Regional Rut Update: Buck Activity Increasing as Calendar Rolls into November

Here are some rut alerts for the East, Midwest, and South.

“As November arrives, rut activity in the deer woods is getting both hunters and bucks excited, as the chase phase of the annual rut is beginning in many places. And, as you’ll see in our Tagged Out stories below, the end of October wasn’t too shabby either.

This is Week 3 of the Game & Fish Regional Rut Update, exclusive weekly rut reports from the field from whitetail contributors Dustin Prievo (East), Brandon Butler (Midwest), and Josh Honeycutt (South). Click here for last week’s report. This week’s report includes:

• In the East, bucks are being seen more during daylight hours; a little later in the morning and before sunset. Bucks are becoming more active seeking does, and “the deer woods should begin to come alive,” Prievo reports.
• In the Midwest, the waiting game continues, but activity is increasing, and bucks are staying tighter to does. “The second week of November is when the magic should happen,” Butler reports.
• In the South, rut activity is spotty in many places in the biodiverse region, Honeycutt reports, though things are picking up in several states. “It’s a good time to be sneaking to the woods every chance you get.”

East Report

Scrapes, Daytime Activity Increase; Focus on Transition Areas; Try Grunting

In the northern part of the region, the past week has brought more sightings of mature bucks on their feet during daylight hours, with several hunters reporting seeing 3 1/2- to 4 1/2-year-old bucks staying out later in the morning and showing up a little earlier in the evenings.

Hunters who are sitting at field edges have seen scrapes nearly double in the last week, and although the majority of the deer are still focused on food, there have been reports of bucks actively looking for hot does.

This has also been a busy week for hunters posted up near known bedding and transitional areas, as it seems that most of the activity is taking place inside the timber. That said, expect for the rules to begin flying out the window this week as the chase phase begins to ramp up.”

To read the full article, click here.

Photo Credit: Original Author

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