Realtree's Deer Hunting Forecast | Nov. 15-21

The rut can sometimes be a heart-breaker, like going to your favorite BBQ restaurant only to learn they’re fresh out of ribs. After a full year of anticipation, and all of the expert advice about sitting in your stand daylight to dark, long hours without seeing a deer begin to take their toll. And that’s exactly what many of the Realtree Rut Reporters said of the hunting this past week.

Peak breeding and locked-down bucks have led to some pretty boring sits — but with a few moments of pandemonium mixed in. The rut is always localized, and though we’re getting into the heart of things, it’s far from over. Some of my best hunts from the past few years have been in late November and even into early December. The total deer sightings rarely rival those of late October and early November, but it can be a very good time to catch an especially old, mature buck on its feet.

MOON AND WEATHER

Gun seasons are open or soon to open across much of the country. Although hunters were delighted by a shot of cold air early this past week (and pretty good hunting in its wake), it’s looking to be a bit warmer than average across much of the country this coming weekend. There’s another decent cooldown in the forecast early next week.

Truth be told, I can’t complain much about the hunting weather so far this season, because it’s been pretty good overall. The next new moon will be Nov. 20. Realtree’s Fish & Game Forecaster predicts flurries of good movement throughout the upcoming week, with several spikes in midday movement, including the best one on Wednesday, Nov. 19, at 1:20 p.m. Deer movement is usually best at daylight and dusk, of course, but sitting all day really is a good strategy this time of year, and those predictions, in my experience, are often on the nose and useful when planning a hunt.

Overall, we give this week’s hunting forecast four stars out of five. Now, let’s look at the regional updates from the Realtree Rut Reporters.

Midwest Rut Reporter Darron McDougal says the action was unusually slow in early November, but things picked up dramatically after the arrival of a bitter front on Nov. 9. He believes quite a few bucks locked down with does early this fall, but things have picked up in his home state of Wisconsin. McDougal’s sources in states including Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas reported an uptick in buck activity as well. One of those sources said, “If you want to see a big buck that has been nocturnal, now’s the time to sit in your stand as much as possible with your grunt call and rattling antlers.”

Read the full Midwest Rut Report here.

Northeast Rut Reporter Timothy Kent says the rut is on in his region, although that hasn’t translated into great hunting for everyone, Kent included. He says that scrapes have gone cold in the past few days. Some bucks are cruising, but others are locked down tight with receptive does. Kent says, “For hunters, the lockdown resulted in frustrating stretches of low activity and even lower sightings, with many reporting an inherent lack of deer activity, sometimes for days. Many told of trail cameras that once fired consistently during the pre-rut suddenly seeming like they’ve gone dark.”

Read the full Northeast Region Rut Report here.

Southeast Rut Reporter Stephanie Mallory says it’s peak rut in many states throughout her region, including most of Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and the Carolinas. As in other regions, many Southern hunters are reporting extended spells of frustrating hunting because of peak breeding and lock-down activity that’s keeping mature bucks and does sequestered in thick cover.

Read the full Southeast Region Rut Report here.

Although deer seasons are actually closing in some Northwest states, regional Rut Reporter Jackie Holbrook says the rut is running full tilt for blacktails, mule deer, and whitetails in most of the region. Holbrook’s husband tagged a big 6-by-6 mule deer in Montana this past week, and she says hunters in Washington and Alaska are having great success on good blacktail bucks right now, as are whitetail hunters near crop fields and river drainages in Montana.

Read the full Northwest Region Rut Report here.

Southwest Rut Reporter Miles Fedinec has guided multiple hunters to trophy mule deer this season in Colorado. Fedinec says the rut has started there, but it’s still on the early side. On the whitetail front, parts of northern and central Texas are on fire, with the action this year being especially good in the Hill Country. Fedinec said, “The next two weeks will be fun for most of Colorado, Utah and Nevada. I expect Thanksgiving to be the peak or on the downhill side of the rut in these areas, although it will still be picking up steam in northern New Mexico and northern Arizona, and some of the southern parts of Utah and Nevada.”

Read the full Southwest Region Rut Report here.