A buck will try this maneuver all day and night long, pushing an estrous doe towards mental and physical exhaustion until she finally submits. Once this occurs, he will breed her repeatedly for a period of 24 hours, in what's known as "lock-down." A hunter's best chance at shooting him is during the chasing phase, when mature bucks throw caution to the wind and run receptive does like dogs throughout the day.

After the first round of breeding has occurred, deer movement seems to almost come to a standstill. The larger, mature deer have separated does receptive does and now have them locked down in thickets in order to breed. This process usually lasts for two days or longer, but to a hunter it feels like weeks. Things seem to slow down substantially during this time. I have noticed that deer sightings seem to go from a good number of deer being spotted in the morning and evening hours, to more deer being seen later in the afternoon, after the “lock-down.” It won’t take long before the second phase of the rut kicks in, but it still pales in comparison to the first round.

Bucks will again chase does in this second rut, although not nearly as prevalent as the widespread pandemonium that took place just weeks before. Most hunters, however, rarely take advantage this rut because it tends to run at a time when they have burned themselves out with deer hunting and usually move on to other game such as rabbits or squirrels. If you are an unlucky few who have a late first rut, the second rut may fall at a time when your season is closed and will be unable to take advantage of it. If you can and are able, the second rut can also bring forth the riches you seek in the woods. This is because there are less receptive does in the dating pool, and bucks must work harder, be more competitive, and travel further to find them.

Deer in Louisiana seem to have a built in fear that appears as if it’s been passed on from generation to generation. Whether it may be a deer giving a “white flag salute” to the clicking of a gun safety, or a mature doe having a head-bobbing stare-down with a hunter so heavily clad in the latest camouflage that he looks like a rotting tree trunk, they, in my opinion, are by far the hardest big game animal to harvest; Louisiana deer are in a class all of their own. During the rut this all seems to change, and when it does, it’s as if Mother Nature has given the whitetail hunter a little gift. Taking advantage of this gift is up to you and you only. Be warned: if you’re ever fortunate enough to time your hunting schedule with the rut, you’ll never be the same hunter again. In a few years, your wall will attest to it!