Now (Around November 7th) is the best period of the entire season. Bucks are really at their peak of activity. This is the classic pre-breeding stage, where the most action and chasing are seen. Bucks of all age classes are hyped up and ready to breed, but there are a small amount of does that are coming into estrous. This means bucks are combing properties, searching high and low for hot does.
If you can find and hunt a funnel during this time period you will have your highest percentage of encountering and harvesting a buck. You are looking for classic bottlenecks, brushy fence line or connection between two blocks of timber, narrow bands of cover, creek crossings, ditch funnels, and saddles. Morning or evening these are the best places to hunt during the rut.
On this episode of Muddy’s Whitetail Watch, join Bill Winke as he discusses the pre-breeding, chase phase of the rut, and how to find, locate, and hunt funnels during the rut. Bill also dives into hang-on tree stands for either more permanent or more mobile use.