Brantley: Right on Schedule
Rut Reporter Will Brantley of Murray, Kentucky, knows the region well. He spends 40 to 50 days each season in...
Rut Reporter Will Brantley of Murray, Kentucky, knows the region well. He spends 40 to 50 days each season in the Mid-South whitetail woods. Brantley shot his first deer at age 10 with a sidelock muzzleloader. States covered: KY, TN, WV, VA, NC
Oct. 22–Overall Activity Status: I’ve been out of town (and more importantly, the woods) for nearly a week, but last weekend (Oct. 16-17), deer activity was steady, especially in the morning. Acorns are the key food source in much of the Mid-South right now.
Fighting: Activity should be reaching a fevered pitch at this latitude in the coming days. Late October has always been my most productive time to rattle.
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Rub making:** Moderate to heavy.
Scrape making: Moderate to heavy.
Chasing: Little to speak of thus far.
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Daytime movement:** Although daytime movement was good last weekend (I shot a doe at 3:30 Friday afternoon), buddies tell me that it’s slowed significantly this week. The upcoming full moon may partially be to blame.
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Estrous signs:** Sightings of lone fawns are on the rise; other signs are few thus far.
X Factor: I expect things to get pretty busy in the next two weeks, provided the cool weather holds out. A contact in Virginia tells me that rubbing, scraping and fighting activity is increasing in his area as well. Farther south, a West Tennessee contact reported that although he’s seeing a few rubs, deer are still on a predictable bed-to-food pattern–not surprising, since the peak rut in that area is usually in late November or early December.
