By Eric Bruce

Overall Activity Status: Cooler temperatures are moving into the South, which typically stimulates more activity.  Louisiana hunters are seeing deer movement in the mornings, primarily with some seeing deer up and around  until 10 a.m. Dusk remains a good time to see deer if you can get a shot before darkness falls.  Expect increased movement with cooler weather, but also as it gets closer to pre-rut in South Carolina, Georgia, Arkansas, and Louisiana.

Fighting: Bucks butting heads is on the increase.  One of my trail cams took the photo above on October 5, showing a spike and a seven-pointer sparring at about 7 a.m.  The same two bucks went at it again at the same location at 7 p.m.  It's doubtful the bucks were fighting over a doe, but likely just trying out their tactics and burning some energy. Bucks are definitely getting more testy as pre-rut approaches. [ Read Full Post ]

By Eric Bruce

Overall Activity Status: Archery season finally began (October 1) for Mississippi hunters and the remainder of Louisiana that wasn’t already open. Some hunters are seeing deer and some are not. It depends if you’re near a food source. The rut is creeping closer in some areas and hunters are starting to see slightly more buck movement. Mike Files of Arkansas says that “with the rain and cooler weather, things are fixing to pick up.” Indeed those two factors will help stimulate more activity.

Fighting: No major fighting is occurring yet. Files reports seeing four bucks traveling together, and two eight-pointers butting heads--kind of wrestling, he said. This is not the serious rut-time fighting, but light sparring in preparation for more battling to come.

Rub making: Some rubbing is going on here and there. I saw one small sapling that had been ripped up by an aggressive buck. With bucks not traveling extensively yet, rubs should indicate a buck’s home range for now.

Scrape making: Scrapes are sporadic, you may find one here and there. Most likely places to find them are along oak ridges or edges of fields where bucks... [ Read Full Post ]

By Eric Bruce

Overall Activity Status: Deer movement is starting to pick up as the days are cooling and acorns are dropping. Some mornings have been pleasantly cool, which is stimulating activity. By afternoon however the temperatures are rising and deer bed back down. The best movement is still to come, but it is improving.

Fighting: With no does in estrus yet, the only thing for bucks to fight over is territory and pecking order. There is sparse sparring, but most pecking orders have been established already.

Rub making: Rubbing is slowly increasing. The initial rubbing to remove velvet is over so rubbing now is for marking territory. Careful inspection of rubs is necessary to determine whether a rub is a velvet rub that's a few weeks old, or a newer territorial rub. Velvet rubs may be made from a buck in his summer range and may have moved on by now.
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By Eric Bruce

Overall Activity Status: Deer movement is fair if you can find a food source that whitetails are actively using. Most movement is early morning and late afternoon. Deer are being arrowed in Georgia and South Carolina, just not in great numbers yet.

Fighting: Most bucks should have shed their velvet by now. Most serious fighting is a few weeks away, when we get closer to the rut.

Rub making: Rubs are starting to pop up more frequently now. On a 40-acre tract that I hunted Saturday, I saw six or eight rubs. More rubbing is to come, but any that you see now likely indicates that the area is a feeding range for the buck that made them. [ Read Full Post ]

By Eric Bruce

Overall Activity Status
Deer are still in their summertime pattern, which means staying close to food sources such as fields, crops and food plots. Movement is minimal and primarily at night or right at dusk. With the temperatures being still high, deer can be lethargic and moving only to feed. The season is already open in South Carolina and hunters there have a chance for a velvet-antlered buck, as the photos here indicate.

Bo Settles hunts the Southern Pines Hunt Club near Bamberg, South Carolina, and had trail cam pics of a giant 12-pointer that was showing up regularly in the afternoon with a 4 pointer. On the afternoon of August 18, Settles was watching shooting lanes containing planted food plots when the 4 pointer showed. Following behind, as the trail cam pics indicated, was the 12 pointer. Settles shot the 18-inch wide 12-pointer for his first velvet buck. The 4 ½ year old buck weighed 200 pounds and proves that mature bucks can be taken early in the season if you hunt the right food sources.
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By Eric Bruce

Rut Reporter Eric Bruce has been writing about hunting and fishing for newspapers and magazines for 25 years and hunts deer all over the South, including near his Georgia home. States covered: AR, LA, MS, AL, GA, SC, FL.

Overall Activity Status: Activity is excellent in areas where the rut is kicking in, which includes Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi. Bucks are actively cruising and seeking, with some chasing ongoing. Look for rut-related movement to peak very soon if not already.

Fighting: Some fighting will break out if rival bucks are after the same doe in estrus. Some bucks may respond to rattling if they have not located a hot doe. Bucks are no longer trying to establish their pecking order as this has already been settled earlier in the season. Most fighting will be between mature bucks that have wandered out of their home range in search of does.
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