Over the last several days in America’s heartland, most hunters have reported a slight surge in rutting behaviors. Daylight movements by mature bucks seem to be on a slow drip, with some hunters seeing multiple bucks on their trail cameras throughout the day, while other hunters are still waiting for those daylight appearances. If that’s you, buckle up, because the faucet is about to open full tilt with daylight activity.

At home in Wisconsin, I’ve been seeing lots of does and fawns feeding in the evenings on green plots, especially clover and chicory, along with brassicas. My trail cameras are capturing new bucks every couple of days, meaning that they’re finally venturing beyond their early-fall ranges and looking for love.

One new buck has my attention, and he has daylighted twice on a green food plot. The first time, I wasn’t hunting. Two nights later, on Oct. 23, I was ready for him. He came out to feed on clover and chicory an hour before dark, and then he worked two scrapes. He was lip-curling and picked out a girlfriend among the does feeding in the plot. He dogged her around and chased her into the timber. He didn’t come back out, and I’ve had him on my trail camera only once since. I anticipate that he’ll be back, combing the area for an estrous doe around Halloween or so.

Joel Burham of Whitetail Fit checked in from Nebraska with his recent hunting observations. “Bucks were feeling the cold front early last week,” he said. “They were chasing a doe around in the cut cornfield and sparing with one another. Scrapes were a main focus for my hunt, and while I saw plenty of younger bucks working them, it seemed the mature deer were still hesitant to move until after dark. The trail cameras caught them at the scrapes only an hour or so after legal light most days.

“I’m seeing light sparring with mid-range aggression from the bucks,” Burham added. “Lots of rubs and scrapes have been opened up; you can tell the rut is right around the corner. The next good cold front should put some mature bucks on their feet in the daylight.”

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Similar to what I saw during my Wisconsin hunt, Ben Bearshield of Winchester Deadly Passion said that Oct. 23 had the South Dakota bucks moving and feeding.

“That afternoon, I noticed the most daylight movement I’ve seen all month,” he shared. “A cool front rolled in, and there were deer all over the fields and a big uptick in bucks. While most were young bucks, activity has increased significantly.

“Scrapes are showing up everywhere that you’d expect to find them,” Bearshield continued. “Most of our cameras are over scrapes, and they’re getting hit by multiple bucks every night with multiple shooters hitting them during shooting hours. New bucks are showing up nightly. Another cold front is hitting this week; it’s going to be a very good time to be a bowhunter in South Dakota.”

For Justin Zarr of the Bowhunt or Die YouTube channel, late October is tough to beat, and he said that this year is no exception.

“After an unusually warm start to the month, temperatures have really cooled off, and the action is picking up,” Zarr commented. “I know a lot of people who are seeing and shooting big bucks right now. My trail cameras are on fire with daylight activity, not just in the mornings and evenings, but also midday. My number-one target buck has daylighted twice recently, once at 10 a.m. and the second time at 5 p.m. He was spotted tonight (Oct. 25) bumping does around a cut cornfield about an hour before dark. It certainly seems like it’s go-time, and if you can get in the woods right now, I highly recommend it.”

Over in Ohio, Bryan Dawes of Brushy Fork Outfitters said the Buckeye State whitetail woods are teeming with activity.

“The light switch has been flipped,” he said. “We’ve been battling warmer temperatures over the last week here in Ohio. However, something magical happened on Thursday evening, Oct. 23. Our 100 cell cams exploded with diurnal activity, and we got photos of a whole new crop of buck inventory. This next week is going to be absolute fire! Hunters have witnessed small bucks chasing relentlessly, and now the big boys have entered the arena. The only thing I can relate it to is the cliché of ‘flipping the switch,’ because it literally just happened out of nowhere.”

Tevis McCauley said that the bucks in Indiana are right on schedule, and maybe even a bit ahead.

“The rut seems to be a week ahead of normal this year,” he detailed. “Several does have already cycled into estrus and been bred. I’m predicting that the first week of November will be like the second week of November in most other years, with tons of mature buck daylight activity.”

Also in Indiana, Jacob Noe, a fella who eats, sleeps, and breathes whitetails, said the bucks are angry.

“They’re firing up on the scrapes; while hanging a new set for my dad this past weekend, I witnessed more scrape activity and fresh rubs than I’ve seen in my life,” he noted. “Virtually every low-hanging branch had an active licking branch and freshly opened scrape. On the 26th, my boy harvested a buck we call ‘Funky,’ and right before getting his shot, this 3 1/2-year-old postured up on a 2 1/2-year-old. Soon, they were in an all-out brawl.

“I have yet to see any chasing, but have witnessed bucks on their feet in daylight bouncing from scrape to scrape,” he continued. “I predict that with the dreary cold front hitting this week, we will see many large whitetails get taken down.”

All said, it looks like this week is the window to be in a tree as often as you possibly can in the Midwest. And don’t forget about the midday hours, as the bucks will be cruising heavily. Rattling and grunting should be pretty productive, so don’t be afraid to spice things up. Rut funnels and the downwind edges of doe bedding areas are likely the best hunting locations for morning and midday hours, and food sources with heavy doe activity will likely be productive in the afternoons.