By Brandon Ray

The sun was setting to the west over black skeletons of dead mesquite trees. Daylight was dying and time was running out. It was just before Christmas in north Texas, the night air cold enough that I could see my breath in frosty plumes each time I took a breath.
 
Twenty-five yards from my hideout were three whitetail bucks. Two of them were youngsters with small eight-point racks. The third buck was a fine 140-class 10-point, but because I was a guest on this well managed Texas ranch, I couldn’t take him. I was looking for a mature 8-point. The Hoyt bow would have to wait to get its chance. [ Read Full Post ]

By Eric Bruce

The behavior of wild animals is hard to predict, as we hunters well know. It would be great if we could predict when and where a buck would be, but it’s impossible. I don’t even think the deer itself knows where it’s going to be or even give it much thought. If their movements were reliable, it would not be as fun or challenging. [ Read Full Post ]

By Jeff Holmes

Western whitetail bucks are no longer losing their minds and their body fat chasing does; they’re losing antlers. The rut is essentially over out West. There are probably some outlier estrous does, but winter has set in, and deer seem to be moving into survival mode. They’re also moving during the daylight to feed out of necessity due to cold temperatures and heavy snow in many areas. [ Read Full Post ]

By Will Brantley

Mark Williams, who works as a western Kentucky land agent for Whitetail Properties, and his cameraman, Ben Richardson, hunted six of the nine days in Kentucky’s late muzzleloader season last week. Ben was keeping me updated on the deer movement via text message all week long. They sat out opening weekend, when it was warm and raining, but hunted hard from Monday on. They split their time between two stands set in the same hardwood draw between two picked cornfields. [ Read Full Post ]

By David Draper

Although the threat of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) ended with the first hard freeze here on the Plains, its effects are still being felt by deer hunters, and will be for several seasons to come. It’s hard to say just how many deer died from this year’s outbreaks, but I can promise you the official reports are extremely low. For every dead deer reported by hunters and landowners, it’s hard to know just how many carcasses went undiscovered. [ Read Full Post ]

By Eric Bruce

Overall activity status: Like the waxing and waning of the moon, rut activity is waxing in Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, and eastern Louisiana. It’s waning in Arkansas, South Carolina, Georgia, and western Louisiana. The recent unseasonably warm weather across the South has dampened movement somewhat, but in pre-rut states, the bucks are on the move.

Fighting: Bucks should be sparring and getting testy in Florida, eastern Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi. As bucks begin laying down sign and marking their territory, expect more bucks to bang heads in preparation for the rut.

Rub making: Deer in Mississippi, Florida, western Louisiana, and Alabama are rubbing more and more. Shane Dempsey, who hunts in northern Alabama, says he is seeing more rut sign: “The bucks are starting to crank out the rubs and scrapes, and some young bucks are starting to cruise a little. The warm weather has shut down a lot of the deer movement. Everyone that I have talked to said this has been a down year as far as movement, and all agree this warm weather we have had is the culprit.”

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