Mature bucks are still on the move across the country, and hunters are continuing to hang their tags on them. (Shutterstock)
November 27, 2024
By Game & Fish Staff
This is Week 6 of the 2024 Game & Fish Regional Rut Update , a series of exclusive weekly rut reports from the field by whitetail contributors Doug Howlett (East), Brandon Butler (Midwest) and Josh Honeycutt (South). This week's report includes:
In the East, Howlett says says the transition to late-rut activity is here, but opportunities are still available to those who adapt their tactics to find bucks searching for a last chance with a doe. In the South, Honeycutt reports the region is experiencing good buck movement, with some areas ramping up while others are tapering off. Some locales are feast or famine, but now is the time to be in the woods. In the Midwest, Butler says field reports indicate some bucks are still seeking receptive does while others are turning their attention to post-rut feeding. EAST REPORT Not Over ‘Til It’s Over The height of rutting activity is in the rearview, but scrapes are being reopened in areas where bucks are seeking out the last estrous does. By Doug Howlett
As November winds down, hunters across the East are witnessing the transition from the peak of the rut to its waning days, though the frenzied chasing and breeding that defines a typical rut wasn’t always visible thanks to warm weather and an abundance of mast in much of the region. The peak of the rut is now giving way to a more muted rhythm, but the opportunities are far from over. Late-rut bucks are still on the move, searching for that last chance at a doe. For those willing to adapt their tactics, this period can produce a trophy just as easily as the rut.
Reports from the field paint a clear picture of the changing dynamics. A number of hunters reported seeing bucks locked down with does, but that period should be winding down.
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“I’ve seen a number of scrapes opened back up and freshened this past week,” says Tristan Taylor in Maryland . “I've also seen a mature buck locked down with a doe, but didn’t have a clean shot. She came in to eat, and he just stood there waiting on her and grunting as if he wanted her to come on with him.”
Taylor says he’s seen small bucks chasing does as well as does beginning to group back up, something Chris Griffin, in the mountains of neighboring Virginia , has also noted.
“I anticipated the acorn impact here this season, with so many trees dropping, and set up near where I suspected does would travel to eat,” Griffin says. His efforts paid off with plenty of sightings, but he wasn’t quite set up right to get a shot.
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“The older bucks are staying close to the acorns in heavy brush and just waiting for the does to come to them,” he says, noting that a number of younger bucks are intercepting the does on their way to the acorns.
Fellow Virginian Jason Whitlow also witnessed an uptick of trail-cam photos of bucks cruising for does this past week, action that will begin to seriously mellow as we move past Thanksgiving.
Meanwhile, Joshua Miller in Pennsylvania has seen more scrapes open up, though daylight sightings are dropping off.
I suspect by the beginning of next week, a buck still cruising and chasing is going to be a rare sight for most hunters. For those still getting after it, try to hunt a spot that’s not yet been hunted, where the deer will be moving more naturally. Focus less on travel corridors and more on food sources. Maybe even try a doe bleat.
Massachusetts’ George Hamilton finally filled a buck tag on a big-bodied beast just a few days ago by using a bleat to pull in a late-rut buck.
“I did a couple of doe bleats at 4:20 p.m. and shot this guy at 4:32,” he says. “Coincidence or not, I don't know, but he was definitely looking for the ‘doe’ as he came in. I made an 8-yard, quartering-away shot on him. He ran about 90 yards, and I heard him crash.”
As for food sources, late-season plots and oak flats that are still dropping acorns will certainly attract feeding does. Set up on the downwind side of these areas, as bucks will scent-check them in search of the last doe or two still in estrus.
TAGGED OUT Hoping to take advantage of the late-day feeding period, Virginia hunter, Virginia hunter Chris Barham stalked in to take this wide buck with his 20-gauge slug gun. (Photo courtesy of Chris Barham) Double Dip Virginia hunter tags two deer during after-work hunt.
Hunter : Chris BarhamDate : Nov. 21, 2024Location : Southampton County, VirginiaMethod : ShotgunStats : 9 points; 20 inches wideThis successful hunt took place just a stone’s throw from my farm in Southampton County, Va., one of the state’s top buck producing counties. On Thursday, Nov. 21, around 4 p.m., after getting off work, Chris Barham parked his truck and walked down a wood path that led to a field he planned to sit for the last hour and a half of daylight.
“I stopped about 50 to 60 yards before I got to the field and could see five bucks together, eating in the field,” Barham says.
With the rut still rolling along, he was surprised to see them all together, especially the wide-racked one off to one side. Knowing the area and considering the wind direction and cover he had to move through, Barham stalked along the field edge until he got close enough for a shot.
“Looking at the deer through the scope, I could tell the [wide] one was a really mature deer with a nice, heavy, wide rack. His antlers were outside of his ears,” he says. “I figured it was a 70- to 80-yard shot, so I steadied my 20-gauge slug gun against a gum tree and boom! ”
The buck dropped in the field as the others ran off. Barham kicked back against a birch tree and relaxed, reflecting on the season, admiring his trophy still lying in the field and just taking in the moment. Virginia allows two deer per day, so when a group of does and button bucks entered the field 20 to 30 minutes later with plenty of shooting light left, Barham tagged a doe as well, completing what would be one of his best days of the season. The buck’s rack measures 20 inches wide and has nine points.
Spartan Forge and Moultrie Mobile (left) make great scouting apps; Buck Fever’s Synthetics Scrape Rope Kit creates a great mock scrape; Rakk Fuel’s fall food plot seed blends grow easy food plots. Great Hunt-Planning Gear to Help You Tag a Rut Trophy A few key pieces of gear can help predict deer movement and craft a better game plan during the whitetail breeding season. Consider these options as the deer rut continues.
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SOUTH REPORT Rut Going Strong in Parts of the Region Reports indicate whitetails’ mating ritual is in full swing in several states. By Josh Honeycutt
Check-ins with expert deer hunters throughout the South reveal good deer movement across the region. Some areas are seeing great rut activity, while it’s ramping up or tapering off in others.
“Our rut is not black-and-white like in the Midwest,” says Bone Collector co-host Travis “T-Bone” Turner, reporting from west-central Georgia . “It seems to slowly come to its peak and then slowly go out. But our rut is commonly from about November 20 until the first week of December. So, we are in the middle of it right now. I saw four bucks last night and they were checking does pretty heavy. Another tell-tale sign is [that we’re] not seeing many pictures of bucks on bait piles or feeders. They are looking for love.”
Brian Grossman with the National Deer Association, also in the west-central part of the Peach State, is seeing slightly less rut activity, despite being in the same area as Turner. That shows the vast differences in deer activity in Southern counties, even those near each other.
“We’ve just passed peak breeding activity, but there are still plenty of good bucks being tagged right now,” Grossman says. “With our rut more spread out, activity here can be very localized. If you’re not seeing good rut activity where you’re hunting, my advice is to stay mobile and be on the lookout for the most recent signs. There will still be breeding activity for a while, but it will definitely start to slow in the coming weeks.”
In south-central Georgia, CEO of Turkeys for Tomorrow, Jason Lupardus, says the rut was in full swing over the weekend. “The cold front that moved through really amplified movement,” he says. “Friday and Saturday were likely peak days, as a number of people were seeing intense chasing in the area.”
Michael Lee, who shot a buck in South Georgia a week ago as it followed does through an oak ridge, says that deer movement there is wide open. Now in northern Texas , Lee notes that the bucks there are rutting hard. “I just finished a 4-day trip and tagged super-nice bucks in two different counties.”
Whitetail Properties’ Art Mott confirms that deer are moving quite well in Texas, where the rut seems to be just starting.
Writer and editor Brodie Swisher in Tennessee reports that it’s been feast or famine this week. “It can be a ghost town one day, then we get a hot doe running through with bucks on her, chasing, grunting and snort-wheezing the next day,” he says. “We’ve seen it all in the last few days. It’s a good time to lean on those trail cams for intel.”
Kyle Barefield of "All Things Hunting" weighs in from Oklahoma , where bucks appear to be between the prime and tail-end phases of the rut. “Most of the more mature bucks have locked down with does, but I have seen a couple of old ones still cruising and looking for receptive does. We have killed three mature bucks in the past two days, and watched a mature buck yesterday cover a half-mile area, chasing and corralling a doe.”
Barefield is also keeping tabs on Louisiana , where he often hunts. “The bucks there have just started thinking about the rut,” he says. “I’m starting to see a few scrapes and rubs pop up, but no sign of bucks checking or bumping does yet.”
TAGGED OUT Tennesse hunter TJ Riddle used his Sharps reproduction rifle chambered in .45-70 Govt. to down this 122-inch buck at 100 yards. (Photo courtesy of TJ Riddle) Sneaky Deer Intercepted Volunteer State hunter drops a strapping mountain buck.
Hunter : TJ RiddleDate : Nov. 25, 2024Location : Unicoi County, Tenn.Method : RifleStats : 122 6/8 inchesTJ Riddle hunts the mountains of Unicoi County, Tenn. Hunting in mountainous terrain, it’s all about topography, but that’s what Riddle loves. And at about 4 p.m. on Nov. 25, he bagged a big mountain buck that tried sneaking past him.
“I just happened to look to my right and saw him. At around 100 yards, I took the shot and he ran 50 yards before going down,” says Riddle. “This deer is the biggest killed between my dad, my little brother and myself, so I've got bragging rights.”
MIDWEST REPORT Rut Strong, but Slowing While the peak of the rut has all but passed, many bucks are still seeking receptive does while others are shifting focus to food. By Brandon Butler
The curtain is falling on an excellent show. As the rut winds down around the Midwest, reports continue to pour in about what a special year it was. The consistency of quality deer being harvested from Ohio to the Dakotas these days seems mind-blowing compared to 20 or even 10 years ago.
Most does have been bred by now, so bucks are having to travel farther and more often to find a receptive doe. Hunting seasons have been open a while, so the number of bucks on the landscape has fallen some, but those still around are finding much more competition for the remaining breeding opportunities. This means they are more likely to use aggression to win the right to breed.
“Rattling after the peak of the rut has always been a go-to tactic of mine,” says Ken Kirsch of Michigan . “Bucks are seeking harder this late in the game, so I feel like rattling is almost a dinner bell.”
When a buck cruising for does near the end of the rut hears rattling, he’s likely thinking there are a couple ways things could go his way if those other bucks are fighting over a doe. He could either slip in and steal her while they’re battling, or he could be a more dominant buck and just push them away. Either way, I feel like it is a signal that there may be a doe available to court, so a lot of bucks respond to rattling this time of year.
Iowa is known for open agricultural land and big bucks. This time of year, you can see a lot of antlers by simply driving backroads. Shawn Jenkins is a seed salesman covering the state of Iowa, and he spends a lot of time crossing through big-buck country for work, as well as pursuing them himself.
“I’m seeing fewer deer out in the open than I was a few weeks ago, but we are still catching glimpses of the rut,” he says. “Especially early in the morning and late in the evening, if you are out driving around you expect to see deer in the fields, and bucks are usually out there checking on does. So, yes, we are still seeing rut activity, but it is waning.”
Iowa doesn’t open its first firearms season until Dec. 7, clearly with the intent to not have gun seasons coincide with the rut. Many believe this is a big reason why the Hawkeye State has so many giant deer running around. Jenkins says food sources are becoming more and more important to key in on now as bucks seek calories to replenish themselves after the rut.
In North Dakota , Mike Muhonen, owner of the Outdoorsman store in Fargo, says reports he’s heard have been spotty.
“I’d say it’s kind of the tale of the haves and the have-nots,” he says. “People who are on managed lands are still seeing more activity because the deer are less pressured. The guys out on public lands may be having a harder time by now because the deer have been pursued for a while now.”
North Dakota is also often a tale of two areas: east and west. Out west, reports suggest it’s been a tougher season because they’ve had some die-offs. Couple that with the deer that have already been taken this year, and hunting is tough. In the east, they haven’t lost as many deer to disease, so there are still better opportunities.
As far as advice to hunters still giving it a go, Muhonen simply suggests spending time in the woods. “Be out there,” he says. “You never know what can happen.”
TAGGED OUT After identifying this mature buck on his trail camera, Illinois hunter Kyle Stefanich harvested the 146-inch bruiser. (Photo courtesy of Kyle Stefanich) Prairie State Stud Illinois hunter bags bruiser buck.
Hunter : Kyle StefanichDate : Nov. 23, 2024Location : Franklin County, IllinoisMethod : ShotgunStats: 146 inchesIt was Kyle Stefanich's first time hunting a property in Franklin County near Rend Lake that his father, Dan, helps manage for Boneyard Outfitters (boneyardoutfitters.com ). The younger Stefanich set up in a 20-foot ladder stand along a creek bordering a cut bean field. When a doe with two fawns came out of a bedding area in a thicket next to the field and started to browse, he knew a buck could certainly be close behind.
“Bucks have been chasing all week, so we are definitely still seeing signs of the rut,” Stefanich says.
When the 11-point stepped out of the brush in pursuit of the mature doe, the hunter knew he was about to punch a coveted Illinois firearms tag.
“He wasn’t grunting or anything, but was clearly determined to tend to her,” Stefanich says. “He was careful to stay near the thicket they came from, so it’s clear he was regaining some of his senses after the peak of the rut.”
Dan Stefanich says they had numerous pictures of the buck in the area, and they determined that he was a shooter early on this year. This was the first time Kyle Stefanich saw the buck, and knowing he had the greenlight, he excitedly—and successfully—ended his gun season.
VIDEO Identify Funnels & Pinch Points for the Deer Rut Do your homework and take it to the field. Learn strategies involved with targeting funnels and pinch points to improve your odds of bagging a trophy whitetail buck this season.
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