Realtree's Deer Hunting Forecast | Thanksgiving Week

You could call this one the flagship week of deer season. It’s the heart of November, gun seasons are open or about to begin in most of the country, and many hunters are looking forward to getting into their stands during the Thanksgiving holiday break. Although peak breeding is ending in many parts of the country, that doesn’t mean hunters should discount the rutting action this week.

In regions such as the Midwest and Northeast, the late rut can be one of the best times of the season to see a truly big whitetail up on its feet, searching for one last breeding opportunity. Meanwhile, available food sources are dwindling, making those that are remaining all the more attractive. Patterning late-season deer behavior around good food sources, which can be easier to pinpoint, becomes a very productive hunting strategy. And of course it’s worth noting that some areas of the country, such as the Deep South and Southwest, are just now entering the pre-rut phase of the season, and things will get really busy there during the next few weeks.

WEATHER AND MOON

Later in the season, favorable weather forecasts become even more important for seeing deer on their feet in daylight. If cold fronts are a good thing — and most deer hunters, including this one, agree that they are — the next week could be epic. A big front (I’m hearing the words “polar vortex” being used) is forecast for next week, dropping daytime highs some 25 degrees. The new moon was Nov. 20, and the next full moon will be Dec. 4. Realtree’s Fish & Game Forecaster continues to predict good movement throughout the week, with peaks in activity late in the evening each day next week. And the Realtree Rut Reporters continue to check in with good hunting reports from across the country. Let’s have a look at the highlights from each region.

Midwest regional reporter Darron McDougal tagged a stud of a North Dakota 8-pointer soon after submitting his report this week. McDougal says the hunting in the Midwest has been challenging at times because of warm weather and bucks locked down with does, but that the next few days of the season, during the tail-end of the rut, can be the best ones to tag a trophy animal. McDougal’s sources in Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Kansas were anticipating good hunting during the next few days ahead.

Read the Midwest Rut Report here.

The rut is beginning to slow down in some regions, but things are just getting started in parts of the Southeast. Regional reporter Stephanie Mallory says hunters in Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia have reported good action in the past week, particularly after the recent cold fronts. Although peak breeding is slowing in those states, hunters in Mississippi, Alabama, and parts of Louisiana are seeing an uptick in pre-rut activity, with the best action still being ahead.

Read the Southeast Rut Report here.

Northeast regional reporter Timothy Kent says gun seasons are opening across his region, and many hunters were faced with a winter storm this past week that left a few inches of snow on the ground. Kent says the deer moved well when the weather settled, and sources in his region have reported ups and downs in rutting activity. Family groups of does are moving around major food sources again, scraping activity is picking up just a bit, and a few bucks are cruising. Kent says hunters should be on the lookout for feed-to-bed movement patterns as the Northeast slowly moves into the late season.

Read the Northeast Rut Report here.

Northwest regional reporter Jackie Holbrook says hunters in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming have been battling record-setting warm weather and high winds during the past week. Severe gusts have stymied game movement, and Holbrook says a lack of snow in the high elevations has kept many bucks, mature deer especially, from moving into the lower country. Still, the rut is on, and Northwest hunters who keep after it are finding success. Holbrook says the whitetail action in particular has picked up dramatically during the past couple of days.

Read the Northwest Rut Report here.

Southwest region Rut Reporter Miles Fedinec continues to put his hunters on giant mule deer in southern Colorado. Fedinec says that during this time of year, a mule deer hunter’s time is best spent watching doe groups and travel corridors, because eventually, you’re likely to intercept a mature buck at one of those places. Fedinec says the rut activity has been a little on-again, off-again overall, but he expects things to pick up ahead of next week’s impending winter weather.

Read the Southwest Rut Report here.