Droppin' Like Flies

I have been getting pictures from hunters almost daily over the past week showing off the big bucks they have taken as the whitetail rut hits high gear (several featured here). The big boys are falling right now, literally, for tactics that they would not think of falling for any other time of the year. Rattling antlers, grunt calls, bleat calls, and scents all play a significant role during this season in capturing the attention and curiosity of whitetail bucks. I began using bleats and grunts regularly about ten years ago, and I have to say that the consistent use of them, often in combination with each other, has brought in numerous bucks during that decade.

Now, most of the bucks that have wandered, or even run, into these setups have been young, immature bucks that are overly eager, and that is why most bucks do not get to be very old. Mature bucks do not fall for these tactics very often, and that is why there are some real whoppers out there that folks hunt for years but are never able to harvest. And why is this? Because the bucks that live to this age have learned to be wary and wise to falsehood. What do they do normally? They circle downwind of the area of interest, ease in, keep their distance, keep checking the wind, keep checking for movement, take their time, often remain motionless for minutes waiting for something to stand out that does not seem right – they use all of their senses in unison. This several week period during early to mid November is the one time of year that the big bucks have one thing on their minds and seem to set their senses aside, causing some of them to lose their lives as a result.


One of the bucks that I have mounted was harvested during the peak of the rut in 2009. He came into my hunting area to a sequence of rattling and calls, crashing in downwind of me and letting out a loud, guttural growl. However, he still stayed downwind of me motionless in thick cover for what seemed like an eternity, and paid no attention to my grunts. If it had not been for a divinely placed spike buck and a doe to distract him, I would not have gotten a chance to harvest him.

God tells us in His Word to be wise of Satan’s tactics so that we do not fall victim to him. He warns us to be smarter than the 'young buck' who wanders in, or even runs right in, to Satan’s temptations and distractions, which cause us to veer off of God’s intended path for our lives. He warns us also of falling victim to thinking that we have grown spiritually immune to Satan's tactics. It seems that now more than any time in history, those that we consider to be solid, mature men of God are falling victim to Satan's tactics, and thus falling from positions of importance and influence. Scripture reminds us how Satan goes about derailing people spiritually: he blinds the minds of people from truth, causing them to follow deceitful spirits and doctrines and fall, away from the faith (1 Timothy 4:1-3); he gets people hooked on the ‘things of the world’ (lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and boastful pride of life – 1 John 2:15-17); and he encourages people to hang around evil company (1 Corinthians 15:33).

Brothers, I want to encourage each of you to act like the mature buck when you sense Satan offering you an opportunity for distraction or temptation. Spend some time downwind checking out the situation at hand. To survive these situations, you must know how Satan works, what his temptations look like and what your vulnerabilities are, and you most effectively do this by spending regular time in scripture, meditation and prayer. - GE