A full moon and temperatures in the 70s didn’t help deer hunters last weekend. Plenty of great bucks were still taken across the Midwestern Region, but overall, it was a tough week.
The Missouri Department of Conservation reported 68,312 deer were killed during opening weekend of firearms season. Of the 68,312 deer harvested, 42,283 were antlered bucks, 5,105 were button bucks, and 20,924 were does. In 2023, opening weekend gun hunters killed 90,253 deer. A 25 percent reduction in harvest is a significant number of deer.
“The calendar shift this year put the November portion a week later than last year, which results in lower deer harvest,” stated Jason Isabelle, the state’s deer biologist, in a press release. “The peak of the rut in Missouri occurs around Nov. 10. When the calendar shifts, it puts the opener about a week past peak rut when deer movement isn’t as high as it is earlier in the month.”
The good news is, temperatures are supposed to plumet before this coming weekend and there are still plenty of deer left to hunt. This season, later may be a better than the opener.
Down in Kentucky, it’s been warm, but the cold weather is on its way. The bucks are still showing strong rut signs, but the lockdown period is certainly underway.
“I have seen a few bucks in complete lockdown mode in the last couple of days,” said John Bond, who hunts near West Liberty, Kentucky. “I thought I was going to have to get a tractor out to move one buck off my lane, because he was intent on staying put, just downwind from a doe in a little thicket behind our barn.”
As more and more does become bred, bucks are going to have to work harder to find one still receptive. Meaning they’ll travel further, and when they find one, they’re not leaving her. This is the time of year when a buck can show up out of nowhere. Just when you’re thinking there aren’t any shooters left around, here comes a buck you’ve never seen or captured on camera.
Near Spooner, Wisconsin, Al Hogen reports seeing more rut sign this year than in recent memory.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but there are more rubs and scrapes this year than I can remember. It’s not just on one property, either. I’m seeing this on a few different farms that I hunt. The scrapes are still being worked, too. I sat over one big scrape on Saturday and had seven different bucks check and mess around with the licking branch in one morning. It’s been a fun season,” Hogen said.
The rut is still going across the Midwest. We’ve passed the peak as Isabelle said, but life can be dangerous for big bucks when the pool of receptive does shallows. Keep hunting travel corridors, as you never know what may show up in search of just one more doe coming into estrous.
Out in Ohio, after spotting a giant buck twice in one week while out riding her horse, Katie Wainscott and her husband, Markas, went after him Friday morning, but he didn’t show. Katie had to leave town over the weekend for a horseshow, but she came home to a surprise.
“My husband was watching the buck push around a smaller 8-pointer down in the field where I had spotted the buck. We threw our gear on, racing the clock to get to him while we still had light,” Katie said.
The wind was I their favor as the husband and with duo stalked this massive buck along the grassy edge of the field he was standing in. When they were about 50 yards from the buck, he laid down and they were able to close the distance.
“At around 25 yards, I separated forward from my husband as the deer stood quartered towards us looking our way. He gave me a clean shot and I was able to land a vital blow,” Katie said.
To stalk into crossbow range of any deer is an accomplishment to be proud of. To do so on a world class whitetail is remarkable.
“At that moment, I fully grasped the feeling of “buck fever” as I shook all over in disbelief that I got the buck,” Katie said.
The couple understood what had just happened and how big this buck really is. They weren’t taking any chances on making mistakes while trailing him. They gave him a few hours before beginning to track the buck. When they picked up the trail, it led to a river. They called in a drone. The tough old brute went about 400 yards.
“This was my first ever harvest and I am beyond grateful, and downright lucky, to have spotted this amazing buck and have him as my first kill,” Katie said.
The big buck had made no appearance on any of their trail cameras and came as a complete surprise.
See you down the trail….
Brandon Butler
bbutler@driftwoodoutdoors.com
Pic: Katie Wainscott spotted a giant buck from her horse twice in one week.
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