Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting State of the rut in TN and KY

Just wondering what you folks in TN & KY are seeing the way of daytime deer movement? Given the heavy acorn crop, some think the rut was early, intense and then over. Chime in.

It's been between early December and Christmas for us as long as I can remember. Acorns were poor here this year and there was a bunch of buck movement around Thanksgiving, but mostly smaller bucks, which is usual. I've seen a few big bucks killed the past few days and I expect it to continue.

KY deer season should be long gone, sans a late ML

The wife and i Killed 3 from Nov 10th- 18th. Two were right behind does.
Two were mature bucks. After that buck movement tapered off. It generally picks back up soon.

Still waitin for the big boys to move in Eastern Ky...I saw some movement around Thanksgiving but only smaller bucks...Hb

Was hot a week or 2 ago in Virginia I been to busy lately to go

Ho-da-phone - “some” actually think mast crop is a contributing factor in the timing of whitetail breeding?

It’s been the most sporadic rut that I can remember in a long time, at least where I hunt. Warm weather, huge acorn crop, and few chases.

Woke up to 64 degree weather thus a.m., going to be 67 by 4 p.m. , with wind and rain, not my kind of weather

Been a different year here in NE TN. I saw 4 different nice buck seeking/chasing doe yesterday while out to fill a doe tag. Typically things are pretty well winded down by this time of year. Could be a younger doe came into heat. Things were slow the first two weeks of November (muzzleloader season), but typically this is when I see the most action. So seems like things are happening late in my neck of the woods. Late Nov until now has been peak vs. first 3 weeks in Nov. Not necessarily bad, just late.

Late season started yesterday in pike co ky…I saw lots of buck movement before 8 am then tapered off…about ran over a giant 10 after dark on the way out….I am in sitting in the rain this morning…Tomorrow should be really good.. cold and sunny …

The rut here in Western Kentucky was in high gear by the time rifle season opened on Nov. 11. By the time it ended 2 weeks later, the bucks that were still alive were hunkered down somewhere and not moving except at night. I did see a good buck here this past week chasing a doe, and he should be a really good deer next year, providing he survives the rest of the year.

Had a nice buck cross in front of my truck Friday evening in Northern VA, almost fatally. He appeared to be on the prowl; no other explanation for him heading that way. He didn’t even look up when I locked up my brakes and hit the horn.

Kentucky seems to be kicking back up. I'm getting several bucks on camera now during the daytime. That big storm must have kicked them back into gear.