2021 RUT FORECAST

Each year since 1992, Deer & Deer Hunting has provided both Southern and Northern readers with the “Whitetail Rut-Predictor.” This system has been featured in several D&DH articles by late contributing editor Charles J. Alsheimer.

The Whitetail Rut-Predictor is also included in our annual wall calendar, which still features Alsheimer’s photography. The predictor lets you plan when, where and how to hunt.

The rut follows predictable stages of deer behavior. These changes dictate the effectiveness of hunting strategies. Scrapehunting, for example, might be effective when bucks seek does, but it won’t work later in the rut when most does are already bred or being tended.

Not every buck exhibits the predicted primary behavior on a given date. Several factors, including age, nutrition, health and genetics, can affect the time and extent to which bucks exhibit a behavior. The Whitetail