When hunting for a trophy during the whitetail rut, taking mental note of buck maturity of the ones you let walk, and observing how they act is invaluable information for planning your next move. (Jeff Phillips photo)
By Travis Faulkner, OutdoorChannel.com
There’s nothing quite like a beefed-up bruiser buck with a swollen neck, massive rack, a tank full of testosterone and a bad attitude. Mental images of top-heavy monsters rubbing cedar trees as thick as telephone poles, raking out enormous fresh scrapes, chasing hot estrous does, and fighting like long-tined Titan Warriors is what all of us poor deer hunters dream about. The whitetail rut is basically our Super Bowl, Christmas and Birthday rolled into one big party that every diehard whitetail addict loves to celebrate.
For good reason, anything can happen at any given moment, and it’s actually possible to feel the tension and anticipation building in the cool autumn...