Was in the NE last weekend, doing some scout/stand work ahead of the late season. Didn't see deer numbers on the ag land, but I was not there at optimal times. Last late season we saw tons of deer on the ag dirt.
However, we did see solid sign on the hill. We saw some very large does with twins and that has been rare in recent years. I think the affect of eliminating doe permits has done a lot of good. I think that we'll see claims of success in the lower units with the 4 pt restriction that are more due to the reduced doe take but with credit going to APR. Just my POV. Looks like we have a good season coming based on what I was seeing.
That being said there hasn't been signs of wolf activity in my area. But we saw far more bear sign that years prior. Worst case, as good as last year.
Rut on the other hand almost never is really in effect until the last couple days of late season. All the other activity is pre-rut. The hunt is purposefully placed to prevent more than a very short day or two's overlap with rut to keep the kill rate down.
