Temperatures were fairly high the past few days across the region. Many does were in heat, too, so buck movements tended to be unpredictable and sporadic, occurring mostly at night. The only bucks on my Wisconsin trail cameras were night walkers. Does and fawns were feeding in fields during every evening, but I didn’t see bucks running them around.

Things changed about Nov. 14 to 15. A few miles out of town, I slowed down to let a young buck walk across the road. I noticed that he was with a doe, locked down, right by the road. They paid my vehicle zero attention. In the same spot two days later, a big mature buck was following a doe but not chasing her. He, too, was locked down, moving only where his doe went.

On the evening of Nov. 16, does and fawns were out feeding in force. I spotted a 3-1/2-year-old buck pestering them and grunting in my field. He had likely left a recent breeding scenario and was scent-checking for another receptive mate. He didn’t find one, and he paused to forage on some clover and chicory in my plot before cruising off the field, nose into the wind.

Out in Nebraska’s Sandhills, Scott Kuhn of Deer Meadows Outfitters said the rut activity is ebbing and flowing, but he believes it will get better.

“The warm temperatures have them holding up during the daytime,” he said, “but at night, they’re running hard. Mule deer and whitetails are wide open in the rut, with the first hour and last hour of each day being prime-time opportunities. Hopefully, this week’s temperature change and some moisture will keep them out all day long.”

Back east in Ohio, Bryan Dawes of Brushy Fork Outfitters said that buck movement has been a mixed bag. He also anticipates increased daylight movements any day.

“Last week was very interesting,” he said. “Lockdown hit us hard during the peak, and there was definitely a lot of nocturnal rut activity. The big boys seemed to lay their claim to does and weren’t nearly as active during the daylight hours. However, we did have many new cruisers hitting the trail cameras, mainly after dusk. It seems as if this week the big boys are back on their feet and that the 72-hour stretches of condensed movement are over. I don’t run nearly as many clients during this time frame, which is a bummer for this season, because I think it’s going to be a good week.”

Michigan Deer Hunters Facebook page manager Dale Techel said that a weather shift shook things up in the Wolverine State just in time for the gun opener.

“The weather fluctuated a lot last week, going from snow and cold to upper 60s for our firearm opener,” he said. “Deer are definitely on their feet. Reports across the state are that bucks are chasing does. Some hunters even saw bucks breeding does during our Nov. 15 gun opener. The cold and snow really got things kicked off across the state.”

David Wolf, a hunter from Minnesota who took an outstanding archery buck in October (read about Wolf’s buck here), detailed some rut input he’s received from other Gopher State hunters.

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“My sister shot a doe last weekend, and no bucks were around,” he said. “She and her husband saw a total of four does and no bucks. I’ve recently seen a lot of mature bucks being posted on Facebook. I know some hunters who’ve been watching specific bucks on their cameras at night all season and are finally seeing them in daylight and getting opportunities.”

My sister, Clair Marshall, checked in from South Dakota. She and her husband, Andrew, have seen younger bucks nudging does. Andrew coaxed in a 3-1/2-year-old buck with a doe bleat, but he passed on the deer. Contrarily, rattling, grunting, decoying and snort-wheezing have yielded zero results so far this November for them. The best bucks are chasing does on their cameras at night. In western South Dakota, a friend saw a handful of good whitetail bucks locked down with does or cruising during the day. He said the muley bucks were also up and moving.

Finally, Nolan Redeker of Midwest Whitetail reported from Kansas.

“The bucks seem to be locked down here,” he said. “I’ve seen lots of young bucks searching the last few days. Mature bucks have been with does and not on their feet much. When they are on their feet, they’re searching hard for the next doe.”

We’re shifting from peak breeding to the waning rut across most of the Midwest, and now’s the time to hunt as much as possible. As bucks unlock, they’re going to be covering ground. And that is beginning to happen now. Hunt travel routes or doe bedding areas in the morning and midday, and food sources where bucks can get a nibble and scent-check doe groups in the afternoons. Don’t be afraid to bleat, grunt or rattle at distant bucks.