Rain & warm/rut

What’s y’all opinion on hunting in undesirable conditions (warm and rainy) trail cams show rut activity at night. Would you wait until ideal weather or go for it? Think I’m gonna wait until it cools off. I’m messing up or no?

Can't kill them sitting at home....

But can I scare them off? I’m all for getting after them but if they don’t move except when it’s cool will my scent in the area send them packing?

Typically I don’t hunt hot unless it the rut

Biggest deer I ever killed temp was about 78 - he was in full rut

Yep, if you got hot does, you gotta be hunting!

Right on. Definitely at least one hot doe on cam and buck right on her heels. Just kinda stinks because it’s after hours. Don’t want to bust up a good area if It would be better to wait for this next cold front in hopes they would act like that in legal shooting light.

So far 3-0 says go for it.
Any more suggestions?

They will still act dumb in the heat.

4-0 says get after them

Summer heat never deterred me when I was younger and I can guarantee you that it will not effect the thoughts or movements of a rutting buck either. If you are in the middle of the state you better be getting ready to sit and watch because it’s coming. Should be two more weeks but I saw a buck pushing “ I’m not going to say chasing just yet but he was very interested” this morning.

5-0
Nobody waits for cold weather when trail cam show buck action at night?

Starting some day said buck is going to show up on that trail camera during daylight. You can either be there waiting or you can get a picture and then start hunting

Excellent point. I just keep telling myself that if I wait they’ll show up during daytime hours.

Side note: I’m wrong a lot!!! 😂😂😂😂

you need to be hunting regardless of weather during the rut. If you have hot doe around you will see bucks.

If it’s the rut, you better be in the woods. I made the mistake one year in Lowndes county. It was about 1030 in the morning, 80 degrees on Jan 30. I decided I had enough of this BS. Well I stand up to start climbing down and about 30 yards behind me is a doe and behind her is an absolute giant of a 10 point just staring at me. Needless to say I learned a valuable lesson that day and will never let the weather determine if I hunt during the rut or not.

Where do you hunt in AL that deer are rutting right now?

The biggest buck I ever killed it was 75 degrees and the early part of January, warm and muggy, I was sweating going to the stand and kept saying nothing would move that day......I did some blind calling with a doe bleat when I got in the stand and 10 minutes later, he was walking straight to me at about 30 yds when I saw him he turned broadside and I pulled the trigger....11pt.....

If they're rutting u better hunt anytime u can

Deer are going to rut regardless of the weather conditions.

Pre rut, rut or post rut I always see deer following an extended rain event regardless of temps. Key being in the stand right as it is quitting.

We all are wrong our fair share woody 😀

When does come in heat, but will be after them regardless of the weather. My wife has only been hunting with me for 6-7 years and she’s already said “I’m just gonna wait till Christmas break to hunt”. You can’t compare hunting today to December 25th-Jan 1.

Shot my best SC buck on Nov 12th this year on public. It was 61 degrees when I parked the truck at 5:30am and it had been raining for the previous 12hrs. Shot the buck at 8am slipping along a mixed hardwood/pine ridge. It was the peak of the rut and he was out cruising looking for does. Weather doesn’t affect them during the rut like a lot of folks think it does. If you have wet conditions then that is the absolute most perfect time to slip through the woods too. If you know where the does bed, I’d play the wind and slip around those bedding areas. The bucks will be there if it is the rut.

When it’s time it’s time regardless of the weather.

This week I'll be reluctant to go in the woods
Its too hot for me...maybe not for deer

This is Alabama. This cold weather rut you speak of doesn’t exist. We truly have 2 seasons. Pre summer and summer. You better go hunting when the ruts on.

I’ll agree with this to a certain point, but I was in the stand on October 18th or 19th this year and summer was the furthest from my mind as I froze. Trail cams are definitely showing bucks on cold days/warm nights. The pics don’t lie but I won’t argue if there’s a hot doe in the area he’s gonna be there. Possibly the does don’t move in front of the cams when it’s hot. Definitely confusing because I know they gotta eat. That being said… mosquitos do move when it’s warm and they basically suck to stay alive. Got eat up by them today!

Several. It’s actually winding down in Zones D and E. It should be picking up heavy in certain parts of A and C right now too.

80 tomorrow, I'm going fishing.

I been hearing we may hav early rut this year

Usually the 19th on pretty hot in January and another surge in early feb

My biggest buck during January was also killed in 70 degree weather. If a rutting buck is on a hot doe he will chase her across 65 on an 80 degree day.

I agree with this 100%

I hope you’re wrong MBrock but our cams are saying you could be right here in zone D.

No such thing. Kill data for the past decade on my largest lease proves it’s the same time every year. 90% of bucks killed were between 1/7-1/12. I’ve personally killed 4 on 1/7-1/8.

Does your data normalize for man days in the woods?

I used to be in a club that would mention similar statistics but the way they prepared their data was awful. Most of the members hunted in that same 2 week time frame over the 10 years so naturally the kill data showed that’s when the most bucks were killed. A whitetail rut is determined by photoperiod so just that fact would vary the peak of the rut 4-5 days year to year. For instance, last year the sun set at its earliest point on December 9th last year. This year it hit its earliest set on Nov 30th. If your deer herd sticks to that photo period then they’ll be going almost 10 days earlier this year but in reality it’s right on time.

I hunt in central Perry County. Watched 2 mature bucks chase a doe all over a clear-cut last Sunday morning. BIL killed a 8 point on the same morning about a mile from me. The buck's neck was swollen, tarsals were black and he stunk like hades. We've been hunting this property for 8 years and this rutting activity is about 2 weeks earlier than what we typically see.

From the first week of January on, ill be hunting. It dont really matter what the temp is

This ^^^^ same days every year no matter what. If you don't see it it still happened just fyi

When he smells her he don't care if it's 100 degrees with the heater on!!! Go for it and dress light!

Everywhere I have ever hunted, this really works for me...I always see deer right after the rain is about to stop.....have to be out there though......

If their rutting, you need to be in stand, regardless of weather. IMO

I'd go and go as often as I could for as long as I could stand. Think about how many times thinking with the wrong head has messed YOU up and magnify that cause this animals pure 'buck' wild.
I believe scent carries better stronger further when its hot too and scent plays a huge role here.

Heat actually dissipates scent but humidity disperses it. Good podcast by the Southern Outdoorsman covered it

Most of Lauderdale is wide open right now. Saw a giant in Florence Monday standing with a doe. Right on time. Friend of mine has watched them chasing all week at his house.

Saw one tonight in my yard with a doe.

We have a weird rut. They don't quit just because it's hot, either.

I've seen bucks with antlers well into spring, and watched a buck nose-down on a doe's scent the last week of February here near the Paint Rock.