to find so they're Really looking around hard they're Seeking chasing and they're really Following those dull family groups as They're heading out through food sources In the evening I really love early Season stands even October law where You're focusing on a green food source On private land maybe some white oak Acorns on public land A diversity Wetlands on public land maybe even a Luscious clear cut where it's very young And there's a lot of herbaceous growth Growing in on public land you have a Little corner where it's unpressured Maybe a little corner of the clear cut That is and you can get in and out Without spooking deer that are bedded Nearby Great conditions but when it comes to Private land and hunting and early Season setup I love these afternoon Stand locations in fact this is an Afternoon pass-through plot it's Probably about a third of an acre Especially when it goes down through That throat back there it gets into a
Half acre three quarters of an acre but Bottom line is this little lobe right Here is a great afternoon pass-through Plot we have really good bedding out Here that's been constructed we cut this Back in here on this point we have Bedding areas down the bottom behind us So the deer are coming through here Sometimes going to our big holding plaid Over there where we hold them till dark This becomes just a pass-through and so That's why too that we have a really Good base of perennial in here we have Our perennial plot power I mix that with Our big boost Brassica and what it gives Us is something I've been doing for a Very long time is it gives us that Perfect combination of alfalfa various Clovers Chicory and then bird's foot tree foil So that we can pack a huge amount of Perennial power in here In fact You look down here where you have the Alfalfa We have the birds foot tree file looks Like a little bird's foot down here and Then the clover but we have this Brassica base And then we have that beautiful field of Green That this will turn into just a Pass-through when a buck comes through During the summer time it's not big
Enough to hold does and falls all summer Increase the population create that Dreaded dough Factory that's very real Across across the country but instead When a buck happens to come through here He'll know there's food here and you can Bet your bet your bow to help you back During the hunting season late October November during the rut and especially This early season when those bucks shift And they're going from August to September and they're really fine in Their fall grounds compared to their Summer grounds summer grounds of food of Soybeans Clover Alfalfa big giant fields We have Alfalfa all over the place over Here we have soybeans in the distance When they're done with those when those Crops are done when they're frosted out When the habitats change and leaves are Falling down they're going to shift over To over to a spot like this and that's Why I love these for the early season Because a buck can eat this on his way To succulent Big AG fuels nearby or other food Sources maybe your neighbors food plots That are nocturnal because they pressure Them Great little pass-through plot for the Early season this is an afternoon hunt But this redneck location right here you Can see it's walled off with switchgrass We have the box elder and then we have a
Mode Trail coming out the back through The switchgrass field you aren't bedding In the switch So we can get into this stand without Spooking anything we could have a deer 30 yards out here we still get up the Steps get into the redneck and not spook Them and really get in and out without Spooking deer we can get in here in the Morning I believe we're far enough away From our traditional big holding plots Areas where deer might be in the morning But it's a little bit riskier if we have A big buck coming through here in the Morning and evening I'm going to put my money on the Afternoon because I know I can get in And out without spooking that deer from The back side over here and then come in And watch this pass through that's what We have the licking Branch right here we Have a lot of bucks coming in they hit The licking branch and then they head Out so we have that perfect combination Where you have the perennial they come In and hit the licking branch and then They're out of here so we have a really Good setup for the early season Completely different than rut hunting Yeah we might have a big buck in here Following some does on the way out to Somewhere on the way out to our big Holding plot over there running back and Forth but I'd rather be in the woods on
A water hole those cruising setups near A bedding area in the morning those are Those traditional rut stands that we'll Check out in a second back in the Bedding area someplace I wouldn't want To be in the early season but this is The spot that I want to be just going to Be determined on the kind of sign that We have here what kind of trail cam Photos we're getting and I'll point out Really quick you'll see a trail Cameo Normally I like our trail cameras when They're about six feet high or higher Looking down we've had some really good Luck putting our trail cameras about a Foot and a half off the ground with a Big wall of cover behind so they don't Stick out looking up at the deer so That's why you see pitchers when they Come into this right here cameras Actually looking up at the deer and the Deer don't seem to mine they don't Really look down they're more concerned With the eye level we're finding so We've had trail cameras down on a stump Down the base works really well being Bat with the trail cameras maybe some Rubs and scrapes maybe if they're really Hitting this scrape right here we'll be Sitting right there in the afternoon Evening it's one of our really potential Hot spots for the early season let's go Check out a traditional rut spot and We'll talk about the differences as why
I wouldn't even consider hunting there In the early season like I would in this Location Now here's a typical rut stand Completely different than early season Stand and I think you know even if you Had two stands on your property or where You hunt whether it's public land or Private land you could think about these Differences in the stands and why one is More of an early season stand maybe October will all stand Versus a rut stand this is a pure rut Stand what I mean by that it's a Pure Morning stand because we're sandwiched In here between bedding but we have a Safe outlet for our wind you can never Look at it that well I I'm using this Spray this gel this machine and I'm Going to cover my scent you can only Cover your scent by making sure a mature Boxer dough doesn't get downwind of you Because if they do it's game over I can Guarantee that people say well I use This my scent was blown right at them Well they might understand thermals Maybe that buck was heated up and he was In the Rut and he just didn't notice it Which is highly unlikely there's usually A reason why and I find a lot of times If you ask yourself why outside of the Magic portion potion formula you'll Figure things out a lot a lot better you Know why did that buck do that at that
Time the bottom line is this is that Type of area where we can come in and Hunt a bedding area Which would be a morning stand we can Sneak in here and we have a great outlet For our scent our scent will blow right Off this Ridge system and that's what's Cool when you're hunting up on these Points and ridges when you hunt Elevation change it's a huge advantage To you but bottom line is the betting Area and we save our bedding area stands To late October early November during That typical rut cruising time because If we come in here too early and there's A buck around here He's already bedded we spook them out we Spook them out and especially the older It gets it seems like the later and the Longer he'll stay out of here and that Could be three or four weeks it could be Five or six weeks that puts them up to The right time we destroy this stand for That particular Buck it might be off on Another property might get shot so Bottom line is the more we push that Buck across to other fences the more Fences he crosses the more his chance of Being killed probably didn't even make It to that age if we're doing that Because we pushed them off years ago the Bottom line is we have big bedding area Right here on this point big bedding Area here
Great to get in here in the morning wait For those deer to come back to us but we Got to wait till the rut to do so if we Do this too early and we spook the deer Out we have an outstanding water hole Stand right over here about 150 yards Away we have a small hunting plot Besides that about 150 yards from the Water hole And so we spooked that buck out of here We're going to destroy those two stand Locations over there that are meant more For like the water hole we could use That early season late season rut time That's that in between we can use it a Lot of different times and then we have That small hunting plot that's more of An afternoon evening set and we destroy That if that buck is here he's not going To use those two features if we spook Them out of here so timing is everything And I'm not saying that you're not going To get a chance because you're not Hunting back here very much what's Really cool about hunting a rut stand And waiting till that morning is a high Likelihood do you shoot the buck that's There so if we have a buck that's Utilized in this area later in October November Which is basically two months from now Then as long as we chip away on the Outside we don't spook that buck Prematurely
We have what I call a 40 50 set where we Come in here and 40 50 percent of the Time we shoot that buck I hunt morning Stands about 15 percent of My overall Sets for the year but they account for About 70 percent of my chair my mature Box that I shoot in the oldest box in The neighborhood because I'm waiting to Use those waiting for them to heat up And when you go in and you're this close To where he's bedded there's a great Chance you'll shoot them during the rut But not in the early season we come in Here he's already here we spoke them we A lot of times can't beat them in here And the risk is too great that we spoil Other stand locations Around this stand so we actually are Waiting to put this this uh standing Here we have a ladder stand that we're Putting in here from family traditions And we'll stick it right here in this Big beautiful Oak So we're putting in the Red Oak and we Have the White Oak For cover right in front of it so that Red Oak we'll put that ladder will be Right up there we're hoping to save some Of those white white oak branches and Keep those on the tree because they'll Be there all season long it'll be that Brown camo that'll Aid and cover us up Right up there we have shots behind Dylan mock scrape we got a reveal camera
We can shoot all the way to the left in Fact I see uh Jen's over there sneaking In on us she thinks we can't see her She's way down there so she's being very Quiet we didn't even hear her come in So but anyways uh this is a great stand We'll set this ladder stand up here more Like early September because we have Lots of time we'll just sneak right in Here get out of here on a windy day Ladder stand goes up super easy we don't Even have to clear shooting Lanes They're all done those are kind of last Minute stand locations that we add ones We don't have to clear shooting Lanes we Can just throw it up get out of here We're coming in on a trail like I said We'll do it on a windy day if we smoke Something we still have two months Before we use it seven weeks eight weeks You get the picture it'll be a long time Before we come back in here after we get This set up and you can bet the reveal With the uh solar panel on it will still Be running and you're already hitting The mock scrape right there so it'll let Us know what bucks are in the area and Again I hope you know that you can see The differences between an early season Stand more mid-october stand versus now I want to focus on food in the early Season mid-october October low Unpressured food sources and then Unpressured bedding areas unpressured is
The name of the game but you have to Know when to hunt a certain stand Location bedding more towards rot in the Morning Food more towards their beginning of the Season early season in October low and If you look at that system even you just Have those two stand locations might be An oak flat on public land maybe a Marshy drop to a big hardwood setting And Hill system where they converge Together Upland setting on public land For bedding area that Big Oak flat or Maybe the clear cut for food source but Really look at those two stands and say Okay this is a food source stand so it's Afternoon evening this is a bedding area So it's More of a morning stand and I hope you Know the difference because it can pay Off big when you head into the season With a great plan For knowing which one to hunt at which Time of the year For a greater level of success this fall I appreciate you guys watching the YouTube channel but I don't know if Everyone knows everything that we have To offer whether it's on Whitetail Habitat solutions.com A website or whs Wildlife Blends our Seed Company also Instagram you can Check out I'm very active on Instagram Putting strategies on there photos of
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