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 three and today we're back with another Rut Fresh Radio episode, which means we are hearing from deer hunters all across the country about the latest deer activity, current conditions, and the tactics that are working right now. All right, welcome to the Wired Hunt podcast, brought to you by on X. We're here for rut Fresh Radio, which is our mini series getting up to date reports from all across the country. And you know the name is rut Fresh. We're here. We finally are going to get to see the rut that is in our name. Hopefully, I'm hoping that's what WE'RENNA talking about today, Spencer, some rut related intel, some rut related activity reports, because between now in our next episode, sweet November is going to begin, and that's what we all dream of all year. So here we are. That's right. A lot of stuff you're gonna hear talk about in this week's episode is pre rut seeking and chasing. Why scrapes are awesome to look at. Right now, you know how these mature bucks are gonna start making their extended walk about all that stuff that you associate with the end of October and why, like data driven hunters really love this time of year. Um, But we're gonna talk about that in our interviews, Mark, something that I don't touch on with too many of our guests this week, but I would love for you to talk about and go into, you know, like some detail on is the rutting moon and how that's coming up and you know what certain hunters believe that does to buck movement. Man, this is such a funny topic, Spencer, because I like to keep tabs and and and pay attention to it a little bit. But I also feel a little bit guilty talking about it too much because I don't want to be misleading. Uh. And we've written about it, we've put it out there. But but here's the basic gist. The basic gist is that all the research out there shows that the breeding phase for white tailed deer is primarily triggered by photo period, which is the amount of daylight in the twenty four hour period, which is consistent by region year after year. After years. So basically that means that where I hunt in Michigan, the average peak of breeding, the main time frames that that kicks off the rut that is going to be the same every year. For for here, it's around mid November is when the if you imagine the number of deer that are breeding, if you were to map that out and graphic, you'd have a bell curve, you'd have of some very small number that are breeding in you know, October, and then it's gonna slowly rise through November and then somewhere around the fift or sixteenth or somewhere in that ballpark will be the highest number of deer that are getting bred, and then it's gonna slowly go down the further back. So you know, across most parts of the country, that is the case, give ord move that peak you know this way or that way a little bit um And that essentially negates any other theories related to the moon, like the running moon theory, as far as do these things does the moon somehow impact the timing of the rut? Uh, It's it's categorically not true that these other things impact the timing of the actual breeding phase. But what there maybe some truth too, is whether or not things like whether like temperatures or the moon might impact how much of the related activity we actually see. So there's there's two different things we're talking about here. There's actual breeding that's going on, and then there's the rutting activity that we as hunters want to see, which is chasing, seeking, cruising bucks, you know, moving around a lot. That's the kind of stuff we want to see, and that's the kind of stuff that happens. You know, some years it happens all day, every day. Some years you don't see it as much, or some years you see it like crazy in the early part of the month, and then for some reason it doesn't seem to be quite as quite as uh as action packed the second week maybe, and you can be stuck wondering, like, what happened? Why was the ruts so awesome this year? Were not so good the next year? Um? Why is that the case? When supposedly the rest supposed to be happening at the same time and it is happening the same time. There's just a bunch of different factors that can influence what you see. So maybe the moon is one of those things. Maybe temperature is are one of those things. Um, hunting pressure could be one of those things. And then where you're actually sitting could be a big thing too, which should go without saying. But you can be sitting on one side of a property and see zero running activity for three days straight, and then you could sit yards away on the other side of a property and there might be stuff going bananas for three days. That's how location dependent running activity can be sometimes. So this is a long winded way of trying to put a qualifier and what I'm about to tell you, which is there are a series of different theories around the moon and what kind of impact it may have on this rut time period. And so the rutting moon theory which you brought up is one that was popularized by Charles L. Sheimer Um and Wayne I think Wayne laroche Um. They published it every year and Deer and Deer Hunting magazine. Basic gist is that supposedly the second full moon after the autumn equinox is what kick starts this running activity and then from there, you know, you've got that seeking and chasing stuff that picks up, and then you know the peak of breeding and the lockdown face should happen you know, two weeks after that or something somewhere along those lines. Um. So, I don't know if that. I don't know what to think about that, because I still look at the science that states that the peak breedings happened at the same time. But I do wonder like maybe the timing of that moon does influence like how hectic and crazy the daylight portion of that is. So all that's kind of leading us to the to the idea that you alluded to, which is that the running moon this year is on October thirty one. So the theory goes that when the running moon lines up with the same time period that we typically think of as good running activity, which for most people, if you have a peak breeding date of November fifteen, give or take, usually it's those two weeks preceding that, give or take where you see the most chasing, cruising, seeking, YadA, YadA, YadA. So I historically, I'm thinking, like Halloween to the four November is is the best part of the year for me as far as running activity, and the running moon happens to fall right at the beginning of that kind of perfectly in sync. So according to these guys, when that happens, you should see like the best possible rut um, the worst case scenarios when that running moon is like super duper late. Then suppose that you have something they referred to as a trickle rut um. I don't I'm not gonna stand by any of this stuff. All I'm gonna say is that it is interesting and if you do believe in it, it's pointing to good things for this year. Um. Now, there are a series of other rut related movement theories on the moon. We've talked about these throughout the rest of the year, so I won't spend too much time on them. But basically, you've got some people that think that when the moon is rising or setting in daylight right towards the end of the day a or towards the beginning of the day, that's a good thing. And this happens around the full moon. So the druries have talked about this, many people have heard our podcast The Marcher, He's talked about this well right now. They say that with that full moon hitting on October thirty one, their belief is that we're gonna have some particularly good evening hunts leading into the full moon and then really good morning hunts after the full moon because of that, but not so good in the middle of the month. So uh, they just put out a video over on their deer Cast app talking about this where they believe that we're gonna have a particularly good first part of the month of November. So this this phase we're coming into right now, especially those mornings, but you know when you get to that second or third week, it might be a little wonky again. I I this is just what folks are saying. Um. And then the final moon related thing would be those that follow the red moon UM, which would be believing that deer movement will pick up when the moon is directly overhead or underfoot, and this year the overhead to underfoot red moon days. I think the first one happens between November three and the seventh. So somebody like Adam Hayes, who's a big believer in this, he would tell you that that's when the running activity is going to be the very best. Um. It's a lot to try to take it in process. I don't think anyone has done a very good job of truly quantifiably uh correlated it in a way other than just anecdote evidence. So I always look at the calendar and I let that dictate when I'm gonna hunt. That last week of October in the first two weeks in November are hard to beat. Um. If I have to pick my days more carefully, I'm gonna pick the colder days and the fronts um. But I'm gonna spend every moment I can out there, because anything is possible during the rut. And ladies and gentlemen, it's here. I'm with you, Mark. You did a great job there of going through all the different moon theories. Um. And I've always likened like my stance on the moon and your behavior as the same thing of how I think about like big Foot. I am wildly interested in stories about Bigfoot, and I will eat it up and I will consume like any TV show or article or anything about Bigfoot. But I don't believe that he's real. And it's the same thing with the moon and dear behavior. Um. I'm really interested in this stelf. I look forward looking at the moon phases every year, and I want to know what the moon is gonna be doing, But ultimately it doesn't really change what I'm doing in the woods. Uh. And I don't think it changes dear behavior, so gun to my head, No, I don't think bigfoot is real, and no I don't think it's ever helped me kill a deer or preventing me from killing a deer. Uh, but it's still really like fun content to to take in, uh and think about it. It's just like maybe another piece of the puzzle for deer hunting. And and for whatever it's worth. There are a lot of very good, very successful deer hunters, that's whereby and they would tell you and me that we're a couple of knuckleheads. So I mean, you know, you take it for whatever it's worth, and uh, if it helps you get out there, more power to you. Um, I can tell you that moon regardless, it's the time of year when you should be seeing sign popping up like crazy, and you should see bucks starting a cruise and checking out doors and starting to bump them around and stuff. And that's what I've been seeing over the last week. Um it is it is ramping up big time. I'm seeing young bucks chasing a lot. I'm seeing those two year old starting to get out looking around a bunch of cruising. I'm seeing sparring. I'm seeing scrapes everywhere. Um, and and even even a couple of daylight sighting slash trail camera picks of my target mature buck. So he's on his feet already. So it's uh, it's on in Michigan. Yeah, I mean, there's there's a ton of reasons to love the end of October. Running moon be damned like, there's gonna be seeking and chasing. Uh. Signmaking is gonna peek here shortly. This is great time to use a decoy or do some calling. Um. And the coolest part is that the best is yet to come. I think that's maybe why I love the end of October so much, because dear movement is great and it's only gonna get better. Um. And that's what you're gonna hear from the hunters we talked to this week. That includes Mike Fitzgerald from bow Hunting dot Com in Minnesota, Trade Currents from Release Outdoors in West Virginia, Clay Nucombe, the newest member of Meat Eater in Arkansas, and then t j Ongar from the Virtue TV in Indiana. Awesome sounds like a good slate. Are are you gonna be able to get out in here anytime soon? Spencer. Yeah, Mark, In a couple of days, I'm heading back to South Dakota. I'll be there for about uh fourteen days or so, and then when I get back, I have a couple of weeks to fill my Montana tag. So the next three weeks here, hopefully I have some more personal rought updates for you. All right, man, Well, I'll be ended it out in Michigan and hopefully we'll have a good story as well. I'm I'm right there. I'm right on the edge of it. He's he's there. He's just the opposite place where I'm at. The old cat mouse came a star already, Spencer. So um, we'll see alright, Mark, I think we get to our callers and I will talk to you in November. Sounds good. All of this week's interviews are presented by a Trophy Ridge. Make sure to check out their full lineup of sites featuring their React technology. After only two pin adjustments, React technology delivers dead certain accuracy at any distance. I have a Trophy Ridge React Trio site and it's perfect for Western hunting, white tail hunting, and everything in between. To see the React Trio and everything else from the React Technology line head over to Trophy Ridge dot com. Alright, and joining us on the line next is Mike Fitzgerald from bow Hunter Die in Minnesota. Now, Mike in Minnesota, what would you say the buck activity has been lately on a scale of one to ten. On the scale one to tend the last week or so, I would I would probably give it about a seven. It's been hot some days, cold some other days. But we've definitely had an early start to our winter. We've had snow on the ground up here since the seventeenth. We're getting another three or four inches right now, so it looks a lot more like late November than it does lay October. But after that first snowfall about a day or two later, there was a two days stretch about the nineteenth and twenties where all my cameras just lit up daytime buck activity. They were out cruising hard then. So it's been it's been good. There's been a couple of flow days in between. But we're we're on that ramp up of of when you have time to get in the woods, get in the woods, when you have winter come early in the big woods. How does that change things for food sources as we get into the rut. Well, as we approached the ruts were you know, generally getting close to transition time up here anyway. But when it comes this early um where I'm already seeing doe groups kind of shift where they're at, they're already transitioning to mostly woody brows. Um. You know, the late fall. A lot of times you'll see, especially as the rut approaches, you'll see a lot of deer along the ditches and mediums feeding on that grass, and that grass is already buried and they're already kind of moving away from those and getting into their kind of winter hots. The nice thing about the snow is you can utilize it to your advantage, and you know, you know where they've been and how how far or how long ago they were there. So it's a it's a good tool to have, UM, even though it's kind of it seems harsh that it's happening already. Are you seeing a lot of signmaking right now in northern Minnesota. I've been seeing a few rubs here and there. Uh, scraped activity for me has been really low this year. Uh, that could very well just be my little pocket, but I haven't found much evidence of fresh scraping um so far, and with the snow cover again, I'm not entirely sure if that has a big impact on how much scraping they'll do. Um, But I don't want the snow hits the ground. I rarely find scrapes in our area here. When you're hunting the big woods, will you do any calling or decoying like hunters in the Midwest or is that not a tactic that you use. It certainly a technic you can use. I tend to be a little cautious about it, um, But calling in particular, I don't like to blind call a whole lot um. When the rut really gets going um and they're most receptive to rattling, I'll do that sometimes, but when it comes to grunting and bleating most of the time, I'm only doing that if I lay my eyes on deer and I'm trying to get them to change their path. Um. It's just up here, I could be I could have deer thirty yards for me and not really know they're there until they step out into my shooting lanes. And so I don't like to I don't like to surprise anything that I that I know or don't know, maybe looking at me. So I tend to lay off of calling unless I have the deer in my sights. But Dave, I've had a few bucks responding already um to some light drunting. So it's definitely a tactic I use. But I don't go in guns plays and that's for sure. You mentioned that your trail cameras have been lighting up lately. Where do you place a lot of your trail cameras during pre rout a lot of the time, UM, My favorite spot to have them are on ridgetops, either between or near dough betting areas. UM. So if I find sick cover that has a nice ridge run um going along it, that's where a lot of my a lot of my cameras are these days. And that's certainly one of my favorite cameras UM is in a spot just like that. And that's the one that really lit up over Uh. You know, a two or three day chunk earlier in the week, and I'm planning on hunting that in the next day or two too, because I'm seeing some similar conditions coming up weatherwise 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. In northern Minnesota. Here, I definitely think we're we're on the rise here, So I think in eight or nine in this next week, I think once this front comes through the net, a couple of days will be golden. And then as we get through the Halloween weekend, we're just getting closer and closer to the main part of the routs, and it's it's hard to convince me that it's not a good idea to be in the woods at any point from this coming week on. Alright, Mike, well, good luck and stay warm. Thanks for joining me. Thanks, thanks, I have a good one, alright, and joining us on the line. Next is Trey Kerns in West Virginia from Release Outdoors Now Trey in West Virginia. What would you say the buck activity has been lately on the scale of one to ten, I'd say it's been a four, mainly just because of the abnormal warm weather we've had in October. Um, it's been, you know, rather warm, and I just feel like this deer haven't really been on their feet in the daylight hours, so it's been pretty minimal. When do you expect to start seeing some mature bucks moving in daylight. Then in West Virginia, I feel like this weekend next week you're really gonna start transitioning. Um. Really have been seeing some activity on the cell cameras as far as deer starting to get closer to that day like moving. But I feel like this weekend next week it's really going to start picking up. Are you seeing a lot of signmaking right now? Yeah, things we're getting pretty slow through the first half of Obtober, but the later half have definitely picked up. And uh, I feel like scrapes, um are really starting to get opened up. And this week, UM, you know, I've seen a lot of activity over the last week and this week over the course of my cell camera activity UM on those scrapes. So yeah, there's really starting to pick up the movement. You mentioned that your cell cameras are on scrapes right now. Is that where you place most of your trail cameras during pre route? Yeah, I mean that's where I try to focus Spencer. I mean I just feel like, um, you know, that's my bread and butter towards the later half of October, and having those cameras on those scrapes, it really allows me to see, UM what deer in the area and then what you're also moving in So it kind of gives me a good PenPoint and what I'm working towards these you know, next couple of weeks that I call that really good period of time are calling or decoying things you'll use in West Virginia and what do those setups look like when you're doing that. So not a whole lot of decoying, but UM as far as like calling and sequencing, I've been doing a lot of that, and then UM rattling is a big thing. I've seen a lot of progress and through rattling the last couple of years UM and and doing that. So but I haven't really had the opportunity to do any decoys and I don't think I really have or will in West Virginia just based on the topography and how things lie, we don't have a whole lot of acts. So really focusing on just UM vocals and and and communicating in that aspect really helps us out. With a lack of egg what food sources are you then focused on? So we've had a really good production of acorn mass this year. Really trying to focus on UM white oaks and and red oaks. And then also we try to establish um some smaller plots and you know people call those kill plots or whatever, but we just try to establish a late season food source um to the later half of the year. And then right now we're really still focusing on acorn just because the mass production we had this year was so large that we're trying to just focus on that. And then over the next couple of weeks will kind of transition into trying to get on that downward side of those betting areas as well. Do you notice the shift in betting at all, whether that's from bucks or doughes in West Virginia as we approach November. I don't see a huge transition on where they're changing their betting areas. I feel like, um, you know, as a mature deer gets older, you know, it's it's core area really shrinks down. So I think those deer still betting in the same area. But you get them hopefully on their feet um in daylight hours if you're you know, in the right spot and just try to hunt that wind and uh, stay on the down one side, because that's what those big bucks are gonna do. They're gonna try to transition on the downward side of that betting area and check for that hot dough. So that's kind of where we try to put ourselves in this time of year. And if you can get those, it's not those big communities gray, but those ones that are really interior close to um, those big betting areas. That's kind of where we try to focus and kind of meet somewhere in the middle there going forward. Then in the next week or so, what do you think the buckett is going to be on a scale of one to ten in West Virginia. I think it's gonna be a nine. I think it's really gonna pick up as far as um. You know, scrapes are still getting opened up. But I really think that the hot dough is gonna come in more frequently. And I think those deer are really gonna start moving around a little bit, and those big bucks and mature deer are going to start transitioning and checking those down one sides and really trying to pen some beer down. So I think it's gonna be really awesome. All right, Trey, have a good rout and good luck. Thanks for joining me alright, Spencer, thank you alright, and joining us on the line. Next is the newest member of the Meat Eater team, Clay nucom in Arkansas. Now Clay in Arkansas. What would you say the buck activities been lately on a scale of one to ten, so in the last couple of days, Spencer, I would put it at a out six. And my reasoning is is I've hunted a portion of almost every day for about the last nine days. And yesterday afternoon was the first time that I saw a mature buck tending the dough. I mean he was out at three thirty in the afternoon and he was on that though. He wasn't dogging her and chasing her. He was just he was just with her, wasn't leaving her. And uh, that's the first but your buck I've seen do that this year. With how much you've been hunting lately, have you noticed any difference in mornings versus evenings with one being better than the other in late October, I have not noticed a ton of difference between morning and evening. I really haven't. Um it's the movement has been has been odd. We've had some big rain events, like right now it's been it's raining hard in Arkansas, and it's been raining hard almost twenty four hours, and I think it's got the deer moving in these breaks in the rain and uh so the movement has been odd Like last night, the last two hours after I saw that big buck, I hardly saw any deer and I anticipated it's been great, um but sawid deer movement early in the afternoon yesterday that it was kind of a break in the rainfall. Clay, I know that acorns are a big focus of your haunts for not only deer, but turkeys and bear and everything else in that part of the country. Tell us a little bit about how to identify the difference between a red oak and a white oak and why that matters to hunters. So this year in the Ozarks, all this region, there's a ton of red oak acorns, and uh white oak acrens are typically the preferred food source. Right now, if they are white oak acrens on the ground, they're being preferred by all game and eating up relatively quickly. This year, there's a ton of red oaks, I mean the spotted oaks and schumart oaks. That's what we have a lot of here are they're raining acrons. Man I mean just carpets of acrons and that's what the deer hitting on. And um. Yeah, So basically, a red oak is gonna have pointed lobes, it's gonna have bristles, and white oaks are gonna have rounded lobes. And those are the two bigger categories of oaks that we have in the Eastern US is white oaks red oaks. Inside of both those categories, there are a lot of different species, but the white oaks are almost always going to be the preferred food source. Um. And but yeah, that's the that's the easiest thing. Is pointed loab. Pointed points on the tips of the leaves means red oak. Rounded lobes means white oak during pre rot and rout in the big woods of Arkansas. Are you using any sense for white tail? The only thing that used for sense for whitetail spencer is I like to use dough yurine as a cover scent. Synthetic dough yurine. We have to use that here in Arkansas as a cover cent. I put it on my boots, and I don't put it on my boots so that a deer will follow me to my stand. I put it on my boots so that a deer will ignore me, because that is what I have seen extensively. Is that, So I'm not using it as an attractant. I'm using it as something to cover up my ground scent and the other thing that I like to do. And I've just seen it work so many times and buy me a couple of deer. Is it sounds hokey, But I pour out of daub of dope synthetic dough yurine out of my stand and just let it hit the ground once I'm up in the tree, and if a deer cuts my wind, he's gonna smell my human scent. At the same time, it smells a big dose of a new deer scent, and it just it confuses them. If they smell human scent, Bam, They're gone. I've seen dear stall out and even walk through my sense, and I feel like it's because of that that dough year, and so I like to do that. What are you seeing right now for signmaking in the oars, bucks are making tons of sign I feel like the big mature bucks are with the early doughs that are coming into Estris, We've got a fairly big breeding window here, and so there are dose in Estris right now, and just like I saw yesterday, I think some of the bigger deer are with those dear the other deer that aren't with that dough are making a ton of sign and checking scrapes. I checked us a camera over a scrape two days ago and it had had three different bucks to it in twenty four hours, and the prior twenty four hours to that, or the prior probably seventy two hours to at there has only been one or two bucks to it. So um, that was the twenty five of October. Notable increase in scraping activity, primarily with the younger bucks. But they are making they're making a lot of sign right now. Going forward, then in the sex week or so, what do you think that bucket ATVT is going to be on a scale of one to Tendon, Arkansas, It's gonna be at a ten. It's this is the best we you know for from about Halloween until about the seventh of November. Here is just historically the best time our peak breeding dates for northwest Arkansas from you know, fond conception studies that they've done over the years, is right around the fifth to the seventh of November, so it's a little bit of an early rut, so you know, right during the you know, right before that, um Man, we we can have some great red activity. Um So this week if we haven't, we're having good weather. It's it's not going to be super cold, but it's not gonna be overwhelmingly warm. Has in the fifties dipping down into the forties at night. It's gonna be good weather. I mean, if we're ever gonna have a ten, it's gonna be this week. All right, Clay, Well, good luck with the rest of your season. Welcome to the Meat Eater team, and thanks for joining me. Thanks, Spencer, appreciate it. Man, good luck to you all right, and enjoining us on the line. Next is t J Unger in Indiana from the Virtue TV. Now t J in Indiana. What would you say the buck activities been leally on a scale of one to ten, Spencer, thanks for having me on. Yeah, I mean, buck activity is is starting to increase. I'd probably rate it today about five. Um starting to see you know, young bucks on their feet pretty regularly during daytime, during daytime hours, so we're seeing two and three year olds that are that are moving pretty pretty heavily now, so things are ramping up to be a pretty solid next you know, six seven days, when do you expect to start seeing those mature bucks on their feet in daylight? We have, uh, some some pretty consistent meteorological conditions right now. So we had a big cold front push in on Friday, and it's been pretty consistent weather, a little bit of rain mixed in, just super light rain. Um moon phase is really solid, so I think every single day things are improving. So going into this weekend, gosh, it's only Wednesday, but um, you know, I'm expecting a really good Saturday Sunday uh here in Indiana, so I'm in the northeast portion of the state. But but yeah, looking at the extended forecast, UM consistently cold temps and uh that moon phase is is looking pretty solid. So I would not be surprised here over the next two three days if I'm seeing realm mature deer up on their feet and at least on trail cameras. You haunted Textbook state, and I imagine some textbook farms for doing some decoying. Is that a strategy that you'll use during pre rut it is. I've already been using I've got a Dave Smith, so I've already been using the decoy probably for the last week and a half. Um, you know, we're we're really not looking to kill those, so you know, sometimes you get a little bit of weird interaction with those, but have already had some good interaction with young bucks. So I think it was a week ago I had an encounter with two and a half year old and then followed by a three you know, three and a half year old. Um come out in the field and just kind of bow up to him, get a little bit aggressive. But um, you know, I'm still planning on Actually I'm I'm cleaning up and packing up right now, planning the head of the stands I'm taking to decoy with me. So now is the time in my book. Uh you know, obviously things change from one state or one farm to the neck. But um, if you've got pretty high, uh you know, competition on your farm's good buck ratio. Uh you know, now at the time I'm putting them out there and and letting them do the work, I'm still doing a little bit of light rattling. I haven't got too aggressive with it. But but yeah, man, this is this is the light switch for me and it's time to go. Do you think that signmaking has peaked yet in Indiana? Um? So, I mentioned that we're getting some light rain. So it's about every two to three days that we're just getting you know, it's less than a quarter a quarter into rain. The reason why I bring that up, um, you know, with any precipitation like that kind of washes out on those signposts, so community scrapes and whatever. Uh, it just gives these bucks another opportunity to to freshen up the scrapes and communicate with each other who's the boss. Um. So you know, over the course of the last two or three days, those signposts have really picked up pretty substantially. So if you follow me on social I keep posting pictures of new scrapes or freshly cleaned out scrapes. It's happening, you know, every two days, which is it's pretty great. Um. You know, I think, like I said, I think we're going to see that transition today light activity any day now. I really expect to see the first doze probably come into estro like I said, over the next maybe two or three days something like that. Um, but wouldn't be surprised if we see a little bit sooner. I saw on a recent Instagram post that you posted what would be a classic community scrape. Tell us t J about how community scrapes differ from other scrapes and how that factors into a hunt. Yeah. So, so I picked up several new farms, um in the off season and just kind of looking at the topography of this one particular front. Never hunted it before, UM, but just based on topography and and it connects to you know, some some pretty big timber uh. Really made a mock scrape relatively early in this area, uh and put cell camera on it and video mode and UM. Over the course of maybe five days something like that, I had twenty different bucks roll through that scrape, now, varying ages obviously, but um, but they're just making their routes at nighttime and communicating with each other obviously as horton, you know, their hormone levels change. UM. You know they're they're putting that sent down. UM, and in my opinion, a little bit earlier, they're telling each other they'll be back and kind of marking their own territory and and figuring out these main routes. But because so many deer travel through that section, it's just an excellent way for everybody to keep tabs on each other. I mean, those those are still hitting them, those still check them a little bit. But um as testosterone levels continue to peak. Uh man, there's there's a lot of box hitting these community scrapes. So I actually transitions from food sources and and you know, travel routes and that sort of thing over to scrapes a little bit early this year. Historically I felt like I was always late. You know, I would find a scrape, pop camera on it, and you know, I would only get a day or so uh where it was good activity. So this year are poping them up a little bit early on scrapes. It was a little slow to again with but we hit them right this year and and just about every one of those big community scrapes that we've got them on are are very very, very very active. So it's great to see. It's exciting. Just need to get these these big rascals in daylight. Last year, harvest in the Midwest was way behind and it made for a difficult right, what's the status of harvest in Indiana this year? So harvest. Harvest has actually been pretty early this year. We had all of our surrounding neighbors and the farms that were on they are cleared of crops already, so uh that was happening, you know the first part of October when when farmers were really hit in the fields. Um, so you know, I remember years passed hunting in mid November and still seeing standing corn, which makes it really difficult. Those bucks can pull those dose out in the standing corn and and really did live out there. So um, you know, it reduces habitat for these guys, and uh it's been great, you know, like I said, it's pushed these animals into the end of the timber. So uh So as far as sign and that sort of thing, I'm seeing a lot more sign in the woods that than I am outside of the woods. So right when that corn comes off, I think that deer have more tendency to to feed, you know, right with that fresh corn, and then they kind of went back to their their typical patterns. But um, we also have just an absolute banner year for acorns. So on the majority of my farms, I'm I'm seeing just a ton it's on a acorn, So that in timber activity has been pretty high. I've seen a lot of a lot of signposts and scrapes coming up inside those areas kind of on South Acan slopes and betting areas. They're boarding bordering big oak flats. Going forward, Then in the sext week or so, what do you think that book a TV is going to be on a scale of one to ten in Indiana going into this weekend, We're we're hitting that golden time of year. Um, November is almost upon us. So this is my very favorite time to be in the woods. Uh, to this point, I've stayed on edges, so I'm jumping into my more aggressive stop. I expect it. I'm not gonna call it at ten, but I would expect to see it somewhere around seven to eight. I I expect to see some good deer on their feet in daylight hours and uh, you know, starting to to seek out some some first dope coming into astrocycle. All right, t J, I like your optimism. Good luck with the rest of your season, and thanks for joining me. I really appreciate it. Further, you have good luck to you and stay safe. And that concludes this week's episode of Rout Fresh Radio. Thanks to Mike, Clay, Trey, and t J for joining me, and thank you guys for listening. As always, make sure you're following Wired to Haunt on Facebook and Instagram and following me spent her new Hearts on Facebook and Instagram as well. The next time I talked to you, guys, it is going to be November and I'm so excited for the eleventh month of the year. Until then, stay Wired to Haunt.