As we are now in the period leading into the rut, hunters will be most interested in stags so this article revolves around them. After all, Sika hinds are not so hard to find and shoot!
Early in March, Sika will still be seen feeding out in the open, but by the middle of the month, stags will be heading back to areas where they intend to spend the rut.
March is the time that I like to setup my trail cameras overlooking wallows. Stags begin to use them around the middle of March, but I will mention more about this later. Mid to late March is also a good time to shoot a Sika stag free of any antler damage, because as the rut progresses, they become more vigorous in scraping out both wallows and rut pads using their hooves and antlers, often leading to chipped or even broken antlers.
A little pre-scouting beforehand can pay dividends. I enjoy checking out new areas looking for where stags have been residing during the rut. Rut pads, wallows, well used game tails and clearings all get my attention.
, when other stags will move in, or when that area has been taken over bya more dominant animal. If you are hunting an area where you know a good stag lives, you can bet your bottom dollar that he
