As the year and most deer seasons end, I reflect on this past season with a full heart and a big smile. This was one of the best seasons of my life, as a guide and personally. I was extremely successful on very high-quality animals and even ended the year with some personal bests. After 30 years of big-game hunting and a 24-year guiding career, personal bests are hard to come by but very welcome.

Don’t Miss: Venison Bone Broth

The rut consistency varied greatly by region this year. For me, the elk rut was status quo. Timing was just what you would expect, and they didn’t hold back when they turned on. That was not the story everywhere. Hunters in New Mexico gave me reports across the board from start to finish. The mule deer rut seemed consistently late. We saw some activity early in southwestern Colorado, but then it trailed off and died. It wasn’t until after the fourth rifle season that it really took off. Late November and early December seemed to be the time for western Colorado, Utah and Nevada. Eastern Colorado is the one place where the rut seemed to start early and just take off. The rest of the Southwest seemed to be mostly on time or a little late. The fall seemed to be warm and mild in most areas. Mild weather never seems to help with the deer rut.

Areas along the Mexico border are seeing the rut kick off as we speak. The next few weeks will be really fun on either side of the southern border. With nothing else planned this year for deer, I can’t help but let my mind drift to the turkey rut. After 20 straight weeks of hunting, I’m looking forward to a break. But in the same breath, I can’t wait for those 3:30 a.m. mornings in search of a gobbling turkey. To all those who are still in the woods trying to fill a tag, best of luck to you. Until next fall, good luck and happy hunting.