By David Draper

Rut Reporter David Draper grew up hunting deer and small game throughout this region and presently lives on a family farm in Nebraska. Draper, former communications specialist for Cabela’s and an authority on the Great Plains, subsists on a diet of duck breast and venison. States covered: ND, SD, NE and KS.

As the 2011 rut slowly fades away in the rearview mirror, it’s easy to think major deer activity has come to an end as well. Combined with the colder weather and snow that has moved on to the Plains, this might keep some hunters out of the woods. Well, if you’re still holding a tag and feeling discouraged, don’t be. I’ve seen photos of two great bucks that have been killed within the last week--one 175” giant tagged in Kansas and another great 10-point killed in Colorado right near the Nebraska border. I’ve also heard of a few other deer dropping, which goes to show you that post-rut can be a great time to tag a buck that’s shifted to feeding pattern to recover from the rut.

By David Draper

Rut Reporter David Draper grew up hunting deer and small game throughout this region and presently lives on a family farm in Nebraska. Draper, former communications specialist for Cabela’s and an authority on the Great Plains, subsists on a diet of duck breast and venison. States covered: ND, SD, NE and KS.

It’s always great to open up your e-mail in-box to find photos of successful hunters, but it’s even better when one of those hunters is an avid Rut Report reader, like South Dakota college student Spencer Neuharth. In his e-mails, Spencer thanked the Rut Reporters for helping him tag this great East River buck. Using information from this site, along with a bolstered confidence knowing he was hunting our best day of the year, he put a successful strategy together. Here’s his story:

By David Draper

Rut Reporter David Draper grew up hunting deer and small game throughout this region and presently lives on a family farm in Nebraska. Draper, former communications specialist for Cabela’s and an authority on the Great Plains, subsists on a diet of duck breast and venison. States covered: ND, SD, NE and KS.

Overall Activity Status: The peak of the rut has left many hunters scratching their heads as big bucks have all but disappeared in many areas, either due to the dreaded lockdown, a full moon, unstable weather patterns or a combination of all the above. Several of my contacts reported seeing small and medium bucks still chasing, but the big bruisers have either gone nocturnal or have paired up with a hot doe and aren’t moving much.

By David Draper

Rut Reporter David Draper grew up hunting deer and small game throughout this region and presently lives on a family farm in Nebraska. Draper, former communications specialist for Cabela’s and an authority on the Great Plains, subsists on a diet of duck breast and venison. States covered: ND, SD, NE and KS.

While I’ve been suffering through cold, wet and windy conditions on a hunt in Illinois, hunters on the Great Plains are enjoying a more stable weather pattern, with temperatures in the 40s and 50s through much of the region. High winds last weekend made hunting tough, but didn’t seem to affect deer movement as much as conventional wisdom would dictate.