Realtree's Deer Hunting Forecast | Oct. 16-23, 2026
Posted 2026-10-16 by
Despite a lingering summer in some areas, fall weather is on the horizon, and many hunters are already seeing good pre-rut activity
The early season is now firmly in the rearview, and hunters across the country are looking forward to this year’s best days to deer hunt. The pre-rut is here for many, with rubs and scrapes appearing by the day, bucks sparring, and even a few reports of early chasing.
Summer heat and drought lingered well into September in much of the country this year, and some regions succumbed to severe outbreaks of EHD. Mast crops seem to be scattered to good across most of the eastern United states, and crops are being cut right now. Personally, I’ve enjoyed a great start to the season, having punched a couple of doe tags already. This past weekend, I had a front-row seat when my son, Anse, tagged the buck of a lifetime on opening day of the Kentucky youth season. That deer, a near 170-inch 8-pointer, was one of four bucks we saw that evening chasing the same doe, which was obviously in heat or close to it. Early estrous does are outliers in October, but they exist — and they can put even the biggest, oldest bucks on their feet during shooting light.
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MOON AND WEATHER
Realtree’s Rut Reporters all checked in with optimistic predictions for the season ahead. The peak scraping period for whitetails will begin early next week, around Oct. 20. Meanwhile, a stout cold front is forecast to sweep across the center of the country this weekend. A waxing moon will reach first quarter by Sunday, Oct. 18, with the next full moon occurring on Oct. 25. Realtree’s Fish & Game Forecaster predicts good movement all weekend, with a peak on Saturday morning around 6:40 a.m. Overall, we expect good things and give the next week’s deer hunting forecast three out of five stars.
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REGIONAL HUNTING UPDATES
Midwest Rut Reporter Darron McDougal says the pre-rut is on track in his home state of Wisconsin, with bucks laying down fresh sign and moving during favorable weather. McDougal checked in with contacts across the region, including Kansas, Ohio, and Illinois, all of whom reported patterns shifting from crop fields to mast. The outlook wasn’t as positive in North Dakota, where McDougal’s source reported some devastating impacts from EHD.
Read the full Midwest Rut Report here
Northeast Rut Reporter Timothy Kent says bachelor groups are breaking up, and rubs and scrapes are appearing in the Northeastern timber. Kent, who hails from New York, has already been in the woods a good bit, and he reported seeing a young buck chasing a doe early last week. Still, deer are mostly focused on feeding right now, with acorns and green browse getting the most attention. The weather has been largely favorable in the region, Kent says, and many of his sources predict that this season will be “one for the ages.”
READ THE FULL NORTHEAST RUT REPORT HERE
Southeast Rut Reporter Stephanie Mallory included updates from Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Alabama. Although rut timing varies widely in the Southeast, with peaks ranging from early November to as late as February, Mallory’s sources in general reported that deer are broken or breaking up from summer bachelor groups, and many are keying on mast — acorns especially, but also persimmons.
READ THE FULL SOUTHEAST RUT REPORT HERE
Northwest Rut Reporter Jackie Holbrook says herds are looking great in most of her region, thanks in part to three consecutive mild winters. Localized outbreaks of EHD have taken a toll on whitetail herds in parts of Wyoming, but mule deer and elk hunters have reason to be optimistic about the season ahead in most of the Northwest. After a hot, dry summer, Holbrook reports that there’s been ample precipitation so far this fall (including one early heavy snow). Deer activity has been limited and rutting activity non-existent so far, but look for that to change very soon.
READ THE FULL NORTHWEST RUT REPORT HERE
Colorado guide and longtime Southwest Rut Reporter Miles Fedinec has already been in the field for 10 weeks, chasing antelope and elk. There’s not much to report on the deer front yet, save for some pockets of blacktail rutting activity in California. Fedinec expects Texas Hill Country whitetails to start getting a little frisky later this month, but the serious mule deer action is still weeks away.
