It’s that time of year. The rut is here…

Hunter’s are drooling, bucks are chasing and wives or girlfriends are going on group shopping trips for days on end while their men are off in the woods. Frantic phone calls are made every night, checking in on what your buddy saw and what the bucks were doing. We all want to know what’s happening and where, given that the rut and all of it’s glory comes and goes so quickly. And luckily we have the internet to help make this furious information gathering a little easier. Over the years I have discovered that there are a number of different websites and forums that track the progress of the rut, but one in particular this year caught my eye.

Field & Stream recently launched their “Rut Reporters” site and Facebook page and because of several really unique features, they have catapulted to the top of my “to check” hunting websites during the rut. Rut Reporters first and foremost features the content and observations of hunters from across the country. Anyone can sign up and vote in a poll, to submit their rut observations, such as mature buck activity, midday movement and rutting sign. This information is then aggregated and used to create a “heat map” which shows where rutting activity is strongest across the country! Not only is this really cool, but for submitting your info you are also signed up to win some pretty nice hunting/outdoor gear.

In addition to the rut heat map, there is also a Rut Reporters “Buck Bulletin” which is essentially a blog from a few different whitetail hunters/writers across the different regions of the US, who are writing up reports on what kind of rutting action is being seen and tips for hunting the given situations. I’ve found this to be great content, and what is really  nice is that you can see specific info for your area. Regions are broken up pretty granularly , for example”Mid-South” and “North Central.” On top of this great up to date information, there also is a section on the site called the “Rut Handbook,” which essentially is a compilation of a bunch of really insightful rut hunting articles.

So all this being said, we’re going to be checking into the Rut Reporters frequently and then sharing some of the over arching themes with you once a week until the rut peters out. For the next 4 or 5 Fridays we’ll be featuring the Rut Heat Map and a few key status updates on Wired To Hunt, but make sure to also go check out the full site for yourself and share your rut observations.

Check out the F&S Rut Reporters here.

On a final note, according to Field & Stream’s “Best Day’s of the Rut” series, tomorrow is the first best day! Check out why here!

The Best Days of the Rut: Oct 26