It’s important to note that early season bucks are “feeders” more than breeders. This will remain so until the later part of October. During this time of feeding more than breeding, the place to look for bucks in a big woods area is near a natural food source unless you’re in to artificial baiting. September and early October whitetails are multi food feeders; they browse on various plants, graze on various field greens, and when available – munch on fruits and nuts. Locating exactly what they are feeding on is the true key to success during this time of year.
This year, in particular, has experienced an outstanding acorn crop in our local red oaks. Acorns have the highest nutritional value of all natural foods; so deer will seek them out, when ever they are available. With that in mind, I’d highly recommend you locate a good oak ridge in your area, and then check for actual signs of recent deer use. The biggest and best give away is to actually see the deer in these spots, but they also leave other clues. Deer droppings is #1 on that list. Then, walk the entire perimeter of the oak ridge looking for fresh rubs on the sides of any small trees. If you locate more than a few fresh rubs on the edge of any oak ridge, you’ve likely found the exit or the entrance route of the locale buck brigade. Set your stand near these rubs, down wind of their approach, and you should be in business.
Early Season Buck Behavior
Although bucks are more interested in feeding than breeding during the earlier part of the season, that doesn’t mean they don’t start to exhibit some breeding rites behavior. The #1 buck sign at this time of year is fresh rubbings on the sides of smaller trees. Most of your scouting and hunting efforts at this time of year should be concentrated around finding these fresh new rubs. Remember, when ever you see a fresh rub, especially when it is more than one rub, a buck had to spend a considerable amount of time at that spot in order to make that rub on that tree. He will probably return to this area to rub this tree again along with some additional trees in that immediate area.
Bucks are also still in “bachelor groups” of three to as many as seven males right now. So, when you see lots of rubs in the vicinity, it’s a good bet they were probably made by more than one buck. By the way, the sexual hormone testosterone rises in a buck throughout the fall, as the peak breeding season approaches. Eventually, these bachelor groups will break up, since they will no longer be able to tolerate each other. This testosterone hormone is responsible for triggering the rubbing activity. Rubs are the key buck sign to concentrate your efforts on throughout most of September and October. As bucks travel to and from bedding areas to feeding areas, and back again, they will rub various trees along the way. The further we move into the fall, the more pronounced this rubbing behavior will become. Locate an “active rub line” and you’re sure to be in for some hot deer hunting action.