00:00:02 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt podcast, your home for deer hunting news, stories and strategies, and now your host, Mark Kenyon. Welcome to the Wired to Hunt podcast. I'm your host, Mark Kenyan, and this is episode three d and two, and today we're here for another installment of our rut Fresh radio miniseries in which we're checking in with hunters from all across the country to get the latest and greatest intel on deer activity, current conditions, and the tactics that are working right now. All rights Welcome to the Wired to Hunt podcast, brought to you by on X, and today we are back with our every Wednesday episode that probably you're used to by now, in which we're doing our rut Fresh radio mini series. This is what we do during the hunting season. Every week. It's an episode where we chat with hunters from across the country, usually four or five every week, talking about what is happening right now in the white tail. You know what, Spencer, you gotta excuse me for having a sore throat right now, Guys and anyone listening, you can't get mad at me for coughing. You can't get frustrated with the fact that I can't get through our introduction because I have a very good excuse. But but let me finish what I was saying. This is where we get intel on what's happening in the white Tail woods. So right now, that might be how weather conditions are impacting deer, or maybe how changing food sources are impacting deer and the different types of tactics that might work. And then as we get into late October or November, we're gonna be talking about the rut. And when we get into December, maybe we'll be talking about snowstorms. Whatever it is it's going on right now, that's what we're talking about. So Spencer, that's what we usually talk about. Uh. Do you want to hear my excuse for why I can't talk today? Yeah, and it better be a good one because that was not pretty. No, No, that wasn't my best work. I am sitting in a hotel room right now because I am recording the audiobook for my book That Wild Country. UM. So for the last two days, I've been reading my book out loud, NonStop, UM for I don't know how many hours, but the voices is hurting a little bit. I'm actually working on something else. The rest of tonight, which I do want to talk about, Spencer, unless unless you've got something really pressing that you need to start us out with. I want to kind of take a little bit monopolize a little bit of our time here on the front to give everyone an update on something kind of cool. Am I? Am I allowed to do that on this Refresh radio episode? Please do because this is quite the announcement. So not only am my recording an audiobook, which is great and dandy, but actually what's most interesting going on right now and what I'm actually working on the rest of the night tonight is our back forty video series. We talked about this a little bit last week, right we have bought a farm. The media the team has bought a farm, and we are taking this project on to try to use this place as a It's kind of a canvas to tell the story of small properties and private land conservation and what you can do when you're trying to manage a property not just for a bunch of big deer, but but everything in between, bees and birds and bucks and trying to find great hunting too. So that's what this whole project is about. Uh. We launched our first episode of that series on Monday of this week, So the first one is out there. You can watch it on the meat Eater YouTube channel. And I'm probably biased because I'm working on it, but I think it turned up pretty cool. Do you like it? I really liked it, and I liked that it wasn't so white tail heavy, like we're all obsessed to white we're all obsessed about white tails, um, but this took a deeper dive into like private at land conservation in what one person can do with sixty acres. Yeah. Yeah, And and you know, of course we're gonna we're gonna do some serious white tail stuff, no doubt about them. We're gonna be hunting them hard. We're gonna be trying to find ways to to tweak and manipulate and adjust and influence this property to have the best deer hunting possible. No, no, no doubt, We're gonna be digging into that. But yeah, to your point, either, there are other things too, And oftentimes what I'm finding as I'm diving into this whole project and trying to wrap my head around it and learn new things, is that when you start looking at these other species and plant life and all the wildlife out there. You're working on this foundation that still does support those deer hunting goals. So what we do for birds and bees is gonna help dear too, and vice versa. So it's been a great learning experience. I think if you guys check out that first episode, you'll you'll get a better idea of what we're trying to do. And now we just have to try to do the work and make it all reality. So that's my date for the day. Um, have you done anything white tail yet? Are you still chasing milk? Nothing? White tail yet? My first white tail hunt is still actually probably like three weeks away. So for now I'm just relying on our rut Fresh radio guests and you Mark to fill me in on white tails and and keep me going until I get on that first hunt. Um, are you gonna be hunting the back forty like next weekend? Is? Isn't that Michigan's opener? Uh, it's not next weekend, It's it's like the Tuesday after that. I think it's October one, if I've got my calendar right in my head. But yeah, October one, I will be hunting the back forty, so that that will be my first Michigan update from the field. But I actually have a a a Michigan scouting update, if you'll take it well. I got a hot report, hot tip from someone I know very well who said that the rut is on in full force in Michigan right now. I'm telling you, man, the rut is upen. And the person who told me this is my wife a kid, You not my wife, and she actually does know all about dear. She told me that she was watching behind our house where we had a field, and there's like some deer stuff going on behind the house, and she said she saw multiple bucks chasing a dough and fighting. Like I'm not I kept telling like, you're kidding me, Like there's no way that's happening. What are you talking about? And she she kept saying, no, I'm not joking. This is happening right now, I'm watching it. I talked to her on the phone while she was watching. Not just like two bucks, like tickling the times, different bucks, three or four different bucks, going back and forth, going out and getting after it. I don't I have no idea what that's about. It's obviously not the run, I know that, but there was some funky behavior going on the other night running around. She said, six or seven different bucks running all over the place, including like two nice looking deer. Um, so bizarre. I have no explanation for it, but a very interesting observation from one of my top scouting expert experts out there. So how to pass that along. We hear it all the time when it gets to October or even December during the secondary route, that all it takes is one hot dough and uh, a lot of our listeners an hour probably familiar with like the fheedious studies that have been done that kind of show that the rut for the most part, as far as breeding goes, takes place in like the same five day window. Um. Quite often that's that's the case. But there are dolls that get read, like I think, all the way as early as August and as late as like February and March. So if there was some random dough out there that came into estus, then who knows, there's there's no rules at that point, uh late September. If that's the case. Yeah, I mean, I'm I'm I'm gonna guess that it's something, you know, something else, just some crazy behavior. But you never know, like you said, Um, if it was a month later, then I'd be like, Okay, yeah, it's one of these super early doughs. This is just like so outside of the realm of the usual. But I know I trust her that she at least saw that kind of stuff going on. I know that she knows how to identify that kind of thing. So I I am intrigued and I wish I was there to see it myself. Yeah. Well, besides that report, we have a report from Cody Butler from Kansas from Dream Chaser's Hunt, and then in New Hampshire we talked to Brett Joy from Real Tree Sea Bucks, and then Greg Mead from White Tail Properties in Kentucky, and then we go to Minnesota and talk to Matt Coleman from Captured Creative. Nice. That's a good slate. Is there any kind of unifying truth that you've gotten from these folks yet? Is there any theme of this week's episode? Uh? Not really. People are talking about the unseasonably warm temperatures, and then they're also starting to know some sign activity taking play and also kind of the food source shift that acorns are starting to hit the ground, beans are starting to yellow. Um, so there's kind of that light bulb moment that we've talked about before that you sort of see sometime between like mid September and early October where the deer that you've been seeing all year kind of disappear. Yeah, all right, well, I'm interested to hear what's going on. I will stop my random rambling um and just get let's just get after it, all right, We'll talk to you next week. Thanks man. All right. In joining us on the line now is Cody Butler in Kansas from Dream Chasers Hunt. Now, Cody in Kansas, what would you say the buck activity is ben lately? On a scale of one to ten, I would probably say about a five right now. And the reason why I say that is we do have some trail cara pictures and stuff like that of bucks moving around in daylight, even mature deer. We are seeing, um, some younger deer on their feet, um, but for the most part, you're four US year old mature bucks. We're kind of hitting that coming out of your fields and stuff like that, you know, right after dark, uh and stuff like that. So I'd say about a five right now. Are you starting to see the soybeans turned to yellow? In Kansas. Yes, definitely. Um, soybeans are definitely changing. Um. I'm in northern Kansas, so I can't really say, you know, for central and southern by as soon since they're further south, little warmer. Um, they are probably as well changing. Um. There's actually some guys around here. I live around the Nebraska line, just across the border here in Nebraska. There's actually some guys starting to um harvest their beans and stuff. So we're things are definitely full swing for change right now, that's for sure. Are you losing deer on those yellow soybeans then this time of year, yeah, definitely. Um, that's a huge factor. Just kind of depends on the year. Um. We do have some actually that are pretty green. Um. I mean I kind of talked before. We had a lot of rain this way this year, more than I've seen in my lifetime. House actually fits close to the Republican River here, and we almost had floodwaters from the river in our house. Um. So some guys you had to plant their soybeans late. Um. So you know, look, I don't have any of those unfortunately, but there is some guys that are hunting you know, good green soybeans still because farmers had to plant late do the flooding and stuff like that, especially up here close to the river. Unfortunately, most of my Kansas ground is is deeper into Kansas, not right up here on the river. UM, So I don't have a whole lot of green beans, and that's really transitioned um to the corn, which is not the greatest thing in the world because when they go into corn, we can't really go after them to do good this time of year. But corn harvest is kind of started a little bit here and there on some dry land props, so hopefully for long with corn will start coming out and they don't have as many places to hide besides with the crops. Are you feeling the effects of this summer's floods in other ways? For example, did you lose any betting from the rising water? Um? I, you know, I think so, honestly, Um, we did. I do have one place that's close to our home farm in Nebraska that I lease. It's in Kansas. UM. The two farms kind of butt together right on the state lines. Pretty unique situation. And my cousin was actually here hunting with me this year. Um. This week he drew a muslimer tag which is what Kansas is. The season is right now you can bow hunt and musli hunt, and he drew a Mussler tag and we actually went and hunted that lease on the river um. And they actually did get to corn out here like four or five days ago. Um. And it's directly on the river, and it's more of my best places if you've followed any of our stuff. UM, you know, I killed a deer we called longhorn um on that lease actually, and a couple other really good deer there over the years. It's kind of one of my go to spots. And I've got a really good we'll probably mid sixties tin pointer and uh and a big big eight poorn it's probably in the mid fifties there that we really thought we would see after the corn was out, And so we went there last night and we saw four dose in total. Um. You know, for quite some time they had to leave and find a different place to go. And I think it's definitely kind of changed the way they've acted around the river here. For sure. This time of year when you have a lot of deer bedding in the corn, do you have a strategy for getting an arrow in those year or they just unhuntable at this point. Um. It just kind of depends on the situation. UM. A lot of times all set my trail cameras up this time of year kind of to and from like watering most of my farms in Kansas. My grandfather who has now passed away but owned all these properties, he actually put water holes or ponds on almost every single one of the farms for wildlife. And which is good because in our area, other than our lake here, we don't we have a lot of dry creeks, and I mean there's pasture ponds and stuff like that, but there's not a ton of water around. So I really try to set up a lot of my stuff this time of year when it's hot, um trails going to and from corn, um to water things like that, and um, you know they it definitely changes all I guess I'm trying to stay is you definitely noticed that you can't hunt those deer sometimes if you don't have water. If you do have water this time here because it is so hot, I will a lot of times get those deer in daylight coming out of corn to drink. UM. So if we have corn close to water, UM, so that's a really big thing. But there is places as well, um that I just simply can't get in the place we hunted tonight actually is a hundred sixty acre field and then of corn basically, and the very back corner there's about a five acre patch of timber with a pond there, and we hunted there this evening, um, just knowing that water was close. I actually have a food plot down in there as well, and we set up basically transition of deer coming out of timber and corn, and we saw like thirteen different deer. I think I didn't see the buck we're after, but we did see a few other smaller bucks. And about fifty percent of the deer came out of the corn and went down and got a drink and milled around the food potting and then went back to the corn. And the other fifty percent of them came out of the timber and then headed to the corn. So it definitely, um, it definitely hurts us this time, especially when the beans are starting to change. They really transition to that corn, and once they're in there, it's definitely hard to get a pattern on them and get them figured out because they really don't have to leave too much. Have you noticed any signmakings start to show up in Kansas? Um, definitely, Uh, there's actually a lot of scrapes and rubs. We noticed the place that we went tonight. We're after a big six pointer UM. He had been coming out of corn going down to a food plot and we'll have a pam there. And we actually noticed night when we walked in just three days ago, I actually checked the trail camera and there wasn't any scrapes or rubs. And when we went in tonight there was actually a brand new big scrape I'm on the edge of the food plot, and a pretty good rub on a cedar tree. And just in the last three days. So I really think as some of these cooler tempts come in. I think we had a hive eighty today. By the end of the week, we've got some lows in the fifties. So I think it's these temps start to drop. You know, these they are really gonna start making, you know, laying down scrapes and starting to figure out their territories and stuff like that. So it's definitely definitely they're starting to get with it for sure going forward. Then this next week or so, what do you think that bucket activity is going to be on a scale of one to tending Kansas. I honestly think it's gonna jump quite a bit. I really think we might be up towards an eight. Honestly. We've got some fool weather coming in and we've got some highs in the upper sixties in most seventies, like I said, lows in the fifties. I think that's gonna be a huge change compared to what we had. Um, we've been having some mid nineties and and things like that. So I definitely think buck activity is gonna go up when those temperatures dropping, Like I said, harvest is starting. We've got some I was getting their dry ankle warm out and stuff like that. The more and more corn get out gets out in the country here, um, you know, we're gonna have more gear moving into those places, the smaller wood lots and things like that that we hunt here in Kansas, where they're easier to get at and we can pattern them a little bit easier. All right, Cody, great intel, thanks for joining me in good luck this season. Thanks man, you too, Take care alright. And joining us on the line next is Brett joy In New Hampshire from Real Tree Sea Bucks now Brett in New Hampshire. What would you say the bucket activity is been lateley on a scale of one to ten, well need to be negative, um, but I really feel it's about the ones I've never seen it. It's bad. Um. We have a couple of differents contributed that. The first of which and the probably the most significant, is the a corn crop. We've got have a incredible red oak crop in my area, I think in a lot of New Hampshire. So the bucks really don't have to move very far at all. Um, well, they don't have to move where they could probably just it. They're cloric in take sitting on the belly all day. They didn't have to get up. Um. That also the fact that it's been above average temperatures um for the most parties in a couple of days and about average. But I think there's been like oh I think seven to time in the last yeah, seven to ten days out the last like thirteen. I think the season is an open. Four have been above average. And the last is the fact that I just think there's probably a few less bucks in the wood that were last year because we had an incredible deer harvest, which is a good thing for hunters, but we also had no mass crop and an early heavy snowfall and cold temperatures doing a run, So I don't think that a lot of the bucks went into the winter, probably in a little bit rougher shape than they typically do, and I suspect there is a bit more of a winter kill, so just less opportunity for for bucks in general. The Wizard year. Can you recall a season in recent years for the acorn crop? Was this big? This early? Yeah? We we This actually is is more typical than you think we do have. There's probably every maybe three years, um. I think two years ago and two thousand and seventeen it was like that. Thinking back, I know that it's had a few back and within the past you know, five or ten years, and I like that. So it's it's typical and there's something that we deal with every few years, and you kind of have to expect that it's going to happen. I knew what was going to just scout and look for mass producing trees and they're loaded up, so you know it's coming, but it's still difficulty. You know it's coming, how long do the deer key in on those acorns. Is that something that you're concerned with all fall or does that just go through October? Yeah, No, it's it's pretty much all fall for us. Um, we have such a volume of of mass crop here this year that they will be key to those acorns, probably three November in December, and even some years we have eight points less in the spring that this starting, you mean, So that's that will be the theme of the entire fall. Obviously has since change with the run battle that will change your game a little bit. But right now it's all about acorns and warm weather. Those are the two biggest things that would deal with. So what do your setups look like this season versus last? With those acorn crops being so different. So I think that the the way to combattis is to look at kind of backwards. Now, there's food everywhere for the most part, so I try to focus on betting food. Um, that's kind of the thing that's at I guess the pretty although it really isn't because there's just food everywhere. But if you had to find a limiting factor, would probably be betting. But even that's extremely difficult as it is. But it's less difficult than trying to determine which, you know, food, sourcery, you thin, because we lose food every which way you turn. Um. So really I'm focusing on betting and trying to run cameras about betting areas and figure out where the deer of betting um. And then I think once you determine that, you have a chance of getting on it, so you can just figure route, you know what, what stand of oaks that they're keing in on at that time. But the problem is is that that's always changing this time of the the year because the bounce from stand at oak to stand at oakau is you know, some oaks have preferred over other acorns or a particular tree taste better. Do you notice any big changes in signmaking in years where there's such a big acorn crop in those bucks maybe don't have to travel as far as they normally do. So I don't think I've seen, uh, I see much of a difference in the volume of sign making. What you do see is it's more in concentrated areas, so they'll find a bunch of regence scripts around pockets of folks that they're preferring at that time. If you find those resinence grapes, they could be onto the next you know oak preferred oak of the week and all that sign is irrelevant. So you really have to find the sign right when they're making it, when they're there, uh, and capitalize and it's not it's just it's just you're trying to have it right and it's really difficult to do going forward. Then this next week or so, what do you think that bucket activity is going to be on a scale of one to two in New Hampshire. I think it's probably gonna maintain it a solid one. I don't see you getting in a very extended forecast. Is still above average temperature. Um. If anything, there's gonna be more acorns on the ground next week, and um, you know it's we're getting a period of time where bucks have been telling reclusive and loners, so that becoming even more difficult to find. At least the last first week of the season had a little bit of summer activity and where these bucks were a little bit more social. But we're not gonna have that anymore, so it may even get worse. Unfortunately, hate to be negative, but that's just kind of my my estimation over the next week. I'm sure your forecast is close, but I hope you're wrong. Breat but good luck for the rest of the season too. Thanks Spencer, alright and joining us on the line next is Greg Mead in Kentucky from White Tail Properties. Now, Greg in Kentucky, what would you say the buck activity has been lately on a skilled one to ten, Probably been about a six as of late as far as daylot movement, um that the temperatures here have been maybe a little bit unseasonably warm in the upper eighties maybe nineties, and the days and just didn't cooling off that much at night right now, So that's that's really restricting the movement too, probably the last thirty minutes or so of daylight in the evening and maybe the same in the mornings. What kind of food sources should hunters in Kentucky be focusing in on right now? Um, where they're where they have them available? Uh, the oaks and the acorns are really starting to to bear right now and drop, and particularly the white oaks if you've got them, if you've got crop fields nearby, uh soybeans or whatnot, and they're really starting to move towards the acorns, which is pretty normal this time of year with it being unseasonably warm. Do you then focus on water on Kentucky? Yes, Uh, that that does help, especially if the area you're hunting has a limited source of water being you know, ponds or small small water in holes. Uh. If you've got long streams that are still a roll in the year round streams, then you know that that can be a little bit difficult to key in on. Have you noticed any signmaking that started yet a little bit a little bit, um. I think mostly what we're seeing though, um is is the velvet shedding, you know, where they're starting to rub. But they were mostly that. Uh. There was a little bit of a peak there of that right around the end of August, in the first week of September when they were coming out of velvet. I haven't really noticed uh any at normally high amount though since then. I believe the cooler temperatures they'll really kick those animals in gear uh and they'll start to start to show a little more sign Where are you running your trail cameras right now? And how is that going to change as we get into October? Um? Right now, still trying to run them off of food sources, maybe on trails leading to those food sources, or even possibly in the staging areas right before they hit those food sources. UM. As we as we keep moving on through into the month of October, I think you might be able to get them on some early uh scrapes um not necessarily breeding scrapes, but the year round scrapes that they make, or licking licking branches that they visit, and you can start to catch animals there or even in funnels and places where you that the movement is restricted. Do you pay any attention to the moon phases this time of year, you know, this time of year, it seems like to me it's not not really the temperature seems to be the major dictating factor on on when these animals move. Right now, get closer into the rud it seems like, yes, the moon phases, will you know, start to determine a little bit of that movement. You get more midday movement, But right now, it's just the temperatures just starting to put on their summer their winter coach rather, and it'd be like you or I wearing a winter coach trying to run around and nine agree weather there they're they're not real active right now more than they have to be going forward. Then in the sext week or so, what do you think that bucket activity is going to be on a scale of one to ten in Kentucky. Um, As I looked at the forecast, it looks like we're we're heating back up next week as well. We've got a day or two right now that's dropped down in the in the eighties. But as we move forward into next week, the forecast is we're gonna be back into the nineties. So I really don't expect it to change very much, uh through next week just yet. But the first really good cold snap we get or cool front we get that moves in, I could definitely expect to see them on their feet, maybe another thirty minutes or so before daylight, maybe an hour total or something. So I think animals could could certainly be you know, exploited to to reach in there and get some kills. Maybe. Well, good luck this season, and thanks for joining me, all right, thank you very much, all right, and joining us on the line. Next is Matt Coleman in Minnesota from Captured Creative. Now, Matt in Minnesota, what would you say the bucket activity has been lately on a scale of one to ten UM, I would say it's about a evan um. Not much for mature bucks, doesn't seem like in our area, but lots of younger bucks moving um seeing almost all the younger bucks on the camera every time we go hunt. What do you think is the food source to key in on this time of year for us? Right now? And they kind of seem to be going off the beans because they're starting to turn yellow and mature a little bit. So we really try and key in on like the brass because um oates if we have any of those planted things like that, some of the greens. Have you noticed any signmaking starting to show up in Minnesota? The last time we hunted, actually we saw almost every book we saw was either working a scrape or making a rub, and they're all kind of starting to spar with each other a little bit and starting to show a little bit more aggression towards each other. So what do your guys is opening day setups look like it now? Minnesota just had their opening here about a week ago or so. For us, we don't have very many huntable trees on our land, so we sit in a lot of like box blinds that we built ourselves, UM building big enough to shoot the ball out of them and comfortable for a gun to UM. Normally, we try and play the wind as much as we cannot really mess anything up, or just kind of observed the first few days at least and see what the movement is like on cameras. How does your trail camp strategy change as we get into October? Oh, we kind of start to move our cameras onto scrapes, looking branches, things like that, and uh, just kind of more travel corridors. If new bucks show up in the area, then we try and catch them, maybe start to pattern what they what they do on a weekly basis. Matt for Opener, were you still seeing some bachelor groups together. Yeah, we saw a lot of the smaller bucks, maybe something like the two and a half or three and a half year old, in groups of about three or four. Still, the bigger bucks kind of seemed to be peeling off away each other though. Going forward, then, in this next week or so, what do you think that buck activity is going to be on a scale of one to ten in Minnesota? UM, I would say the activity would probably be about a seven or eight kind of depending on what the weather is like. UM, I'd expect a lot of the younger bucks to still be moving. UM, some of the older ones, It's hard to say. I guess it's kind of hit and miss in our area. I don't know. We're kind of in an open area. Some some of the timbered areas maybe were there hang out a little more during the day and mill around could be a little bit better. All right, man, Well, good luck to you and the guys from Captured. Thanks for joining me. Yep, no problem, and that concludes this week's episode of rut Fresh Radio. Thanks to Cody, Brett, Greg and Matt for joining me, and thank you guys for listening. As always, make sure you're following me, Mark and meat Eater on social media, and don't forget to check out episode one of the Back forty, available now on Meat Eaters YouTube channel. Later this week, you're also going to be seeing episode three of How to Kill a Buck on YouTube, where me, Mark and Tony Peterson discussed early October strategies and break down how we'd haunt a certain property. I'll talk to you guys next week, but in hill then stay wired to hoot,

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