Tennessee Rut Report
Rick Taylor of Tennessee Turkey Hunter provides a whitetail rut update for Tennessee.
Location: central Tennessee Rut stage: summer to fall transition Current buck movement: 4/10 Projected buck movement: 8/10 I've been hunting some field edges and mineral sites since our season reopened on September 22nd. It had been raining on opener, but let up with about an hour of shooting light left. Not long after, a few small bucks fed on acorns that just started dropping and I spotted a mature buck in the hay field. It rained again Sunday, letting up just prior to my evening sit. That night I had about 50 turkeys and 20 does enter the field. It seems as though the rain has been a factor in shifting deer movement. Another factor is the soft mast food sources, specifically persimmons and oaks, are just starting to fall. Both look like they'll have a solid crop this season.
I'll be waiting for a weather shift that's coming towards the end of this week. It should push the rain and heat out, getting deer on their feet more. This will be a good time to focus on transition areas between dropping acorns and bedding.
