October 24, 2024
By Game & Fish Staff
This is the first week of the 2024 Game & Fish Regional Rut Update , our series of exclusive weekly 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 bowhunters have already taken some big deer. Cooler temps forecasted for this weekend and into next week will coincide with a new moon, and the trajectory of the rut could create the ideal time and conditions to be afield. In the South, Honeycutt reports seeing plenty of scrapes and rubs. He expects bucks to be seeking estrous does in the next 10 to 14 days. In the Midwest , Butler observes rutting activity has started and expect to see bucks moving at all hours. Bucks are fighting, seeking and chasing, so it is time to get in the field to bag a potential trophy.In some parts of the country, bucks are already chasing does. For other areas, the first wave of estrous does will soon be getting lots of attention from cruising bucks. (Shutterstock) EAST REPORT Eastern Rut Activity is Picking Up Falling temps and a coming new moon should kick things into gear this weekend and into next week. By Doug Howlett
Across the region the season has largely been restricted to archery hunting to this point, but it hasn’t stopped eager hunters willing to put up with mosquitoes and unseasonably warm weather from scoring early and, in some cases, scoring big. Social media is already littered with posts of some real bruisers destined for the taxidermist. Most bucks are still on early-season feeding patterns, though the bachelor groups are finally breaking up and some younger bucks have been seen harassing does that are having none of the shenanigans just yet. It’s still early.
Just over a week ago, temperatures made a nice seasonal dip that coincided with a full moon, which really aided hunters who sat their stands later in the day. New Jerse y outfitter David Sichik saw some clients and even his daughter (see "Tagged Out") score on some fantastic Garden State bucks. A little farther south in Maryland , the activity has been picking up, too.
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“We saw some of the 3-year-olds on their feet in daylight,” says Old Line State hunter Tristan Taylor. “Temps soared this past weekend and the activity slowed a little, but we’ve still seen bucks scent-checking does at feeding areas looking for those early does to come into estrus.”
The return of warmer weather slowed things across the region, but there’s good news: Forecasted temperatures for this weekend into next week show a return of more seasonal cooler weather, which will coincide with a new moon on Nov. 1. Along with the normal trajectory of the approaching rut, it could create one of the first truly ideal times to be sitting in a stand this season.
“Things are starting to heat up. Scrapes are starting to get hit hard, and the young bucks are harassing does a good amount,” says Connecticut hunter and outdoor podcaster Trevor Berwick. “Some good bucks are starting to hit the ground. This coming week, the moon and cold front are aligning for a great weekend.”
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Hunters should still focus their efforts on food. Farther north, apples were the go-to destination for feeding deer earlier in the season, but acorns are the bigger draw now, and it seems to be a decent year for them, says Vermont and New Hampshire hunter Michael Wheeler. He says in the higher elevations, scrapes and rubs are still “few and far between” but things are heating up in the lower elevations.
Meanwhile, in Massachusetts , George Hamilton and his buddies are seeing an uptick in buck activity. “We’re seeing new bucks on our cameras, and the big, dominant bucks are really starting to work scrapes," he says. "However, most of the buck activity, especially from the bigger bucks, is happening at night. We’re also seeing an increase in motor vehicle accidents, and the majority of the deer involved are young bucks.”
Hamilton suggests they may be getting pushed out of their areas as bachelor groups break up, or they could be roaming already in search of early does as eager young males will do.
He expects the current warm temps to create the dreaded “October lull,” but with the mercury expected to start dropping in the coming week, that lull should be short-lived.
In the southern part of the region, thumb-size acorns are dropping in the mountains, while flatland crop fields and fall food plots are the top magnets at lower elevations.
“Deer have switched from corn and peanuts over to beans. They’re also concentrated under any oak trees that are dropping,” says southeastern Virginia hunter Chris Barham.
Regardless of where you are or what the weather is doing, history says the best activity of the rut is a mere week or two away, so hunters need to be getting in the woods as much as possible now.
TAGGED OUT After scouting it since this summer, Alish Sichiktook took this 8-point buck with a compound bow. (Photo courtesy of Alisha Sichik) Garden State Stud New Jersey teen arrows early-season 8-point.
Hunter : Alisha SichikDate : Sept. 27, 2024Location : Hunterdon County, N.J.Method : Compound BowStats : 8 points, 190 poundsAlisha Sichik, 19, scored early on this New Jersey 8-pointer that had come to a cornfield to feed. She had been scouting this deer and another since the summer when they were in velvet. The bucks had been on summer feeding patterns, and she thought she had their routine pinned down, when all of a sudden their patterns changed and they began showing up on her trail cameras at random. Taking what she had learned about their movements during certain winds, she followed a hunch to sit a particular stand one afternoon and caught this one coming to the food with a couple hours of daylight left.
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SOUTH REPORT Rubs and Scrapes Popping All Over Sure signs of rutting activity are appearing across the Southern landscape. By Josh Honeycutt
Leaves are turning and some are falling across the South, which means it’s time for our rut update to keep you abreast of the deer activity throughout the region. I’ve been doing quite a bit of scouting and hunting in northern Tennessee, and I’m seeing an increasing number of big rubs and scrapes. Within the next 10 to 14 days, I expect mature bucks to really begin cruising for the first wave of estrous does.
“I’m also starting to see a lot of rubs and scrapes pop up,” says Brian Grossman with the National Deer Association. “Where I am in west-central Georgia , there seems to be a bumper crop of white oak acorns, so that’s where the deer are concentrating. We are inching closer to my area’s early-November rut. Georgia has a wide span of rut dates, however, and several counties along the coast are already in the midst of peak rut activity.”
In Georgia’s eastern region, Heath Thompson with Hayden Outdoors says that 70 percent of whitetail breeding in his area will happen over the next couple of weeks. “The rut here is way earlier than most people think,” he says. “Bucks are in the chasing phase now, so it’s fixing to go down. If you’re in eastern Georgia or western South Carolina, the next two-week stretch is likely to be the most important time for deer hunting.
“This area is the Savannah River Basin,” Thompson adds, “and I think we’re going to have really good deer hunting this year. There’s already scrapes everywhere, so it’s on.”
It’s a different story in southern Georgia, where things are slow right now, according to Michael Lee of "Backwoods Life." “After all these hurricanes messing up the woods, most of the bucks are still on a nocturnal pattern. But there are acorns everywhere, and we have a strong cold front coming this week, so I hope it will change things.”
Over in Oklahoma , Daniel McVay with “BuckVentures” says deer movement has been slow. “It’s been dry and crazy hot,” he says. “Temperatures have been in the 90s every day [until recently], and activity has been lacking to say the least. But scrapes are starting to show, and I’m seeing some light sparring.”
Kyle Barefield of “All Things Hunting,” also is in Oklahoma. “I haven’t started hunting yet, but trail cameras show that bucks have split up from bachelor groups," he reports. "We are getting them mostly on feeders, feed locations and food plots. So far [they’re mostly on] early-season patterns, moving at night or right at daybreak.”
Lastly, HuntStand’s Will Cooper down in Texas says that bucks are still cruising after dark. “Things are drying up with little to no rain, so deer are concentrating hard on feeders and water sources at this time,” says Cooper.
TAGGED OUT South Carolina's Russell Wilkes took this nice buck on opening day of rifle season. Nicknamed "Laid Back" for its easy-going demeanor, the buck scored 123 inches with a 19.5-inch inside spread. (Photo courtesy of Russell Wilkes) Palmetto State Bruiser South Carolina hunter drops opening-day toad.
Hunter : Russell WilkesDate : Oct. 11, 2024Location : Edgefield County, S.C. Method : Centerfire RifleStats : 123 inches; 208 poundsSouth Carolina hunter Russell Wilkes shot this great buck on opening day of rifle season.
“We had been watching this buck on camera, and I actually saw him on the morning hunt,” says Wilkes. “He had his pic taken 5 minutes before I got in the stand, so I busted him out. I saw him again at 10 a.m. tending a scrape, but I didn’t have a clean shot.”
Wilkes regrouped for the afternoon sit and came up with a solid game plan.
“I went to another stand by a different food plot he had been cruising in the afternoon,” Wilkes says. “He eventually came in, offered a clean shot and I put the buck down.”
Wilkes says they’d nicknamed the deer “Laid Back” for his nonchalant demeanor. The 7 1/2-year-old weighed 208 pounds and scored 123 inches. His rack had a 19 1/2-inch inside spread.
“We try to manage bucks on our property by not shooting any unless it’s going on the wall,” Wilkes says. “Planting the right way with both year-round food plots and fruit- and mast-bearing trees is key. This buck is the seventh 200-plus-pounder we’ve taken on the property.”
TAGGED OUT Hunter Lowery took this buck with his Mathews bow at 27 yards. The big buck green-scored 125 inches. (Photo courtesy of Hunter Lowery) Big 'Bama Bow Buck Alabama hunter’s season off to roaring start.
Hunter : Hunter LowreyDate : Oct. 15, 2024Location : Jackson County, Ala.Method : Compound BowStats : 125 inchesHunter Lowrey made his stand in a pine thicket about 200 yards from some big crop fields. He says he had been getting pictures of this hefty buck coming in every evening between 5:30 p.m. and dusk.
On October 15, he climbed into the stand at 4 p.m. and waited for his chance. About 15 minutes later, several does walked past, followed by a few smaller bucks. By 4:45, a total of nine does and a pair of small bucks stood in front of him, but Lowrey remained patient.
“I saw the top of a small tree start shaking through the woods, and I knew it was a big buck rubbing a tree,” he says. “A few minutes later, I saw his rack coming and recognized the deer right away.”
Lowrey stood up and got ready as the buck walked to within 27 yards. Looking at the ground briefly to slow his heart rate, the hunter managed to calm himself down and take aim. He drew his bow, buried the pin in the vitals and released the arrow. It tore through both lungs. The deer ran 60 yards and fell over.
After the shot, Lowrey sat there and watched several more does and two other bucks, including a small 8-pointer, walk by. Then, a giant made the scene.
“I heard a noise behind me, and there was the biggest buck I have ever laid my eyes on at 20 yards,” Lowrey says. “He was about a 150-inch 10-pointer. I’ve been getting pictures of that buck for the last four years, but never saw him in person until then. The latest picture I got was back in August, and I didn’t even know he was around.”
Eventually, the bigger deer left and Lowrey’s uncle arrived to help load his buck.
“This hunt means a lot to me because I got to share it with my uncle,” Lowrey says. “He and my father taught me everything I know about hunting.”
Lowrey saw a total of 26 does and 9 bucks the day he tagged out, which he credits to a big cold front.
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MIDWEST REPORT Go Time in the Heartland Early rutting activity has Midwest hunters on high alert. By Brandon Butler
We know the rut is coming this time every year. The questions are always when it will start and how intense it will be. Judging from my sources’ observations, the answer to the first question is “right now.” The timing of this first Regional Rut Update is coinciding perfectly with the kickoff of what we Midwest whitetail hunters wait all year for. Just in the last few days, the lid has come off the can. Bucks are moving all hours of the day. They’re fighting, seeking and chasing. Now is the time you’ve been waiting for.
As hunting technology continues to evolve, cellular trail cameras have changed the game unlike any other innovation. Having real-time photos delivered to your phone allows you to monitor deer behavior day by day. This continuous stream of data enables armchair deer researchers to observe the behavior of deer in one location over an extended amount of time. This time of year, when your phone dings announcing a picture, and it’s a lone doe, you can bet that a photo of a buck trailing her will show up before long.
In Northwest Indiana , Bob Crister says he knew it was time to get in the woods because the yard bucks were sparring.
“There are several young bucks in our neighborhood. Each year, I can tell when the rut is kicking off by our suburban deer behavior,” he says. “Right now, I can’t let our little kids play outside because bucks are constantly sparring by their playground. It’s clear the rut has begun.”
Calvin Ver Mulm says the rut in Iowa is clearly underway, too, with young bucks chasing does all over. He says the larger bucks are still showing caution, so he suggests setting up between where you believe a buck is bedded and where’s he’s going to check for does after dark.
In southeastern Kentucky , Billy Gilbert hunts big woods. “We don’t have the picked cornfields to watch bucks running around in. What I do is find forest roads or logging roads with a series of scrapes on them,” Gilbert says. “Bucks cruise these roads checking scrapes and looking for does. Those little roads are like highways right now with all the bucks out seeking the first receptive does.”
If your days to hunt are limited, do your best to be in the woods on days with high barometric pressure and cold temps. When you see this combination in the forecast, muster up your best “under-the-weather” voice and call in to burn those sick days you’ve been holding on to all year.
TAGGED OUT A cold snap last week gave Seth Harker the opportunity to take this Missouri buck, which had a green score of 140 inches. (Photo courtesy of Seth Harker) Show-Me Success Southern Missouri hunter times it right with mid-week cold snap.
Hunter : Seth HarkerDate : Oct. 17, 2024Location : Wright County, Mo.Method : Compound BowStats: 140 inchesSeth Harker is no stranger to big Missouri bucks. He killed a 190-inch monster in Wright County, Mo., a few years back that surprised many people because of the part of the state where it came from. Seth wasn’t surprised, though; he’s known the potential of this region east of Springfield for a long time.
Harker had identified the buck he shot last Thursday as his primary target before the season began.
“I saw him a few different times,” says Harker. “There’s a community scrape lots of bucks use year after year. I watched him work the scrape along with a few younger bucks. I knew I wanted to tag him then.”
Missouri’s bow season opened Sept. 15, and it had been hot and dry for the first month. A major cold snap took place last Monday through Wednesday, and Harker felt like that was his opportunity.
“The wind wasn’t right for where I wanted to hunt, but the weatherman said it would switch at 6 p.m. I decided to trust him this time, so I slipped in and set up my tree saddle. It paid off. What had been a northeast wind switched just as predicted to a southeast wind, and I shot him about 20 minutes later,” Harker says.
Harker calls the setup he used to tag the buck a “crosswind location.” It’s a tactic he employs a lot because it allows deer to have the wind in their face while he remains outside the wind stream but within range of where he expects the deer to travel. An example would be sitting on the west edge of a field with the wind blowing north to south. A deer entering the field from the south is going to think he can smell everything in the field, while the hunter’s scent is blown down the edge.
The rut action Harker experienced late last week mostly involved young bucks during daylight hours, including a small 6-point that grunted incessantly while chasing does all over. Harker says the buck he shot hadn’t changed an inch from last year, so he believes it was an old deer past its prime.
