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.

Dec. 20--Overall Activity Status: The primary rut is over in South Carolina, Georgia, and parts of Arkansas and Louisiana, but it’s pre-rut in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and parts of Louisiana. Buck hunting is tough in SC, GA and certain sections of AR and LA except for spotty action from young does coming into heat. The best is yet to come for FL, AL, MS, and portions of LA and AR.

Fighting: Pre-rut states are starting to see some sparring and buck interaction as they position themselves for the impending rut.

Rubs: Rubs are showing up more frequently in FL, AL, and MS as pre-rut conditions have the bucks increasingly more active.

Scrapes: Scraping is on the increase in FL, AL, and MS and in portions of AR and LA. Areas along the Mississippi River in Arkansas and Louisiana are seeing increased scraping as these areas of the state are in pre-rut. Jimmy Haskins of Bostick Plantation in South Carolina reports that their scrapes are “dead” since their main rut is over.
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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.

Dec. 14--Overall Activity Status: The rut is peaking in Arkansas and on the verge in Alabama. Pre-rut conditions are here in Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Extremely cold temperatures have forced deer to move in order to feed and breed. Rut activity is rampant in most southern states.

I was told of this 160-class buck taken in Lousiana by Preston White; will try to get more details and photos and report back.
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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.

Dec. 6--Overall Activity Status: Significant cold temperatures are blanketing the south and stimulating overall deer movement. Temperatures in the twenties are responsible for increased activity of does and bucks, and the pre-rut is here or very close in Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas. Colder weather demands more calories to stay warm and deer need to move more to eat more.

Fighting: With the pre-rut comes more competition between bucks, and sparring with the younger bucks has begun. Trevor Fitzgerald of Southern Arrow Outfitters in Florida [888-597-3495] reports "our bucks are starting to rub more now and they are starting to spar and establish dominance. In the last week or so the bucks have really started to feed heavily in preparation of the rut. I have been getting some pics of really nice bucks feeding at our bait stations. I sent you a trail camera pic [above] that shows two bucks sparing."
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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.

Nov. 30--Overall Activity Status: The South is in an "in-between" stage overall in regard to the rut. Georgia and South Carolina are at the tail end of their ruts, while Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana are still about a month away from their peak action. Activity is often dictated by the weather here with warm temperatures slowing things down and the recent cold front increasing deer sightings.

Fighting: Most fighting in GA and SC has diminished as the rut slows down. Light sparring is increasing in other states as the rut approaches. Steve McKenna of the McKenna Ranch in Mississippi [601-727-4926] reports that his younger bucks are practicing at sparring.
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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.

Nov. 21--Overall Activity Status: Pre-rut conditions are here in Arkansas and Alabama. Bucks have broken up out of bachelor groups in Florida and are making rubs, according to Trevor Fitzgerald of Southern Arrow Outfitters. Rut is still going in Georgia and South Carolina although at the tail end of the SC rut. Mississippi and Louisiana bucks are getting close to the pre-rut.

Fighting: As pre-rut conditions approach in Arkansas and Alabama, bucks will begin sparring and fighting more. There is some fighting in Georgia and South Carolina, although bucks are more interested in finding hot does. Florida bucks are starting to spar and assert their dominance.

Rubs: Arkansas and Alabama bucks are rubbing regularly, while Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi bucks are starting to mark their territory with rubs. Georgia and South Carolina deer are spending more time searching and chasing and only occasionally rubbing.

Scrapes: Scraping in pre-rut states (MS, LA, AL, FL) is increasing, but most are one-time visits. Arkansas... [ Read Full Post ]

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.

Nov 11: The rut is on in some parts of the south, primarily South Carolina and Georgia, while the other states are inching closer to that magical time. Of all the things that go on in the whitetail woods, one of the most exciting has to be the "chasing" phase where does are coming into estrous and bucks are going wild in pursuit of them.

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