Like clockwork, young bucks are pushing each other around nightly at a small waterhole in my food plot at home in central Wisconsin. Sometimes, three bucks at a time are in on the shenanigans. The oldest buck I’ve seen sparring is 3 1/2 years old. The 1 1/2-year-olds and a 2 1/2-year-old are doing most of it, and they love wading in the water while they sort out their differences. Most deer movement, including the sparring action, has been late in the evenings and at night.

I’m also seeing some scraping action. Between my cameras at home and two on public land, I’ve had four different 3 1/2-year-old bucks hit scrapes (real and mock). But even in the timber, the scraping is transpiring at night.

That being said, a buddy arrowed a nice 10-pointer around 7:45 a.m. Saturday in northern Wisconsin. His stand overlooks a trail that exits a swamp, and the buck came by on that trail, as did a 6-pointer earlier. So, morning hunts can be productive already, at least when it’s cool.

Dale Techel, who manages the Michigan Deer Hunters Facebook page, said that the Michigan DNR has reported EHD in 12 counties, reducing deer numbers. Still, he said hunters from both the Upper and Lower Peninsulas have been reporting good success since the bow opener.

“Cool mornings are finally shifting deer movement into a better pattern,” Techel said. “Big bucks are still largely moving at night, but trail cameras are showing them hammering mock scrapes. And fresh rubs are popping up everywhere.

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“Looking ahead to next week,” he continued, “hunters can expect Michigan bucks to start appearing more in daylight. Likely the best strategy will be to target active mock scrapes once that daytime movement increases. Alternatively, because the crops are coming down daily, food sources and feeding patterns are shifting. Sit back about 50 yards off the fields to catch big bucks slipping out right before dark.”

Down in Missouri, Shay Haddock of Midwest Land Group also said that the movement is picking up. “The bucks on my Missouri farm are expanding their range and working scrapes with frequency,” he said. “You can catch them in a green plot near bedding, but most of the daylight feeding is in the timber on acorns. The recent cooler weather created some exciting movement, but now it’s warmer, which will impact the deer between now and Halloween.”

Craig Reichel of Coyote Creek Outdoors in Rochester, Minnesota, is in weekly contact with many deer hunters in his neck of the woods and has a good finger on the pulse. “Bucks are starting to move quite a bit, and scrapes and rubs are popping up all over the place,” he said. “It froze really hard in southeast Minnesota last Friday, boosting the deer activity. Lots of crops are coming out, so deer are getting bumped out of their normal routines.”

My sister, Clair Marshall, and her husband, Andrew, said that mature bucks on the properties they hunt in South Dakota are still moving primarily at night or very early in the morning, according to their trail cameras. “Some small rubs and scrapes are popping up,” she said. “We’re seeing small bucks sparring on the cameras. Andrew hunted Sunday afternoon and saw more than 15 deer feeding in a harvested bean field. The few 1 1/2-year-old bucks in the field weren’t acting rutty at all. It’s been pretty warm.”

Meanwhile, things are turning on in Indiana, according to accomplished hunter Jacob Noe. “The rut is kicking off, there is no doubt,” he said. “Young bucks are chasing hard, and mature bucks are daylighting on scrapes. The recent cold front and rain got them on their feet. The mornings are beginning to get good. If you can get in without spooking deer, the mornings are more productive than the evenings.”

For this coming week, I’d pay attention to scrapes and mock scrapes, especially those located in proximity to bedding cover. There are plenty of acorns, so the timber is a hot bet, but by the end of the week, mature bucks could be scent-checking does on field edges. As far as fields, I’ve seen deer in green fields with winter wheat, clover, and alfalfa, as well as a handful in soybean fields. As Techel and Reichel detailed, the crop harvest will be shifting bucks around, which means you can expect new bucks to show up anytime.