Across the Southeast, acorns are falling like rain, and deer are packing on the pounds. The woods are buzzing with pre-rut energy, with bucks sparring and scrapes popping up. Temps have been a bit toasty for this time of year, but with a cold front on the way, deer activity is about to ramp up even more.

Realtree.com Editor Will Brantley said the oak crop is extremely heavy where he lives in western Kentucky and he’s seeing fat deer and a lot of action on the 10 game cameras he has set up.

“I’m seeing lots of scrapes and quite a few rubs,” he said. “There are a lot of little bucks on the move that I’ve not seen before. They’re right on schedule. We’re supposed to get another cold front this weekend. I’m hoping the more seasonable temperatures will stick around.”

Brantley shot a deer in northern Tennessee this past week that was feeding on a heavy acorn crop.

“That doe was huge,” he said. “There are so many acorns, and I’m seeing some of the fattest deer I’ve ever seen. I’ll probably start seeing bucks cruising there by the end of the week.”

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It’s not all good news in Brantley’s neck of the woods. He said western Kentucky has experienced an EHD kill, and he’s even found three dead bucks. However, it’s not been as bad there as it has in some other states, such as Ohio.

“We got a cool snap a week-and-a-half ago and some rain,” he said. “I’m hoping that it got cold enough that the midges that spread EHD went dormant.”

Mike Arnold, a Tennessee land manager, said older-class bucks have busted up, and younger bucks are still running together and pushing the does around a bit. He’s also seen a lot of sparring.

“The boys are ready, but of course, the girls aren’t,” he said. “Older bucks are still focusing on the food, mainly hitting the huge acorn crop, but also hitting the fresh green plots as well. They’re laying tons of sign down at the moment. With a major front coming in later next week, it’s gonna be on, with the first does coming in most likely by the end of the month. Now’s the time to get those cams on active scrapes. Mid- to late October is probably the best time to hunt scrapes, if you can find the right scrapes that he’s using during shooting hours.”

Georgia’s deer are also spread out throughout the hardwoods, taking advantage of the heavy acorn crop, which Realtree’s funny man Michael Pitts said is making them tough to pattern.

“I have seen a lot of early rut sign this year,” he said. “Last week, we had a mature buck come in, and he made a scrape, was grunting, and even pushing a few does around. It’s typical to see the young ones doing this, but not the mature ones. We are supposed to get rain on Sunday with some cooler weather following. This combination could make for some great hunting next week.”

Outdoor photographer Tes Jolly said the last of the velvet shedding is occurring near her in east-central Alabama.

“The ones that hardened off early are feeling the rising testosterone levels,” she said. “I’m seeing scrapes and observing bucks sparring, as territories will be hashed out over the next month for the later rut. Does drop fawns later in our area than a lot of other areas, so there are lots of spotted ones dashing about. The deer, especially the does, are regularly visiting trophy rocks.”

Montana Decoy President C.J. Davis said South Carolina temperatures are projected to be a bit warm, but deer are still moving just because of the time of year.

“White oaks are really starting to fall in my area, and that’s always an exciting time to bowhunt deer,” he said. “I’m starting to see more young bucks moving, which is always the first sign of the rut approaching. It’s awfully dry, which is bad for food plots, but it does mean the dry ground won’t hold scent quite as much, which is always good if a deer cuts your trail in.”

In North Carolina, Greg Batts, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission District 3 wildlife biologist, said hunters are seeing lots of bucks and harvesting extremely healthy deer. There seems to be a normal acorn crop and an abundance of natural foods and ag crops, which are contributing to the fat deer being harvested right now.

“Recent cool temps are causing the deer to feel their oats, and rubbing and scraping have picked up,” he said. “I’ve heard a few hunters say they’ve seen bucks chasing does. It’s a great time to be in the deer woods, because the animals aren’t spooky as of yet, and they are as big as they will be before the rut comes into full swing the first week of November.”

An early rut is starting in north-central Virginia, with heavy scraping mostly by young bucks occurring a week earlier than usual. Outdoor writer Michael Hanback said he anticipates older bucks to begin cruising in the next 10 days.

“In the South Carolina Low Country, bucks are starting to move more, especially in the late afternoon and first two hours of daylight,” he said. “Serious scraping hasn’t started yet, but it should in next two weeks.”

Cody Kelly, with SmallTown Hunting Properties, said deer activity in Mississippi hasn’t changed much during the past week.

“We’ve seen an increase in scrapes around food sources as bucks begin marking territories,” he said. “There’s still lots of nighttime movement with a few shooters on camera at last light.”

After coming off a long stretch of volatile wind and weather earlier in the month, the light switch has flipped on for north-central Florida. Captain Nate Weber says the chase period is happening now.

"We’re seeing tons of bucks checking scrapes, new rubs, and chasing. Tarsal glands are now showing their distinct black color. Feeder sights have been seemingly quiet as the acorn drop has become the preferred mast, however bucks are still making passes through the sites in search of that ripe doe. Grunt calls have yielded positive responses from bucks. Even with some shifty winds in the deep woods, we’ve noticed downwind bucks showing extreme carelessness to human odor. Love is in the air and now is the time to be in the woods in our region. The doe sightings have become less frequent, most likely because they've been displaced by bucks. Water sources are still excellent locations to catch deer moving during this time. This peak activity should continue for the next week or so."

Overall, things are looking great for the Southeast region. With the temps dropping to more seasonable averages, hunters are sure to see the action pick up even more this coming week.