Southeast Rut Report: The Rut Is Building in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana

The forecast is looking fairly warm and somewhat rainy for the next week or more. In the Deep South, it's going to be warm and rainy for the next few days. It's the same story in the northern half of the region. We'll have rain and unseasonably warm temperatures as well. Overall, I'm not terribly excited about the weather.

Looking to Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, we're firmly seated in late-season patterns. Hunt bed-to-feed patterns where seasons are still open. Take advantage of secondary rut activity if you see it.

In Florida, there's some rut activity around the central part of the state that ranges from November to March. Depending on where you are, there's some action to be had. We're also seeing continued rut activity in the panhandle. Those who hunt in and around Gadsden, Leon, Wakulla, Liberty, Franklin, Jackson, Calhoun, Gulf, Bay, Washington and Holmes should expect periodic rut activity for the next few weeks.

In Alabama, the best counties for the last couple weeks have mostly been in the central part of the state. This week, Winston, Dekalb, Cherokee, Bibb, Jackson, Morgan, Marshall, Cullman, Blount, Etowah, Calhoun, St. Clair, Jefferson, Walker, Fayette, Clay, Talladega, Shelby, Tuscaloosa, Pickens, Greene, Hale, Russel and Barber Counties are seeing the bulk of the action. As for unmentioned counties, overall rubbing, scraping and daylight activity has increased.

In Mississippi, the best counties for the last week or two have been: Pontotoc, Calhoun, Yalobusha, Grenada, Montgomery, Attala, Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Noxubee, Amite, Yazoo, Madison, Leake, Scott, Smith, Rankin, Hinds, Simpson, Copiah, Claiborne and Jefferson. This week, we can add Webster, Clay, Choctaw, Winston, Neshoba, Kemper, Newton, Lauderdale, Jefferson-Davis, Lawrence, Walthall, Pike, Amite, Wilkinson and Adams. Where rut activity is full-bore, focus on doe groups to catch those cruising bucks moving during daylight hours. In areas where it's still a little ways out, camp out near concentrations of rubs and scrapes close to known buck beds.

For those in Louisiana, the rut is finally over for anyone who hunts in the western half of the state. For the eastern half, most parishes are experiencing peak rut activity in some area of that parish. Those who especially hunt in and around: West Carroll, East Carroll, Madison, Richland, Calhoula, Concordia, Avoyelles, St. Landry, Lafayette, St. Mary, Iberville, Assumption, St. James, Ascension, East Baton Rouge, Livingston, Tangipahoa, Washington and St. Tammy parishes should be on the lookout for rut activity.

Looking at the entire region, things are looking the best in Alabama, Mississippi, parts of Louisiana and the central part of the Florida Panhandle.

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Photo Credit: Shutterstock / Jim Cumming

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