Hunting the Lockdown Phase: Understanding Peak Breeding and Making It Work for You

My dad has been on an absolute heater this fall. Between his bull elk in New Mexico and the great Kentucky buck he tagged this week, he’s having the kind of season we all hope to experience at least once. But as proud as I am of him, the real story is why he found success on that Kentucky buck—and how you can use the same approach on your own farm over the next week or two.

We’re right in the middle of the most misunderstood stretch of the entire rut: the lockdown phase. Every year, hunters think the rut has “cooled off,” when in reality, it’s the most biologically intense part of the breeding cycle. Bucks aren’t slowing down or disappearing—they’re just moving differently. If you understand that behavior, this can be one of the most productive times of November.

This week, I want to break down what lockdown actually is, how bucks behave during it, and how you can hunt it effectively. And yes, I’ll explain how it all came together for my dad the night he killed his buck, Stickers.

What the Lockdown Phase Actually Is

Lockdown gets talked about constantly, but rarely is it explained in a way that actually helps hunters. This phase isn’t the end of the rut. It isn’t a lull. And it definitely isn’t a sign that bucks quit moving.

Lockdown is simply peak breeding.

During this stretch—usually right in the middle of November—most mature bucks are paired up with receptive does. When a doe comes into estrus, a buck isolates her, nudges her into thick cover, and stays glued to her hip until she’s bred. This usually lasts 24–48 hours.

Because so many does are receptive all at once, this behavior repeats itself across the entire landscape. Bucks aren’t cruising. They aren’t making big loops. They aren’t strolling around hardwood ridges like they were a week ago. They’re tucked away in pockets of cover, completely dialed in on one thing.

This is why sightings drop off.
It’s why cameras slow down.
It’s why hunters start wondering if they “missed the rut.”

You didn’t miss anything. You’re smack in the middle of the most intense breeding activity of the season—it just doesn’t look dramatic from a treestand.

During lockdown, buck movement becomes short, local, tight to cover, and completely dictated by the doe’s actions. A doe might get up to feed, get water, or shift her bed—and when she moves, he moves. Outside of those tiny, doe-led excursions, a locked-down buck simply will not expose himself.

Why Lockdown Hits Some Properties Harder Than Others

Not every farm experiences lockdown the same way. On some properties, it feels like the entire herd goes underground for several days. On others, you’ll still see a surprising amount of movement between does.

It often comes down to your buck-to-doe ratio.

If your property carries too many does, more does come into estrus at the same time. When that happens, bucks don’t have to travel far to find another receptive doe. They finish tending one, slide over to the next, and never need to leave thick cover. Daylight sightings drop sharply and camera activity goes dead.

A more balanced herd creates the opposite effect. If fewer does are receptive at the same time, bucks have to travel farther between them. Even in peak breeding, you’ll get a little more daylight movement and a few more opportunities to catch a buck between does.

When a Locked-Down Buck Will Expose Himself

Even during lockdown, a doe doesn’t stay put forever. She still gets up to feed, drink, stretch, and shift her bed. When she does, the buck is forced to follow. He stays glued to her hip, shadowing her every move.

These tiny, doe-led movements are usually the only time a locked-down buck will step into the open.

He’s not killable through manipulation right now. He’s not responding to rattling. He’s not checking scrapes. He’s not curious or aggressive. His entire world is the doe in front of him.

Because does can get up at any hour of the day or night, these little windows are completely unpredictable. You might sit for hours with nothing—then suddenly see a mature buck ghosting behind a doe for five seconds.

That’s why food sources near preferred cover are great places to set a stand. You’re not hunting a feeding pattern. You’re hunting a doe’s urge to grab a quick bite, and the buck’s reflex to follow.

The Only Huntable Window During Lockdown

If you can’t call to a buck, rattle one in, pull one off a doe, or lure one with a buck decoy… how do you kill a mature deer during lockdown?

You target the short moment between does.

During peak breeding, a buck will occasionally finish tending a doe and need to locate the next receptive one. These movements aren’t long-distance cruises. They’re brief, frantic bursts as he sorts through the area looking for the next hot doe.

It’s a tiny window—but it’s one of your best chances of the entire lockdown phase.

This is exactly when a doe decoy becomes a valuable tool. A buck glued to a doe won’t even look at a decoy. But a buck that has just finished breeding and is trying to find the next receptive doe? That deer will absolutely investigate a lone doe standing somewhere he can see her.

The key is placing the decoy where she’s highly visible from multiple angles, especially from the terrain features deer naturally move along. And you must anticipate the downwind circle. Nearly every buck will swing downwind of a decoy to verify her scent.

If you can cover that downwind swing, a doe decoy can be deadly during this micro-window.

Case Study: My Dad’s Kentucky Buck

Everything I’ve just explained played out perfectly the night my dad killed his buck, Stickers. His success wasn’t random rut magic. It was simply understanding the phase we were in and setting up on that between-doe window.

Because we knew lockdown was underway, I suggested he ditch the buck decoy and run a doe decoy instead. If we were going to fool a buck, it was going to be one that had just finished tending a doe and was back on the move.

I also recommended setting the 2D Montana doe decoy in a high-visibility spot—about 50 yards out on the edge of a small rise in the middle of our clover field. From that little knob, she was visible from multiple ridgetops and benches deer use. The goal wasn’t just for us to see her clearly—it was to make sure any buck traveling nearby could.

Sure enough, Stickers did exactly what a between-doe buck does. He popped out of the creek bottom about 75 yards downwind of the decoy, already making his downwind approach. My dad was set up perfectly for that move, and Stickers walked right into a shot opportunity.

It wasn’t luck. It wasn’t chasing. It wasn’t a hot scrape. It was simply understanding lockdown behavior and playing the only window it gives you.

How to Hunt the Rest of Lockdown

Lockdown can feel slow, but if you play it correctly, it can be one of the most productive times of the rut. Here’s how to stay in the game:

• Hunt where the does want to be. If you know where your does bed, stage, or feed near cover, that’s where you need to be.

• Focus on food close to cover. Does will step out to grab a bite and go right back in. A buck tending her will follow.

• Sit longer than you think. Lockdown doesn’t run on a timetable. Midday movement is very real this time of year.

• Don’t overthink the wind. Keep it in your favor, but don’t wait for “perfect.” Be in the best spot you have for the phase you’re hunting.

• Use a doe decoy when you can cover the downwind side. This is the one phase where I almost always run a doe decoy, because you’re playing that between-doe movement.

• Expect long stretches of nothing… followed by everything happening at once. Lockdown rewards patience and punishes doubt.

• Lean into the unpredictability. These small windows can’t be timed. You just have to be out there when they happen.

Habitat and Herd Management Matter More Than Most People Realize

One of the reasons our farm produces consistent rut activity—even during lockdown—comes back to two things we’ve focused on for years: better habitat and better herd management.

Our herd isn’t perfect, but we’ve worked hard to maintain a tighter buck-to-doe ratio than many of our neighbors. That matters during peak breeding. A balanced herd means fewer does are in estrus at the same time, which forces bucks to travel a bit more between does. That naturally increases daylight movement, even in lockdown.

Pair that with secure cover, strong bedding, good food close to cover, and a diversity of habitat types, and you get a farm where does feel comfortable spending daylight hours. And when you hold the does, everything else falls into place.

Stickers was a perfect example of that system working the way it should.

Closing

Lockdown catches a lot of hunters off guard, but once you understand what’s actually happening, it becomes a phase you can hunt with confidence. You’re not outsmarting deer during this window—you’re simply putting yourself where the does want to be and waiting for those brief moments when a buck makes a mistake.

If you want help improving your property and making it hunt better during every phase of the rut, I’d love to talk habitat with you. And if you’re in Tennessee and looking for a place to build your own hunting paradise, I can help you there, too. Between Whetstone Habitat and my work with Tutt Land Company, I’m in a unique position to help you both buy land and turn it into something truly special.

Reach out anytime. I’m always happy to help you get more out of the land you own—or the land you’re hoping to own.