The rut is continuing to unfold at different speeds across the Southeast. From Kentucky’s sluggish movement to Tennessee’s fast-paced action, hunters are reporting everything from locked-down bucks to bachelor groups still hanging tight. Here’s what biologists, land managers, and hunters are saying about the latest deer behavior across the region.

Timber 2 Table Editor Michael Pendley said things have slowed way down in Kentucky, where he’s only seen one buck on his cameras during the past week.

“But all it takes is a hot doe to get things fired up,” he said. “My son ‘Potroast’ was in the stand Sunday morning when a nice buck chased a doe by him too quickly for a shot. A few minutes later, a different buck stepped out on her trail. He shot that one — a 150-ish 10-point. He saw two more mature bucks before he could climb down. He didn’t have the one he shot on camera, but his fiancé’s cousin had the same buck on one of his cameras the day before nearly two miles away.”

Pendley said his group is still seeing a few younger bucks cruising throughout the day. A couple of the younger bucks he’s seen have broken points and main beams during the past few weeks, so they are still sparring.

Based on Bert Moore’s camera surveys in south-central Alabama, bucks are still in their bachelor groups and are shedding velvet.

“I’m not really seeing any fighting, other than some random sparring around the feeders,” he said. “No scrapes yet, but I have found a few velvet rubs. The persimmons are dropping, and deer are feeding on them as well as natural browse still.”

Moore said white oaks, red oaks, water oaks and swamp overcap oak trees are full of acorns thanks to a wet spring and early summer, but he’s not seeing many trees dropping the nuts yet, as it’s still too warm.

“I am getting plenty of daytime buck photos in the wooded areas, and they are showing up in the fields at night,” he said. “Does are still dropping fawns, and there are several pairs of twins on my property this year. Does and babies are looking healthy and staying in groups with other does.”

Mississippi is a mixed bag, according to William McKinley, Mississippi Deer Program coordinator. He said peak breeding dates have a wide range across the state, with the northwestern region peaking in late November and the southeastern region peaking in early February.

“While weather and food availability can influence deer movement, our data suggests that the timing of breeding in an area remains the same,” he said. “With that said, we had a very wet early summer, which has resulted in abundant browse. We also have an outstanding acorn crop all across the state. Based on hunter reports, this abundance of food is yielding lower deer observations.”

Tennessee is also experiencing a jumble of activity across the state. Michael Arnold, a Tennessee land manager, said the action is still mostly wide open.

“The bucks are really on the move right now,” he said. “I’m getting reports of everything from cruising bucks, to numerous bucks chasing one single doe, to bucks locked down with hot ladies. The scrapes went pretty much dead for several days, but they have been back on them hard over the last few days. My son-in-law, Brandon Atchison, harvested a nice 5-year-old 10-point last week. That buck was chasing a doe the day before. When he saw him the next evening, he caught the old buck running his scrape line and was able to get off a good shot at 50 yards. A few days later, his son Cole got his first buck — a nice 8-point.”

Arnold said several good bucks have been hitting the dirt, despite the rollercoaster weather pattern the state is experiencing. Hunters are finding success in the thickets tucked back in the timber and also at food sources. There are plenty of acorns remaining, and food plots are lush and green thanks to the recent rains and warm weather. Cold weather is forecast to move in for Thanksgiving and should lead to nonstop action and a lot of bucks taking a dirt nap.

“Hunters need to spend all day on stand or at least as much time as possible,” he said. “Other areas where it’s been much slower should pick up with the cold snap.”

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Realtree’s Daniel Thomas said deer movement has been limited in Georgia this week.

“The deer, from what I’ve seen or heard, are either locked down with a doe or not moving much,” he said. “Seems like they have gone underground at our place.”

Realtree’s funny man Michael Pitts agreed.

“Things are starting to slow down here in Georgia,” he said. “I’m not seeing all the mature bucks on camera or in person, which makes me think the dreaded lockdown is starting. We have also had a hike in temperature this week. I do not know if it is the weather or the lockdown. Honestly, it is probably a little of both.”

Charles Ruth, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources big-game program coordinator, said the state is now on the backside of the rut, with the exception of the small sliver of mountains in the northwestern portion of the state.

“That means that deer movements, particularly during the day, are naturally decreasing, which makes hunting tougher,” he said. “Temperatures have moderated in the last week, which further decreases daytime movements by deer.”

As the season progresses, shifting weather patterns, abundant mast crops and regional rut timing continue to shape deer movement across the region. Some states are already moving into the post-rut lull, but others are just gearing up for peak action. Whether things are slowing down or gearing up, the next cold front or the next hot doe could shake everything up.