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 number three and fourteen and today the show. We're back for another rut Fresh Radio episode in which we're getting the latest intel from across the country on the White Tail Rut, how deer activities changing in the tactics that are working right now? All right, welcome to the Wired to Hunt podcast, brought to you by on X. It is rut Fresh Radio here for you this week in which we're giving you our weekly update from myself and from Spencer new Hearth and from a series of hunters all across the count tree on what's happening in the woods. What's the progress of the rut, Howard dear acting, what contactics are working right now? That's we're gonna do. And it is November. No more exciting time to be in the woods. There's no more exciting time to listen to rout Fresh Radio as far as I'm concerned. Um, And we've got all sorts of good stuff today, don't win, ma'am? Yeah? Um? This is the time of year where you could just about not listen to podcast. I hope that you do, because I think you're still gonna get good info. But kind of everything goes out the window when it is these first you know, like fifteen days of November. The weather doesn't really matter, the moon doesn't really matter. Um, the biggest thing that matters is that you're in the woods and that it's early November, because the rut is going to be happening. As as some might say the rut is fresh, it's a good run. I haven't been sleeping very much late least, so my my wit and my humor is probably off off right now. That's okay. I think we were due to fit that in somewhere. It hadn't happened. But yeah, man, so we've got rut reports from four different people today, but you've got a rut report yourself, right. Yeah. I came back to South Dakota for a week of hunting, and I actually tagged out on my third day. The deer movement was great while I was here. If you were to break like the rut down into the phases as we like to do, it's not always, you know, as cute and in these boxes as we think. But if you wanted to do that, um, I would say, right now we're in like the chasing phase, which is a really exciting time to be in the woods because different than seeking that the deer aren't out just like looking for doughs. They are harassing the doughs, and that can move them all over a property and so and it can move them all over property like at any time of day two, I think we might still be a few days away from like those big mature bucks showing themselves at midday and and harassing doves. But right now there's a ton of one and a half, two and a half, three year and a half year old bucks that are out harassing these doves. And it's a really fun time to be in the woods. And that's what was going on when I was out there on November four. It's only about twenty minutes into shooting light. I was hunting some doll betting. The devis had showed up and they got nervous because this buck was around, and he chased them off, and after they were gone, I grunted him in and shot him at twelve yards and and that was my South Dakota archer season is this, Uh, did you have any trail cameras running on these properties? Are you going completely blind this year? Nothing? I was going to completely blind, um, which is sort of new. I usually am running at least a dozen trail cameras and actively scouting these properties, but with the move to Montana, I decided I was just going to do everything blind this year. UM. And I really regretted it when I got back. I'd love to have that intel. But it was also exciting just being out there and seeing all these dear sort of for the first time. Yeah, did you see any other nice bucks? Um? I I saw maybe one and one other buck that would have been a mature buck that I would have shot. But for the most part, the action that I was seeing was those one and a half two and a half three and a half year old deer really outter asking those doughs. But I think if I was in a tree right now for these next couple of days, you would start to see some of those more mature deer showing up and probably dear that even if you did run trail cameras, you may be weren't even familiar with because they're making these longer extended walk abouts looking for dose. Yeah, tause the season. Um, okay, well that is awesome. Congrats on the buck um beautiful, dear, dude, beautiful in South Dakota, Dear, I feel like this prairie deer I'll have that somewhat unique coloration. I don't know if you've ever noticed that, because that's where you grew up, but they just had this. They blend in really well with that grass out there. It seems like they're just a little bit lighter. Um, and I think that's a pretty deer. Yeah, it's It's a funny area to hunt, and I will certainly be coming back every year no matter where I live. So I've been at it in Michigan too. I can give you an update. Um. The rut really start to pick up around here on Halloween night. Halloween night is when I saw my first real running activity. Um. I went out there and it was actually nasty conditions. It was twenty wind rain and then eventually snow, and in my head, I was like, should I take the night off and get some family time in or get some work done because it's just so gnarly out there. Everything's probably gonna bedded down, but I just was like, man, it's Halloween night. I haven't missed a Halloween sitting forever. You gotta just be out there. You never know what could happen. So I went out sat a box blind. Actually just figure I'll go somewhere where it's not gonna be a horrible impact if the wind is crazy, but at least I can see something, and ended up seeing a ton of deer bucks were all over the place, and I saw my target buck for the first time hunting, I saw Tran. So Tran was back in the bedding area and the neighbors like see him. He started running around and then he actually ran all the way right to the edge of the property I can hunt, and then spun right the last minute, probably at sixty yards, and then a dough it popped out and he spun and chased her up and then ran way off from the distance. But it's cool to have that first encounter. That was exciting. And then the next day was November one, so I've starting my all day sits um sat that day and in the morning, I'm hunting down wind of the dough betting are just like you were, And I have a couple of young bucks come cruising through, and then I spot a big set of legs off in the distance, pull up my by nose, and right away I can tell that's a that's a good buck. And then all of a sudden realized, oh, that's that's this buck I've been calling RB my buddy was a good man. That bucks risky business because we didn't know if he was three or four, so I was referring to his r B. That's him, give mcgruant. And then he just turns and starts walking right at me, and then stops, rips up a tree and then comes right in. Now, this buck, I can't remember. Have we talked about this buck? You and you and I yet? Okay, So this is a deer I saw all summer when I was out glass and being fields in the properties. Really nice, dear. Um, I kind of assumed that he was three. He's maybe one thirties type ten point buck, which is a really good buck for around here. Um. You know, I've only had a handful of bucks like that on this farm ever. Um, last year with that buck frank At killed, he was an anomaly. We never have deer like that usually, you know, class three year olds or the best we've gotten the farm. Well, this year I had a hundred thirty class three year old nine pointer and then a hundred and thirty somethings ten pointer. This deer that I was thinking was three as well. But I started looking at trail camera pictures of him throughout the fall and I'm like, dang, maybe he's older. Looking at the body, I was like, gosh, some of these pictures, he looks like he's got a tank of a body. So I just kept on going back and forth, back and forth. I've been, you know, thinking about trans so much. This this four year old eight pointer that I passed last year that I really thought this year was gonna be all about trains. So I've been so focused and trying to dial in what he's doing and trying to get in there after him, and so I kind of get hung up on that single buck thing, as you know. Um. But then i started looking at pictures of this dear RB and I'm thinking, man, if he's four, you know, four year old buck in Michigan, that's something you can't pass on. Um. So I just kept on going back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. In my head every time I go out to the tree, I look at a picture of him and be like, what would I do if he showed up? And then I kind of left it at I would be a game time decision. If he shows up and he just looks like an absolute tank and you get pumped up, let it out a rip um. If not, don't. Well, November one, here he comes and he comes in on string, comes right in and steps into my shooting lane. I draw back. He's at twenty yards and I'm still I still like, I don't know, and so I didn't shoot. I just couldn't bring myself to shoot in that moment um because if I shoot that buck, then I'm not gonna hunt tryin the rest of the year because I had to save a tag for the back forty, So it would have been the end of my hunting on on this property that I like to spend a lot of time on. And what was the date of that again, the morning of November one, and he was just out cruising and he came in right to that ground call passed on him, and then as he walked away, I got I got more time to look at him because when he came in, he came in fast. He came in through the brush. I knew it was him, but I couldn't really look at him well. But as he walked away, I could see him and I'm like, oh boy, he looks really nice. I mean, he's a nice buck. Um, one of the top you dear, probably as far as antlers and body you know, that I've had on this farm over the years. Um. But I passed on and then at that point it's like, well, you're crazy, but you sure as hell better get a shot train after doing that. So one of the rest of the day saw some more cruising, lots of like two year olds up on their feet cruising around. UM year and a half old as well, and I saw a decent three year old that night. Again, I'll do the same thing checking out doe betting ears. Um. The next morning, I go back into the same general zone, but just bumped one doe betting air over. There's kind of a series of three doe betting areas on one side of this property. Uh, one of them is on the neighbors, two of them are on mine. And I can get kind of along this line and then you'll get these bucks that go from betting air to betting aar to betting air and just follow the edge of it. And I'm on that edge. Uh well, first light, I hear crashing around behind me, and I turned around and I just see a profile of a rack passing through the brush and I'm like bam, like instantly could tell that was Tran And he was right there. I don't know, thirty yards probably, but this is before shooting light. This is as it's just light enough that you can see stuff. But like I could, I would never be able to get a shot. And it was still too early. I saw him pass through. He was in there, and you could just hear crunching around and things snapping something, and maybe he's in there with a dill the way it sounded like it was he. He was in there for a long period time, but he never popped out again. I couldn't see him, couldn't coax him out, nothing. So then I wait, I wait, I wait, I watch, And then a little two year old eight pointer comes running out, And then I started second guessing myself. Was this the buck that was into the whole time? Did I somehow in my head just get over excited and think it was Tran and instead it was just this this two year old eight he puts out and um, then a doe heads out and there's no other buck behind her. So then that's what I ended up thinking. Okay, that's that must be what happened. Um, so I feel kind of like an idiot. I was getting all fired up, and then the buck I thought it was wasn't even in there. I'd also seen the trespasser that morning, um, walking across one of my neighbors, and so I was busy trying to get ahold of the conservation officer and trying to get ahold of my neighbor. And so I'm dealing with all that, and then I turned around again and there's Tran. He's standing at like sixty yards with a dough, so he had been in there, um, but this is the other buck had passed through, so trans out there sixty yards, he came out of the bedding. Year he's with the dough, and long story short, he's out of range, but he's on this dough and he does these long circles around her, getting closer and then farther, closer, and then farther, and then at one point he walked way off like several hundred yards away, and I was like, okay, it's done. The dough is way over there. And then I looked to my right to see what's going on if there's anything behind me, turned back and there's like four or five doughs running right at me at like twenty yards and trans right behind him. I'm like, holy crap, it's gonna happen. I grabbed my bow. I'm thinking in my head, is this real life? Um? He's tearing at me, he's at sixties, at fifty five, he's at fifty. And then he stops it, turns around, goes wack, walking back towards the one solitary dell that he'd been with the whole time. That was the story of November two. Tran was was on that dough, UM, hot and heavy with her. Couldn't get him to couldn't get him to give her up, didn't get the shop, but it was exciting UM. And then that was that was it. I tried to hunt again that evening, hoping that she would cycle back through her circle back through with him. I moved to stand thirty yards closer to where they were at, hoping maybe they'd follow that same entry point in the betting area, but they did not, and the next day I had to move to the back forty because we were starting to film our rut hunts here in the back forty. So I will try to be this along. I won't give the full story because I'll probably do a big recap of this um with Dan on a main episode here soon. But the rut fresh report on the back forty was that it was very very slow. I mean we were seeing hardly anything, um hunting our best spots. Finally going into the honey hole, which is this awesome ridge transition slash bedding area that I thought would be just bucks have to be passing through there. Um. Then it moved to a pinch point along the edge of the swamp. So good looking. But we're seeing three doughs in a year and a half old in the morning, two doys in a year and a half old in the evening, a doll in a buck in the morning, a dough and two year and a half hold in the evening. I mean, just deathly slow days. Um, this is getting pretty frustrating. But yesterday morning I heard a buck bumping the doll around in the brush, but can never see them. Kept on watching, kept on watching, kept on watching. Then I turned to look over my back and I see a big buck running across the field. And it was this deer, that the one buck that we've gotten the most pictures of that I saw once because I bumped him. This buck I was kind of referring to as the wide eight, the wide dates running across the rage behind me. I bust out my grunt tube. I fire off a large allowed grunt and he stops on a dime, turns and looks, and then starts jogging right at me. And long story short after going down wind of me, came down wind, stopped, put his nose in the air, sniff sniff, sniff, take a few steps looking at me, sniff sniff sniff, keeps coming right in, gets to twenty yards double along him, And that was my rut on the back. Forty killed our first buck off the back. Forty proved that a thorough sent control process can pay off and had a hell of a day. So it was nice to finally see some running action out there, because up to that point it has been tough. But I think that was a great reminder for me and I had these every year. The rut can be so hot and cold. Even though it might be a day that's supposed to be great, if you're not in it, it can be nothing. You won't see any ne dear at all. You might see a few does. It could just feel like the run has passed you by. But then in a second, you know, in a moment, it all change. So the rut for me is all about trying to play that mental game, trying to stay positive and focused, because when the moments come, they're quick and you gotta be ready for it. Yeah, and I think that there is a level of maturity that comes with understanding that during the rout, because oftentimes your best rut setups are going to be in some kind of tight corridor where you don't have much for a line of vision. And so you could go to a place like that that's like the perfect funnel, but you can't see, you know, beyond fifty yards, and so you could sit there all day and not see any deer. But when you do, it's those encounters that counts. And then there's a level of maturity that comes with understanding that and accepting that, you know, an observation stand might get you a sighting of a dozen dear, but it doesn't really do you any good if if they're not within bow range. Yeah, it definitely is hard to do that unless you have experience that tells you, hey, it's gonna be okay. These long, slow sets are worth it if you know you're in the right places. Um. Like you said, that does take some some experience and some maturity to to know that and accept that. Um. So it was nice to see that come to fruition for me here recently, and glad did for you too. Yeah, we'll congrat something awesome deer. Um. And it sounds like we both agree that the rut is here and maybe the best days are coming, like this weekend or right around this weekend, if you need any further motivation to to get out and hunt here in these coming days. Last year, I did an article for Meat Eater on the best day of the white tail runte and I reach out to ten people that I would consider to be white tail experts like Bill Winky, Tony Peterson, Mark jur and I asked them what their absolute favorite day of the rut is, and seventy percent of them agreed on a day between November seven and November ten. So this four day wind coming up here in November seven, November ten. Many hunters who have a ton of cloud agree is the best time to be in the woods. Can't beat it, man, this is the super Bowl. And uh I've got one more tag in Michigan and a big eight pointer with with his name on it. So hopefully we'll have some good news on that front soon too. Yeah. Well, besides from us this week, he was here from Mike Han Sucker and Missouri from Hartland Bowl Hunter, and then we go to New Jersey and talked to Pat Cutter from Red Hand Outdoor Company, and then in Texas we talked to Tyler Jones from the Element podcast and then we talked to Sam Sohold from public Land Bus in South Dakota. Is that the public Land van now what he still has? Both? It's not. The public Land Bus isn't gone, it's just now he is downsized and made his fleet a little more versatile. Nice. Versatility is key. That's the key thing to think about during the run as well. So well that said, I'm I'm ready to wrap this up a few are and get to those interviews. Alright, Happy Rutt, and we will talk to you next week. Alright, and joining us on the line next is Mike han Sucker from Heart Lampbow Hunter in Missouri. Now, Mike in Missouri. What would you say the buck activities been lately? On a scale of one to ten, I would say probably a seven. Probably. Uh, it seems like, you know, we're seeing a lot of cruising, a lot of younger bucks cruising. Um, seeing some mature deer on their feet, um, but not quite running hard yet. So I think it's you know, they're they're seeking a lot, they're they're hitting scrapes and and uh, you know, moving around. But I don't think it's full born yet. What's your strategy for trail cameras this time of year? Oh? Man, you really should just throw them out. Throw the trail camera strategy out the window. I feel like it's like, oh, we get so hooked on, you know, trying to figure out what a deer is doing and trying to figure out what what area the deer is in, and um, you know, they definitely can't help we. We'll run some shellyo cameras and it is nice to know, u you know, when the buck screws in the scrape, when he especially in the coming weeks, you know, when he might be in between does and he might be looking. It's good to know then. Um, otherwise, man, they can really just seems like they just drive you nuts this time a year because you know, you check one and you're like, oh, I should have been here and should have been there, and when those deals this time of the year, you just gotta get in the woods and hunt your spots that the most productive and um, you know, you just gotta hunt hard and hopefully luck fall in your favor. You just mentioned scrapes. Are you still seeing some fresh signmaking in Missouri? Yeah? Oh yeah, they're hitting the scrapes really hard right now. It seems like, um, I've seen a lot of buckscrews hitting scrapes. Actually a buck that I was hunting this past week in Missouri, um was actually frequenting this scrape but two days in a row, middle of the day, like one thirty one day and two o'clock the next day before it goes before the time change. But basically you know, early early midday. So now, for most hunters, using a decoy is kind of hail mary, but it seems like you have a ton of success doing it, so much so that you just decoyed in two bucks today. Tell me about what your decoy strategies are. Yeah, I absolutely loved using a decoy this time of year, um, when the bucks are just on their feet just you know, cruise and cruise and cruising. Um. You know, the decoys are hit or miss. A lot of people don't have success with them because you know, I use a buck decoy exclusively. I don't really mess the dough decoy yet or at all. I really haven't much us all released so um, but those will get nervous with the buck decoy and they'll come in and they'll stop and blow and run off and they can mess up a hunt. And so you know, a lot most of the time, I'm not using them in super high beared into the areas um where you know you're hoping to see much of deer. A lot of times it's more of an observation sitting spot where I can kind of sit back look see movement maybe called the deer um. You know there are there is an exception. I mean like actually this morning, you know, I was hunting over a plot with one um and I would never usually hunting more you know, food plot in the morning. Um, or with a deco. But this time of year, the does are are being harassed so much in these fop plots, then they're not really spending much time in there. So the bucks are coming, they'll come pop up and check them, but the doughs aren't, you know, spending a ton of time in the food plots. So I just kind of trying to risk it there. Do you do anything with scents during the rout? You know, I don't, Actually, um, I probably should. I just have never been a big sin guy. Um, I just have never been you know, big on introducing any other any sent outside of you know, minimal minimal sense. So um, I probably should, though I can see it being effective with the decoy I have in the past actually saved you know, TARSI lands off bucks and I put them on the decoy when using it, um, because they always circled down when the decoy. That's the hard part is getting is positioning the decoy to where they can circle down when come in to the setup without getting down when the view and offer you a shot. And so um, I think, you know, having some sent could definitely definitely help. Like the encounter I had the night last night. Actually the buck circled down wint to the decoy, and he circled wide down whin so he kind of got to where he was on our you know, almost down on the bus. And if we maybe had that sin like he he wasn't like he didn't pick us up big time and since freak, but he just kind of like I have on the vill right, So I think, you know, for maybe we had a little bit of a bucks and on that deacoy may have you know, convinced them otherwise. But so hard to say. When you do make a shot using a decoy, how does that often play out? Are you making the shot as the buck approaches a decoy or is it right after he gets up to the decoy? How how does that usually go for you? It all depends. Um Ideally you shoot him before they get to the decoy, because most of the time they either get you know, two or three feet and just charge it and then they freak out because the deco goes flying and it's hard plastic, or sometimes they'll come up to it slowly if they're not really aggressive and confident, they'll come up to a slowly and they'll smell it and they'll stick their nose up to it, and I don't know if it's the fact it doesn't have any sent or if it's that it's like a hard plastic that they just they just know it's not right. And a lot of times they'll they'll bust out and you won't get a shot. And so I always try to get a shot prior, um, you know, because then getting too close. But it can be tough. I mean, the buck I killed a couple of years ago, and I I tried to stop, and they usually are so so into it that they don't really hear anything, and so getting in the stop can be really tough going forward. Then, in this next week or so, what do you think that bucket activity is going to be on the scale of one to ten in Missouri? I would say it's gonna be a nine or ten. I gotta think, you know, these next few days, especially, um, I think that they're gonna start really really running hard. We got some good weather coming. Actually the weather has been great for the past week, and uh really can't complain about the weather at all. So I think these next these next you know, three, four or five days could be pretty special. Alright, Mike, I hope the decoy success continues. Good luck and thanks for joining me. All right, thanks man, all right in joining us online. Next is Pat Cutter from Red Hand Outdoor Company in New Jersey. Now, Pat in New Jersey. What would you say the bucket activities been lately? On a scale of one to ten? He was up Spencer, Um, I'd say right now today, Uh, it's probably about a seven or eight. Um, I think it's really starting to pick up now. I had I had hunt it yesterday morning and uh, I passed up a good three year old yesterday. And also yesterday afternoon I had a buck dogging doll all behind me and the thick stuff. Um, I could never get a crack at that one. Um. But this morning again I went out. I went out this morning and had another buck chasing the doll all over the place, just just out of range. Um. You know, I think it's I think it's really turning on right now. Are you seeing any midday movement in and if not, how far away do you think we are from some of that midday action? Um. There. I did check some cameras midday to day and I have been seen some midday cruisers. Um. Nothing nothing over the age of really four and a half, some like two and three year old cruisers. But I think, you know, if you got the time now, I think now is the time to to to sit all day and just put all your cards in. Are you seeing any signmaking still in New Jersey? And how do you factor that into your decision making? Um? Not as much. I mean scrapes have have kind of trickled out a little bit. UM. I think now they're just they're just looking for the for the for the dose. UM. I would get you know, you know in those typical funnels, or or get you know downwind of known Gough betting areas and and just post up shop there and you know it's this time of year. It's all. It's all a lucky thing. Really, He's got to be at the right place at the right time and put your time in a lot of the country for this rut is dealing with standing crops? Is that something you're dealing with the New Jersey. I have seen standing crops. Um. I did lose the one lease that I'm on, um, so I'm not really hunting any egg properties right now, but I have seen it. I have seen crops still standing, so I'm sure it's somewhat of an issue for for some guys. But I'm all, I'm hunting all big woods right now, so obviously it's not for me. When you are hunting those big woods. What food sources are you focused on right now? I'm up by us in the mountains, up by us a lot of red oaks this year. Um, the whites really didn't produce this year, but but the ground is littered with red oaks. And you know, I got some of my cameras on video video mode and you could just see them just munching, you know, the cruise by the camera, they hit a scrape and they'll grab a couple of acorns and just keep moving. So they're all over the place this year. When you're hunting the big woods in New Jersey on public land, I assume that you're forced to do some scouting as you go. What's your strategy for scouting this time year when you plan on hunting right away. I'm trying to find something that's going to change the deer, whether you know, I got some spots um where there's some there's some swamps, swamps up on top of a ridge, and I'm trying to, you know, find spots that will pinch the deer through a spot you know within you know, anywhere from thirty to fifty yards where I can get a shot at him. Um, something like that. Um. You know, this morning I hunted on top of a big mountain world ridge and um, right right at the point, like the the thick laurels kind of open up a little bit, so they so they run that edge. UM. So that's something pretty much for what I'm looking for. Um. But you know, it all depends. Like this morning, I set up on that edge and the deer were in the thick stuff and they ended up cutting down to the bottom and I never I never saw him again. But do you do any calling when you're hunting public land in New Jersey? I do? I mean these bucks they don't see too many humans or hunters. If you're getting back to certain spots, Um, they're they're not hearing much of that. I do. I did call it the buck yesterday, and I did call it the buck this morning, but they were they were so focused on the on that dough that it didn't make any difference and they just wanted to leave in her. So going forward, then in the next week or so, what do you think that buck activity is going to be on a scale of one to ten in New Jersey? I think it's gonna stay pretty steady, um, around seven, eight to nine even. I mean, our our temperatures are right, we're coming into a good, a good moon phase. Um, as long as they're not getting locked down. UM, I think it's gonna be good the next the next week or so. Alr, pat, good luck the rest of the fall. Thanks for joining me. Thank you, Spencer, alright and joining us on the line. Next is Tyler Jones from the Element podcast in Texas. Now, Tyler in Texas, what would you say the buck activities been lately on a scale of one to ten um, it's probably around the six man um, I would say, I mean there's been a good buck activity activity. I guess if you want to look at screens and um, we've seen a tiny young bucks side. I mean, I think we've got footage of bucks fiding on the seventh of October, which is early for us. I mean it's it's usually going to be in the nineties far as temperature goes that time of year. And um, so I mean we've had a good, very cool October after having the hattest September on record, and I think it really kicked um the bucks into kind of overdrive. But I don't think it's necessarily done anything for the dose. So as far as like stages of the room, we're still not quite there. I don't think. So. When you hear the report out of someplace like Indiana or Kansas, for example, how relatable is that for you guys in Texas, Uh, we don't typically pay a whole lot of attention to it. Um. I mean, and there's so many different ecoregions in Texas where you know, we've uh we've got a coastal region, We've got the Panhama region, you know, mountains, uh, piney woods, all these different regions, so there's different uh windows. I mean, we have year that rut in August and in the brush country South Texas, then they run in mid December. So um, it's it's definitely, you know, very specific to the region. But overall we don't pay attention to a lot of that. I mean, I gotta report from a buddy yesterday and he said he's all bucks chasing at mid Dundy in Ottawa and and essentially saying get up here, which I can't right now, you know, but uh, it's it doesn't mean a whole lot to us because ums in Texas and UM a different part of the state than I live in, and it's um, you know, it's it's still deer checking scrapes and kind of light cruise in real early in the morning. But there's nothing like morning at all. Are you seeing much for signmaking right now? Then? Yeah, there's uh, there's there's a pretty good, um, you know, number of scrapes. UM, haven't seen a ton of road humor. I just um, I think in the last week or so, temps have been pretty moderate. I know at home they've been in the um load of mid seventies. UM where I'm at right now, we're still getting pushing into the mid sixties, even though it's kind of cold in the mornings and at night. UM, So you know, it's I just don't know that they're all swollen up and read to you know, push trees around two much I'm seeing if you're here in there, but mostly still scraps. And actually a guy on this hunt this morning shot a real nice eight point on a great um this morning. So it's definitely an effective thing for us. Here. If you're not seeing much for rutting activity, that I imagine a lot of your focus has been on food. What food sources should hunters be looking for right now? In Texas? You know oaks were back home where I'm at, oaks are predominant food source. UM had another buddy shoot public Landier in late October and he said there wasn't a thing in his stomach to step for anythings. And UM, so I mean, well, what we'll do is usually start out in mid October in October hunting shumart oaks back home, UM, which are a red oak with a big acron and UM, by this point those are starting to stay and we've had a lot of the swamp oaks, the willow oaks. UM. Those kind of oaks are have dropped these really bright orange acrons on on the inside their bright orange. So they've got a lot o pins and know, but they start to break down this month and especially in the December, those will become a pretty good food source. UM. Per Simmons also something that is UM. Depending on where you're at and how much wins you had, you've had, UM, they're probably about right right now. UM. They may be on the back end of that a little bit. UM. So those are kind of the natural food sources that uh we focus on this time of the year. In the state like Texas where you have limited public land and a lot of hunters. What is your strategy for hunting public land during pre rock Um, it's really just about UM, you know, the more I look at, I bounced around a lot, UM, and I think that it's more about we run some trail cameras, we can can usually see deer. Uh. If you see there in August, you usually you know, and even September early September, you usually you don't see those deer again in my experience, UM, throughout the season hardly at all. But from that like back half of September on indo October, if you can use some pretty recent trail camera information, UM, then this sitting there SoCal nights in a row on good winds underneath oak trease that d m AB feeding on is really a dead tactic. And it it doesn't really um, like you were saying, there's there's limited public land in Texas, so it doesn't really matter if you can see a place on the map that looks good and it's it's a mile and a half end, there's probably gonna be a stand there. So, um, it doesn't matter how far you're going in really it's really just about getting boots on the ground, um, even this time of year, and uh finding fresh time and then just finding it going forward. Then in the next week or so, what do you think that bucket activity is going to be a skill of one to tend in Texas? Um? I think, um across a lot of a lot of maybe the western half of Texas, we're really gonna see the deer. When I say western half, probably the Interstate thirty five which goes through Dallas forth, Um Winster there, UM probably gonna see a lot of um, the white tails are gonna be really ramping up into the right um as we go into the next week or so. Um East, I think you know back where a hunt where I'm where we're from, in our homes are at our home there's it's gonna be probably more towards the middle of the month when we see uh things really start to you know, kind of get to that chaotic level a little bit. So still got you know, a couple of weeks before we get there. Um, But yeah, so Western Western have to say, I think it's gonna it's gonna be really good. I think we've got co Front coming in later this week, so that should really just uh you know the scales. Alright, Tyler, good luck to you and Casey from the Element podcast, Thanks for joining me. Thanks Spencer, alright enjoying us online. Next is Sam Soholt from the public Land Bus in South Dakota. Now, Sam in South Dakota, what would you say the buck activities man lately on a scale of one to ten? You know, this first part of November, I would say it's right somewhere between five and six. Um, it hasn't been there hasn't been like all out chasing. Um, there has been some falling ducks that are cruising after those, and uh a couple of more mature gear chasing. But it's not like it's not on the fire yet. Now. That seems low for this time of year. Is that historically the kind of number that you would give, or is there something this year that's making that buck move maybe a little bit worse for bow hunters, you know, typically this early in November. Uh, here it's it's kind of really just starting to kick off. And this year I think what changed kind of what's been keeping it lower is the fact that basically the entire eastern half of South Dakota still has standing crop because of all the water um back in this region. But yeah, I think a lot of the deer are if they are running hard, they possibly just doing in the middle of cornfield instead of going through transitions or thickets or uh timber stands. All that water that we've had in the great planes. Has that change anything else for you besides the delayed harvests? You know, for me personally, it definitely changed some access points, some places that had to work around to get into still, and I think it has changed deer movement. Um One area that has historically seen a few deer and the majority of the deer would bed in a cattail slew nearby, it is absolutely full of deer this year, simply because they are displaced by the water. UM So, I think it's definitely changed how deer are using the terrain. But it's also an opportunity to find uh some funnels and pinch point because of that water this year that probably didn't exist for the past decade. If you're not seeing any of that midday movement quite yet. When do you expect for South Dakota's to see that kind of action. I would say in the next day or two. It should kick off. Stuff should be moving all day. We've got a lot of We've got a huge cold weather system coming over the next week, and I would imagine that the cold weather and just it being that time of the month will keep deer on their feet all day. Now, you just killed a great buck there in eastern South Dakota on public land. Tell us about that set up, and tell us about what you're looking for when you pick some of these places to bowhunts on public land. So I typically try to get to places that a lot of other people might not go or might overlook. Um. So the setup I had was honestly just a real small island of trees kind of in the middle of nowhere, and it's uh, it's spot I have seen deer in the past moving through, but it's never had a chance to get in there and hunt. Um. But it was it's thick enough kind of on the perimeter that I knew it would be out of the wind. I was hunting a windy day and happened to get in the right tree at the right time and had had a really good My buck was actually chasing um was pursuing a dough through the the through the little thicket, and she carried him right past me, so twenty five yards and he did not go very far after that. In the past, I know on public land you've killed some deer this time of year using decoys. How do you decide when you use a set up like that? So typically for me, like I'm a fairly aggressive hunter when it comes to this time of year, I figured, I pretty I'll hunt a different spot every hunt, and if I if I'm going to a spot that I know is highly visible, a lot of times I'll bring a decoy this time of year just to give me an extra advantage where if I do see a buck cruising at a distance, I can grown at him or rattle at him to get his attention and then when he looks over, he'll see the decoy and come check it out. Um. So I don't think any time in the month of November is a good time to use a decoy. If you're in a place that's highly visible going forward, then in this next week or so, what do you think that bucket Kivy is going to be on a scale of one to ten in South Dakota. You know, I would say in the next two or three days that should ramp right up to an eight or nine, um and then be get kind of hold right there, if not bump all the way to ten over the next week. All right, Samuel, congrats on the awesome dear thanks for joining me. Yeah, thank you, And that concludes this week's episode of rut Fresh Radio. Thanks to Mike, pat Tyler and Sam for joining me, and thank you guys for listening. This is the absolute best time of the year to be in the woods to help. Everyone has a chance to take advantage of it. So happy rout and if you're looking for more timely info like this, head over to the media dot com. We have some written rut Fresh reports coming out every single week on Thursdays. We also have a ton of other great white tail content from people like me, Mark Kenyon, and Tony Peterson that will hopefully help you tag a buck this year. We'll talk to you guys next week, but until then, stay wired to hunt.

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