Realtree's Deer Hunting Forecast: December 6-13

We’re a week into December, and for most deer hunters across the country, that means the rut is over and the late season is here. It feels like it outside, too. After a long season of mostly above-average temperatures, much of the country is gripped by a blast of Arctic weather that’s dumped snow on the Northeast and caused temperatures to plummet across the Midwest, Southeast, and areas of the Southwest. Our regional rut reporters are reporting good deer activity in some areas, but a virtual standstill in others.

I hunted in central Texas during the Thanksgiving break, where I shot a great old 9-pointer. Bucks were still on their feet and cruising for does during that time. I got my buck at 11 in the morning after we glassed him up in a cedar thicket, locked down with a doe. Back home in Kentucky, my cell cameras were firing all week with pictures of bucks on their feet, but it was as if someone shut off the spigot by the time I got home. It’s been brutally cold this week, and I’ve been spending the last few hours of daylight in a stand most days but have seen very few deer. In my experience, there is often a real lull in deer movement immediately following the rut before the animals finally settle back into their feed-to-bed routines. But if you want to kill a buck (I do), it’s still important to log long hours in the stand, as some trickle rut and second-rut activity will continue to almost Christmas. And of course in the Deep South, hunters have the best rut hunting of the year to look forward to — but more on that in a bit.

WEATHER AND MOON

The weather forecast is a bit turbulent for the next few days, with a warm-up and rain predicted for much of the country during the weekend and early into next week, followed by another front that’ll drop daytime highs to below-average temperatures for many hunters. We’re under a waxing crescent moon with the first quarter falling on Monday, the 9th, and the full moon on Dec. 15. Realtree’s Fish & Game Forecaster predicts good movement during the mid-morning hours all this week, with daylight activity peaking at 11:20 a.m. on Thursday, the 12th. For most of the country, we give the deer hunting forecast 3 out of 5 stars, but if you’re hunting in the Southeast region, where the rut’s kicking in, 4 or 5 stars might be more appropriate. Let’s dig in to the regional updates.

Midwest Rut Reporter Darron McDougal had updates from Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, Kansas, Illinois, and Michigan this week. Most of his contacts indicated that the primary rut is over, although bucks are still hitting scrapes, sparring, and on the move in some areas. In others, heavy snowfall and extended hunting pressure is stifling daylight movement. McDougal’s contacts largely agreed that evening sits over major food sources would be the ticket going forward. Read the full Midwest Rut Report here.

Northeast Rut Reporter Tim Kent says that although cold weather has triggered an uptick in overall deer activity, the rut is basically over in his region. Does and fawns are grouping up and settling into wintertime patterns, and even bucks seem to be tolerating one another around major food sources. Again, major food sources are the key to success going forward. Agricultural fields are tops, but Kent says to not overlook remaining acorns and green browse. Read the full Northeast Rut Report here.

The story is the same for much of the Southeast, according to regional reporter Stephanie Mallory, with deer settling into post-rut patterns in states such as Kentucky, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, and much of Tennessee. But in parts of Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana, the action is just getting started. Check out the full Southeast Rut Report here.

Southwest Region Reporter Miles Fedinec says that most mule deer seasons are closed by this point, and the rut is winding down as well, although there are a few late-season hunts worth noting. For whitetails, Fedinec has been hunting central Texas, where the rut is winding down and deer are slowly becoming easier to pattern around feeders. Meanwhile, the rut is just getting started farther south, in the Texas Brush Country. Check out the full Southwest Rut Report here.

Northwest Regional Reporter Jackie Holbrook says that most big-game seasons are closing in her region, and the rut activity is fading quickly as well. She says Montana mule deer hunters reported minimal rut activity during the final week of season, and the effects of hunting pressure were taking a toll on overall daylight movement. Blacktails along the Washington Coast are one of the few bright spots remaining, as rut activity goes, in the Northwest Region. Read the full Northwest Rut Report here.