Get ready, because the rut is coming.

I haven’t been this excited about a hunting season in many years. Some of this is because of personal changes in my guiding and outfitting life, and some because I’m already about 10 weeks into a very successful fall.

The elk rut is probably the most anticipated rut in the Southwest and much of the West in general. It’s also the first rut activity we see in much of the Southwest, with the peak usually coming in late September. For the most part, it was status quo, although I’ve heard reports that it came on slowly in some areas. I had a particularly enjoyable and successful September, which led me right into a bucket-list hunt I had dreamed of for years.

I just returned from an exceptional trip to central Europe for rutting fallow deer. For a deer and antler junkie like me, this was a pinnacle hunt I’ve dreamed about. The problem was always that the European fallow rut is in October, my busiest time. These deer are wild, free-ranging and native to the area. Hunting these deer old-school — walking and stalking through old-growth oak forests as they grunted and roared, competing for the right to breed — was incredible. At points, it was non-stop grunting and clacking antlers. According to the guides, we were early. If that’s the case, I would love to see what the peak rut looks like.

Don’t Miss: How to Interpret Buck Rubs

Colorados first rifle elk season starts Oct. 15, and although I don’t believe calling will be a productive tactic, I anticipate being able to capitalize on bulls giving away their locations with a bugle. New Mexico is also running on the tail end of the rut, with bulls bugling and giving us some advantage. I expect this to change in the next week.

Elk aside, for the Southwest region, California’s A Zone black-tailed deer are the first to rut. In many areas, they are hitting peak rut. The problem is that most seasons in those areas have come and gone. A few lucky tag holders in A-33 late archery and possibly A-24 Monterey archery should be having a great time chasing rutting deer.

The weather has been split for the Southwest, with drought in some areas and record rainfall in others. Texas has been particularly wet, and EHD has been a concern with the excessive standing water. Outside of the EHD worries, the moisture has been good for quality and overall herd health. Allen Robinson of The Ranch Advisors Group told me this week about some deer in Kerrville County starting to get a little nosy, but in most areas, they are still a few weeks from any real activity.

The recent storms in the Southwest have brought torrential rains and flooding, which has created some unusual dangers for many hunters in the region. These flash floods have washed away roads and historical travel paths. This summer saw some generational wildfires in core hunting areas. Those burn scars are extremely dangerous when it rains. Mud slides and flash flooding are common for years after. These floods come quickly and violently, so take them seriously if you are hunting in these affected areas. Those rains have filled up many water sources that had run dry from the summer drought, and if we can get a little more warm weather before winter hits, winter food sources should get a much-needed boost.