One of the best times of the year is that 7 to 10 days of rutcatiion. Some of us have to plan well in advance and others can be flexible right up to the time off. It pops up every year; what is the best 7 days or so to take off? There are some very well versed people on here when it comes to weather, like Henson, etc. Tymiller if I remember correctly follows the moon quite a bit. I know it is very hard to predict this far out, but what looks the best as far as weather patterns, the moon, etc.? What's everyone taking off & why?
I'm taking off Oct 25 until Nov 12 (Last day of PA). Because.. History. It depends on what you've experienced in your area. If I only had seven days it would be Nov 6th-12th. From what I've seen in my area, bucks tend to be moving in daylight the 5th or 6th and then the chasing happens the last couple days of the season. Not about to try to predict what the weather will be a few weeks out and I don't believe in the moon theory.
last year I took off the first week of November for the bulk of my hunting and it was like 80 degrees the entire time. This year I'm taking Oct 24-31 for the bulk of my hunting I then can if needed hunt an extra weekend here or there depending on family schedule, but I don't like hunting warm weather so I don't do much for early season stuff, personal preference
here east of STL (St Louis) it always the 2nd week of November to the beginning of the 4th week of November. Or at least I can't go anywhere without seeing a buck cruising mid day. I usually see them walking down a sidewalk in Glen Carbon, IL.
Here in central MN bucks were moving the most Oct. 27 - Nov. 5. It varies by a few days every year and the weather has a lot to do with what certain days.
I would love to take Nov. 7-11 off, but work circumstances will not allow for that. I've asked off for the 3rd and 4th as I've got to give some sort of notice. Hoping those are the right days to be in the woods!
It is true I track and catalogue moon phases with every big buck sighting/picture or sign I can confirm when it occurred. I see it as a tendency alert just as temp swings, barometric pressure and other things. The reason why if pressed I'm using the moon phases for future planning is it is the one thing you can know ahead of time. Harvest, acorn drops, weather and such all change each year...but tracking the moon phases and such is scientific and down to a couple minutes or so every so many years can be looked up and planned on years in advance. So while I have a job that grants me the luxury of taking time off so long as I get work done and hunt...I still like to inform the boss man of a week or so window where I'll definitely be hunting if possible (weather allows and no major meetings). That is where the moon is relied on for me. I've seen a real connection to moon phases and movement [through the years] to the extent I at least personally am convinced it plays a factor if all other things are consistent (which I know is impossible). The peak of breeding though as biologists claim is the same "basic" time frame every year depending on latitude...in my area of the country I'm always gonna hunt as much as possible from about Halloween to the 3rd week of November every single year. The moon though may depending on phase and perigee and over/under foot times will keep me on stand longer or all day at times solely based on them.
If I was forced to only hunt a 7 day stretch it would probably be October 28th - November 4th this year honestly...based on the moon, Pre-Rut and Rut activity should be happening.
I have Halloween off. Then I work a 48. Which will allow me to hunt the 3rd and then a regular 24 hour shift. After that i will be off from the 5th -16th so I will have a good chuck of time to be hunting. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
between Oct. 29th and Nov. 20th the only days I work are Nov. 2nd, 3rd and 14th,15th,16th. If I buck out I will retract some days to save for waterfowl in Dec.
I usually take a pre-rutcation and a rutcation around the same time every year. I try to pay attention to weather and make sure I am hunting when I need to be but like most people work gets in the way. I feel like if I am in the tree on the dates listed below I am giving myself the best chance for success. Pre-rutcation- I take a four day weekend at the very end of October because if your not hunting Halloween you're missing out. Rutaction- November 5th-13th If you want some great information on weather I suggest listening to Mark Drury- The Wired To Hunt Podcast – Episode #63: How To Predict Deer Movement w/Mark Drury | Wired To Hunt
I always take off the week before rifle season. This year it's November 5th-11th. This is historically when I see the strongest rut activity before the orange army takes to the field.
I have been trying to figure out the dates I wanna take my last 3 days vacation. I've been looking into the moon guide stuff and from what others have experienced. I'm somewhere around the 28th-1st or 31st-3rd. Haven't decided yet. Lucky for me I can put in the day before I want off. So it's really all depends on weather. The wife said whenever I want. Since I gave the rest of my vacation for our honeymoon.
I took off Nov. 7,8, so I can go Saturday thru Tuesday, but the weekend before and after that will be great as well I hope.
Haha I have a lot more time now for ducks. I still want to get a doe and possibly another buck but ducks are on the mind for sure. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
