Midwest Rut Report, Week 9: Plains Bucks Gearing Up For the Second Rut

Across most of the Midwest, the rut has run its course, and bucks have shifted their primary focus from does to food. That’s what I’ve been seeing in Wisconsin, and Bryan Dawes of Brushy Fork Outfitters in Ohio feels the same.

“The rut is over,” Dawes says. “Some bucks are still nudging does on a very sporadic level. Now is the time to catch them transitioning back to food sources. Cold temps are the only thing to save us from the mature bucks’ native nocturnal feeding pattern. Our gun week starts on December 2. Our cold weather is rolling in. We are not fans of baiting, but with the right temps moving in, deer will be very motivated to move in daylight hours by an attractive food source.”

Southern Indiana seems to be the Midwestern unicorn in that the rut hasn’t faded, as M.R. James, Bowhunter Magazine’s founder, tells me. “Things are still cooking here in southern Indiana,” James says. “I’m seeing bucks on the hunt for willing does and a few locked down in their favorite hidey-hole. The cold weather has helped spark daylight deer movement. I’m still getting plenty of daily shots with my camera, but I haven’t yet released an arrow. I’ve heard of a few area hunters tagging deer, but I’ve gotten no word of any big-racked bucks being shot. With the month of December remaining in archery deer season, ample time remains to fill a tag.”

Don’t Miss: The 3 Best Post-Rut Stands

Out west in Kansas, outfitter Joe Conyers of Conyers Outdoors explained that bucks have basically resumed their pre-rut behaviors. “The bucks are sparring and scraping,” Conyers says. “And they’ve been feeding heavily the last few days here. Almost every time two bucks hit feed at the same time, they spar with each other. I believe they’re getting ready to roll into the second rut. Hunting over a food source or scrapes are the best bets here in Kansas.”

Things have been slow in Illinois for Justin Zarr of the Bowhunt or Die YouTube channel. “What I’m seeing on my trail cameras (since I can’t seem to see deer while I’m hunting) is that the does are grouping back up and getting on food sources in the evenings,” he says. “The bucks are still visible in the daylight and moving. With this cold snap here in the Midwest, I think evening food sources are going to be the ticket from here on out.”

Finally, Dale Techel of Michigan checked in. “Lots of good bucks were taken across the state over the past few weeks since our gun opener — including some nice bucks from the Upper Peninsula — where many hunters said the hunting was better than expected. Rut activity has slowed down the past week, but there are still some reports of bucks following does. Cold temps and heavy snowfall across the state should get deer on their feet, as many have gone nocturnal from the heavy hunting pressure. The snowfall, as much as 30 inches in some counties, should increase deer movement once again. I hadn’t seen much activity on trail cams in daylight hours over the past week until the recent snowfall.”