Deer breeding season may be your best chance for a trophy buck. This is due to the buck's preoccupation on the rut. Understanding this rut will greatly increase your chances of hunting success.

As late summer turns into early fall bucks will turn their mind to two things: breeding a doe and eating for energy in order to breed a doe. Bucks must eat to store energy for the stresses of breeding season. During breeding season bucks will often throw caution to the wind for a doe. Sightings will increase.

Note some of the following during rut season:

As rut progresses bucks will not travel together but will instead travel individually. Old racks will go and new racks will come.

Bucks will more actively work their scrapes and will roam further in in search of does. Fresh rubs will show bucks remain.

Bucks in a group became louder from grunting and fights. They grunt to advertise and fight to run off competitors. Listen for this. When buck do fight the older, hopefully trophy bucks, are the most likely to fight.

Does' abandon their young and the young run around as if lost. This is a sure sign that the rut is in progress.

Rattling is most effective during the rut. Listen to the sounds and try to emulate them with your rattles is the only advice I can offer.

Pre-rut deer are rubbing antlers on trees so rub your antlers on trees -- this time is usually early bow season.

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The later stages of the pre-rut are the best times to rattle. The bucks are extremely aggressive and will grunt and may scuffle. This is the time to rub your antlers together. Make as much noise as possible with your rattling horns, breaking brush, kicking the ground and grunting occasionally while you rattle. You can't make too much noise when rattling. Try rattling sequences of different lengths -- start short and increase the length.

During the peak of the rut bucks respond to rattling horns. They will not be as aggressive as during the pre-rut because they are busy chasing does. Don't give up on rattling. During peak rut a buck may respond but it is more common for a doe to come and buck is surely behind her. The doe is probably looking for a desirable, perhaps trophy, buck to her liking.

Once the rut is cooling off you must rattle must be done more lightly and this may not work for you.

Remember, try to duplicate what is happening in the deer world and your chances of success will be greatly bettered.