Next week the temps drop for my area. Going to take the little guy out and then hopefully get some more time for myself. Cool October weather before the time changes will help with evening hunts.
Heading out this weekend for some sits……mostly just recon and plot assessment but ya never know. Popped in my vacation days this morning and I’ll be off from October 25th to November 29th so it’s almost showtime
I’m at the cabin now until Monday. On doe patrol. Cameras have them showing up all day at pretty much any stand. Gonna be a relaxing weekend either way. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Thanks camo. Hunting this morning and then hanging a muzzleloader stand for my father in law at midday. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Sorry I been MIA. Came home from out moose hunt and been trying to catch up. My deer season starts this week …might pull a couple sits this week on my home property. I will leave this Sunday and head down to KY to hunt next week. Hopefully it cools off a bit. Had good luck and bad with the moose hunt. We got in two days late because of hurricane Fiona, we finally flew in to camp on Monday. I hit a big bull Tuesday morning, right in the shoulder at 45 yards…didn’t get enough penetration and the arrow. We trailed him for about, 8/10 of a mile will little blood and no signs of being more then a flesh wound. He met up with some cows and I watched him the remainder of the afternoon and it didnt even phase him. Seen him again on Thursday but he wasn’t in a spot I could get a stalk. He was the biggest bull I have seen in Newfoundland in 5 hunts there. I passed up a couple shots at smaller bulls and my dad killed a nice on with his rifle. We had wonderful time and I can’t wait to go back. I took the first two spots I could get in 2026.
Looks like some awesome memories were made and that's what it is all about. The kill is the icy on the cake. Congrats to your dad!
Yes it sure is what matters. We had great time. The guides at this camp and outfitter have become great friends of ours over the year. Seeing them all is fantastic. People and our relationships are what matters in life.
Had a fun encounter tonight. We had high winds and snow/rain mix so I decided to try to sneak into a swampy area that’s surrounded by corn only to meet up with a nice 8 point. I was 5 rows in from the edge and he was standing there staring in my direction when I noticed him. He could not figure me out and ended up bounding off but never blew. I have a week off for vacation soon to hunt so I was able to find a couple trees for a climber in the area. I did some scouting with a headlamp and steady rain so I think I can get him if the corn is still up.
Headed to Ohio in the morning for my annual hunt. The cameras we put out in August have shown some nice deer.
Met up with the NWTF guys last night. We also had a guest from the USDA Forest Service. I've been working with him on a guzzler project. Hard work pays off in small dividends. I was given some markers and a quick lesson on the Muley's pattern this time of year. I have a much better idea of what I'm up against on my little piece of mountain. SoCal is seeing a huge drop in deer numbers for this time of year. The private clubs are reporting 40% lower count for this time of year. Forkies and spikes are chasing the does. More people on the local forums are posting videos and photos of the lions and cats coming out. (protected in CA) I've found their fresh prints in just about every area I've scouted. We had good rain last weekend. This weekend, were back up into the 90s. It's going to be a grind, I have less than a 3% chance in my zone even less with an AO tag and 4 weeks to do it in. I tend to focus on the negative so I'm less disappointed if I'm not successful, a reminder that what I'm going for is not easy. On the flip side, success has that much more reward. I have a few questions though: I have 2 different does with yearlings on my camera in the same area where I came across the bachelors. I can't tell if they still have spots but they are small. I'm told that a doe will not kick her fawn until much later possible after the winter. Which means she wont go into estrus until maybe next fall. Would that push the bucks off or does that mean dad may still be around some where near by? I've heard a lot of people talk about barometric pressure and it's effect on the rut and deer activity. Is there any logic to that? Is warmer weather messing with their patterns? Lastly, how do you combat high winds and thermals off ridges and ravines that seem to have no pattern or direction? I can walk a straight line on flat ground and have wind blow in 3 different directions within 30 steps. It always seems that no mater what direction I walk or sit, the wind is always to my back and blowing right at the bed I'm sitting near.
I don’t think that having fawns would impact a does natural cycle, unless they were still using the estrogen to lactate for fawn feeding. By mid October-November the fawns should be feeding on grasses. In fact, at about two-three weeks fawns can start feeding on vegetation (deer association.com) so I would guess that the does can breed but may be hesitant because the fawns are nearby. Second question: weather is weather and you can’t control it. I have seen bucks chasing in late October through late November. Last question: high winds are tough. Play it as best you can and thermals in hill country will move with the day. Use you scent control system and hope for the best. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Some good questions there Agi. The only thing I got is that there is not a good way to adjust to constant shifting winds. I have had times were a stand that sets down in a valley allows me to get away with swirling winds. I don’t know if my scent is pulled up or what, but I’ve had deer down wind of me that never have a clue I’m there and the wind is all over the place.
There have been numerous studies using GPS collared deer to find out if there are any environmental influences affect rut behavior. The bottom line is to forget about rain, temps, MOON, fronts, etc, and hunt as often and as long as you can during the rut, focusing primarily on early and late in the day. (If it's very windy and very rainy, sit that one out). -fsh
Second day in Ohio deer have moved all morning. Mostly does and young bucks. The big boys are laying tight.
