Northeast Rut Report: Take Advantage of Fall's First Cold Front

Just like that, deer season is upon us. For most, it's already underway. And a lot has changed in the deer woods over the last few weeks.

Bucks have shed their velvet and will begin breaking from bachelor groups if they haven't already. Food sources are changing. Crops are being harvested and acorns are falling. This has prompted patterns to change as well.

Rubs and scrapes are just starting to show for some. High temperatures have been the norm as of late, but the first good cold front is pushing through this weekend. This should set the stage for good hunting conditions.

Bucks seem to be actively hitting scrapes, but mature deer movement has mostly been at last light. Overall deer activity has been okay, with deer feeding heavily on acorns. There seems to be plenty of those this year.

West Virginia

Moving over to northern West Virginia, Whitetail Freaks TV pro staffer Cody Jarrett has been battling warm temperatures. Jarret says young bucks are very active and still grouped up, with some light sparring occurring amongst them.

Mature bucks have started running solo and are less active. Most movement is at last light and at night. Jarrett hasn't noticed much for scrapes and rubs just yet. But the deer are really hitting clover and acorns, which seem to be the hot food sources right now.

Delaware

Heading to Delaware, big-buck killer Josh Tucker just started noticing scrapes pop up in familiar places. Bucks have begun breaking up, and Tucker hopes to find some as they shift into fall ranges. He says red and pin oaks are dropping, while the white oaks still seem to be holding their crop. Deer are really hitting green food plots, too.

Maryland

Midwest Whitetail pro staffer Austin Beebe says he is still seeing bucks grouped up in Maryland. He recently had an encounter with a 4-year-old target buck, and it was still hanging with younger deer.

Here at home in central Maryland, I've noticed the first scrapes and rubs within the last week. Warm temperatures have not been fun, but overall deer movement has been decent. I feel warm weather affects deer movement more later in the season. The good news? This weekend is shaping up nicely with the first good cold front of fall. If you can get out and enjoy it, good luck and stay safe.

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