If you’re a newbie whitetail hunter, the to-come is a must-read. Enjoy!
by Jace Bauserman
I was full of piss and vinegar. My Browning trail cameras told me there were no fewer than four bucks over 150 inches on the private piece of whitetail dirt I’d gained access to. Of two things, I was certain: First, I was going to kill the biggest one. Second, the pictures of that giant buck were going to change the course of my life forever.
I’d just kicked off my outdoor writing career, and I learned that the more animals I killed, the more work I got. I also learned that people—people that mattered—like to see big whitetail deer die.
If it sounds like I was arrogant and hunting for all the wrong reasons, you’re right. What, never heard an accomplished outdoor writer or our outdoor personality throw themselves under the bus? Well, get used to it if you’re going to follow me on social media or read any of my outdoor articles.
At one point, my goal WAS TO BE A FAMOUS BOWHUNTER. I was going to be on television, have all the sponsorships, etc. That was my vision, and that’s what mattered to me.
Thank God things changed.
As it turns out, I’m just a bowhunter who’s fortunate enough to write about his adventures for a living. As it turns out, I’m just a bowhunter who likes to shoot whatever-sized animal tickles my fancy on any particular hunt. And it turns out, I don’t give a DAMN about being a famous, world-renowned bowhunter! All I want to do is use what I’ve learned to help other bowhunters succeed in the woods, no matter what species of game they’re pursuing.
Here are five tips to keep in mind if you’re going into your first-ever whitetail rut hunt. The to-come advice is also applicable if you are a confused soul like I was.
Social Media Sucks & Bow Give Away
Social media sucks, and “some” of the whitetail crowd really spoils it for others. No, I’m not a social media crumdegeon; quite the opposite, actually. I post daily on social media. In fact, you can follow my adventures at @jace_bauserman and at @bornhunting.
I say social media sucks because too many keyboard cowards use it as a platform to bash others. I get trashed a lot, but that’s OK. I’ve been getting trashed for years. I worry about YOU! When you put yourself out there in the hunting world, you’ll need to develop thick skin. Ignore the haters!
Promise me you’ll do me this favor: Enjoy being in a tree. Feel the biting north wind on your face. Don’t be frustrated when a twig snaps and you see a flash of brown only to realize it’s a doe. Don’t live on your phone in the stand scrolling to see what everyone else is killing. And please don’t COMPARE yourself to anyone else. Don’t apologize for shooting a deer, regardless of its age, size, or future potential.
If you can honor this promise, reference this article, and email me between 200 and 500 words about your first-ever or close-to-first-ever (no more than three) whitetail rut season(s), I will enter you into a drawing to win my 2024 Hoyt RX-9. This is the same bow I killed a 2024 pronghorn, bull elk, and two gagger whitetail bucks with. Watch social media for more details.
Sound fair?
My email is jbauserman@hotmail.com
As for the catch, you have to explain to me how you kept the promise penned in bold above. That’s it! I will give the bow away on Monday, February 1, 2026.
If You Think It Will Work, Try It
I saw an anonymous quote several years ago in a men’s restroom at some gas station in the middle of Nebraska. It read, “As often as possible, do what others are not doing.”
Unless you have hundreds of acres of private, manicured whitetail dirt, do what you think is best. I killed a whitetail buck on public ground from a treestand that was six feet off the ground. I’ve killed them spot-and-stalk, with and without bow-mounted decoys. Several years back, in Oklahoma, I shot a public-land buck from 12 yards from a natural ground blind that I’d built.
When you think you should rattle, rattle. If you feel you should grunt, grunt. If you observe does and bucks in an area in the morning, you SHOULD move immediately and hunt that area as soon as you feel you can get in and hang a stand, build a ground blind, etc.
When you’re doing what you want, not what the whitetail experts say you should be doing, you’ll kill more deer on public ground and have a lot more fun.
If you’re hunting private ground, things change a bit, but not much. As long as you’re not messing up another hunter that you share permission or the lease with, do what you feel will help you kill a buck. You’ll be surprised at what will work.
Shoot A Buck!
If you have ambitions of killing a 5-1/2-year-old Booner, great! I do too. However, don’t let that ambition ruin your rut. I don’t have much to hang my hunting hat on, but one feather in that hat is that I’ve ALWAYS done what I knew would make me happy. I have a whole garage wall full of 2-1/2-year-old bucks, and I’m damn proud of every one of them. Shooting animals with a bow is fun, and early on in my bowhunting career, I would, even during the rut, shoot the first buck I saw that had horns. Those were some of my most memorable bowhunting seasons.
Yes, things have changed. I’ve killed a lot of deer with my bow, and today, I’m all about killing mature deer. However, that doesn’t have to be you right now. Please don’t feel the need to appease the social media masses or anyone else. You should be hunting for you! Your goals are the only ones that matter. Oh, and if you think killing a 190-inch whitetail deer is going to make you famous, land you big-dollar sponsorships, and totally change your life, you’re wrong.
My good buddy Danny Farris and I have a saying: “Having fun is the most critical thing in hunting. Don’t take yourself too seriously, see the good in every situation, and enjoy every moment that you get to be in the woods.”
Answer The Bell!
The rut is often overly romanticized. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had some incredible rut mornings. However, I’ve sat for a full week, dawn to dark, during November’s prized second week and not seen a shooter buck or caught a glimpse of a buck chasing a doe.
Guess what?
I kept answering the bell. I took no days off, and at 7:00 am on the eighth day of my hunt, I shot a heavy 140-plus-inch eight-point.
If I had one piece of whitetail rut advice to give, actually, it’s advice for any bowhunt, it’s this: KEEP ANSWERING THE BELL! Consistency kills. Think about it; the more you work out, the better shape you get in. The more you watch what you eat, the better you feel, and your general health improves. Consistency matters. If you keep climbing in a tree every chance you get, eventually the stars will align and you’ll run carbon through a buck.
Keep Practicing
It may be only one arrow every single day, but it’s critical to keep practicing during the season. No matter where I go in the country, even if it’s just two miles down the road to my whitetail lease, I have a target in the back of my truck. I don’t miss one single day of shooting during the season, even if it’s in the headlights before or after a hunt. Staying sharp matters.
Final Thoughts
I wish you the very best this November! Remember, it’s about the biting chill of a north wind on your face, the turning of your head in the direction of crunching leaves, and the sight of horns coming through the timber. It’s not about Booner bucks and Instagram posts. If you remember that this season and every season to come, you’ll always have a GOOD RUT!
