In central Wisconsin, rutting activity was nonexistent Nov. 2 through 8, based on my observations. My trail cameras and hunts were void of bucks between those dates. Quite a few does moved and fed in fields during the evenings, but bucks didn’t pester them. Extremely odd. I believe the rut’s lockdown phase hit early this year, as it’s usually around Nov. 10 through 18.

Things finally changed Nov. 9. While hunting in a snow squall in the coldest daytime temps yet this fall, deer poured onto the 10-acre field I was hunting. Only two bucks came out during daylight. A 1-1/2-year-old buck pushed the does and fawns around. Well before dark, a doe darted onto the field, courted by a stout 3-1/2-year-old buck. Despite the other deer present, he was only interested in “his” doe. He was locked down on her and only came to the field because she did. He was so hooked on her that he even bedded down in the field beside her while she fed.

Just before dark, that doe fed my way, and he stood and followed her. Eventually, he saw my buck decoy. He postured and came closer but hung up. While the doe fed 35 yards away from me, he bedded down again, and then about dark, she bedded down, too. It was a cool encounter with a buck I had no intention of shooting. Right at the end of legal shooting light, a 4-1/2-year-old buck appeared 225 yards away, feeding and then scent-checking some does.

Joel Burham of Whitetail Fit corroborated my belief that lockdown hit early, as he said Nov. 7 and 8 were slow in Iowa.

“Things were red hot with cruising, fighting and tending a week ago, but they have slowed down,” he said. “A big cold front came through, dropping the temps by 30 degrees or more and bringing in 20-plus-mph winds. It almost felt like a shock to the deer, whereas a milder cold front might have increased the movement. On top of that, I believe a lot of mature bucks are locked down with does, which explains the lack of movement. I expect things to pick up again in a day or two when the weather evens out and the bucks come out of lockdown.”

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Meanwhile, Kate and Shawn Sanford said that buck activity is rising in Missouri.

“We’re seeing more bucks in the daylight, for sure,” they said. “They’re responding to rattling a little bit, and we saw a buck from our house with his nose on the ground. Things seem to be picking up. It turned really cold overnight on Nov. 8, and the lower temperatures had them moving well on Nov. 9.”

In Illinois, Gary Hintz, owner of Bucks and Bulls Archery in Plover, Wisconsin, noticed lots of scraping activity for a few consecutive days before Nov. 9.

“It seems like all of the bucks are on their feet now,” he said. “They’re mostly searching, and there is a lot of chasing going on. Our group has even seen some breeding. One guy in our group rattled and grunted in a buck and killed it. I’m seeing six to 10 bucks per sit. 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.”

Last but not least, Nate Hosie recently got it done in Kansas.

“Kansas is special, especially when you hit the first serious cold front of the fall,” he said. “Our first afternoon, we had an encounter with a giant buck just after the camera light had faded. The following day, we had the wrong wind to hunt him. On the third day, we slipped back in. As luck would have it, he worked his way down some CRP and into the shelter belt we were hunting in. He came in 10 yards behind our tree and stepped out at 15 yards. My arrow found his mark, and I wrapped my tag on one of the biggest bucks of my life. Thank you, Lord.”

Given the calendar dates, the rut will be on across most of the region now, regardless of the temperatures. There might be some on-and-off lockdown activity, but bucks will aggressively leave one breeding scenario to locate the next receptive doe, and that can happen at any time of the day. So, buckle up for the ride.