It's always hard to tell where we stand going into gun season, in Wisconsin, gun season is purposefully positioned toward the end of the tending cycle when the largest population of does have already been bred. I’ve bow hunted almost every day since Halloween and things seem to be heating up rather than tailing off, I normally see smaller bucks coming back into the mix by now. Are we lagging in this year’s photoperiod? What are your observations?

Judging from the guys here at work that bowhunt hard, it seems the rut really kicked in over the weekend. I'd say we are in for some good movement this gun opener for sure. Supposed to be warm this week, but then cool down for the weekend. Shaping up pretty good in my book.

It seems to be a few days later this year,the bigger bucks just started here,the 1.5,2.5 year olds have been chasing a little for about a week up here is northern Minnesota.

Happiness is a mature doe with her ears pinned back checking her back trail on opening day

If that doe is offering me a shot, I'm taking it. If the buck is right behind her and offering a shot also, I'll take him first.

Lots of activity the last 3 days, almost all nocturnal.

Bucks chasing does on cam, up north this week.

I really haven't seen a lot of whitetail chasing and rut ritual with them. The mule deer are getting after it. I watched a couple of huge bucks the last few days on the north slope in full rut.

Most of the actual breeding I believe gets done at night. I did take spotting scope and tripod to take some picture and footage, but I didn't have time to set it up yesterday, but I will.

Our does are predictable and will be back to normal travel patterns by the Monday or Tuesday following the opener and tags will get filled then- not a lot of pressure around us.

Well the doe I shot on Sunday was with 2 other does and all of their offspring. So that's telling me the rut Is over around here. Or It hasn't started yet.
And that doe was still full of milk. Do you think that some of those fawns were still nursing? The fawns that were with her look like they were past the nursing stage.

I arrowed a big doe last Tuesday that was still milking but she was alone with no fawn. I watched her for 1/2 hour before she came in range. Hard to figure out. Maybe her fawn got car killed or wolved.

based on road kills in south central the bucks were Rutting the last 2 weeks

crazy and all over the roads I took the wife to a concert in Stoughton Saturday evening and saw fresh buck road kills and bucks I had to avoid on the road.

my son picked up a big buck hit on open road 11/2/2023

I had a friend hit one Sunday night on 151 not recovered but his car was toast , set off air bags hood crumpled up so you couldn't see out everything caved in on a Subaru he drives for work.

I am just hoping it continues till Saturday morning , by 0900 Saturday they will know the pressure is on and they will all be in flight mode

Small bucks are chasing down here. I expect this weekend to be solid.

There were several mature bucks killed here this last weekend that were chasing does.

My neck swelled up about ten days ago.

You got a Viagra stuck in your throat?

Haha. It will go away in a couple weeks.

It was a cheap shot but I had to take it. I am glad you took in in the humor it was intended.

Winding down here heavy a week ago

This morning I saw my first lock down out in the middle of the field,decent 8 pointer.