This threads always crack me up. The best time to be in the woods is ALWAYS going to be the first two weeks of November. That's pretty much a given. If you had to pick and choose the best days of those two weeks, I personally believe it comes down to a combination of weather and the moon phase. Obviously you can't know what the weather is going to be months in advance, so I'll be content to wait it out and see how things play out as usual.
I am thinking the second week of November. Week after full moon, sure hit if we have some cold weather.
I booked my first mid-west bowhunt in Illinois for October 24th-31st... So, I hope those days will prove to be really productive!! As for Texas, I will be able to hunt the first two weeks of November then its back out of the country for some work till mid December... After that I will just be playing the moon and weather!!!
My schedule next fall SHOULD be Tuesday Thursday classes with Labs on Wednesday....leaving Friday-Monday to hunt. If this works out, I will be able to hunt quite a bit. I hope to hit the woods at my favorite place Halloween or a few days before hand...unlike this year and prior years, I am voiding the area all together until rut hits, since that is BY FAR my best sightings anyway at this farm. My main focus this year will be the week leading up to gun season, ALWAYS the best action in my area. I bowhunted and took my buck during the last day of rifle season last year, but 3 weeks earlier before the opener for guns, the action was INSANE. I'll hunt another farm down on the beans in September, and yet another focusing on oak flats in October....favorite woodlot for rut november.....then if I am still buckless, try and scrape something together in December. By January, I am predator/duck hunting again.
I might be in another state by that time. If we do end up in NC. I don't know anyone out there, so I may be out this season. Ten years, and I have hunted 4 of them. This one year should be okay though. I will just use it to get back on my game, and learn to shoot my (soon to be) new bow.
I had a better job offer but had to turn it down so I could still hunt. I stayed with the lower paying job that I get off at 2PM. Its only 5 miles from work to the stand so Im in my stand by 2:30 everyday. I also have a great girlfriend that lets me hunt and doesnt complain so I get every weekend as well. Im starting to like the early season. The bucks are more predictable but so are the skeeters. I have no game plan set up besides time in the woods.
Probably the same as this past season... everyday of every weekend and a few days during the week when I have time. I will finally be done with college by then so that will help a lot. Plus I have a new place to hunt thats closer to my house than our farm is (for "straight from work" hunts).
I had really good luck the last two seasons using my own personal moon theories (based on the new moon rather than the full moon, anyway long story) but I plan on sticking with it this season. I know for sure I will be off the second week of November to hunt since my brother will be home from Germany but other than that the rest of my time will depend on my very scientific calculations . After I pick some rough dates it all comes down to weather watching for me as I don't have to schedule my leave too far in advance weather fronts tend to dictate the best days afield for me, and usually the weather is less than cooperative .
I'm with you Fitz. I just started a new job this month and my boss is a HUGE hunter. Hoping that translates into some mega hunting time for me!
We always hear talk of moon phases, was wondering how many of you guys use the moon rise/set tables along with that. I always find them useful. I feel like the dates are always pretty close each year (probably because it's one big cycle) but this year for example is quite different than last year. The first new moon of autumn in 2009 is Oct 18 where as last year it was Sept 29. The first full moon in 2009 is Oct 4 as compared to Oct 14 for 2008, second full moon this year Nov. 2 and last year was Nov 13. These changes in the lunar cycle are rather small in the big scheme of things but I believe they wil certainly effect the phase of the rut this year even if only by 7-14 days(that's a pretty big window). I saw action late Oct last season through early November(about Nov 13) and some hit and miss kind of action after that. I am thinking that action will occur slightly later this year and there is a method to my madness. That brings me back to my New Moon theory I mentioned briefly earlier. The first new moon of autumn this season will be Oct 18, so from Oct. 14 to Oct 21 there is almost no sliver of moon the whole week based on Moon Phase, couple that with the Rise/Set times which shows the moon will be up during the day (for the most part) that entire week (Oct 14 Moon Rise=03:06 am and Set= 4:18 pm / Oct 21 Moon Rise 10:58 am and Set= 8:12 pm) and the days in between are similiar, those two sets of circumstances combined = a complete week of blacked out nights. The week of dark nights will ensure increased melatonin output from the pineal gland(which boosts hormones linked to reproductive activity in both bucks and does). I think mid October when all this happens the does will start their breeding cycle which lasts 30 days (the last 7 of which she is usually in heat and the last 1-2 does of that seven is when they ususally are receptive to breeding) and the bucks will start showing testosterone boosted behavior(from what I've read/seen). 30 days broke down into seeking=first 20-23 days(approx), chasing=5-7 days, breeding last couple of days. 30 days from Oct 14 is Nov 13, 30 days from Oct 21 is Nov. 20. That is the part I think is tricky, does don't necessarily start the same day (think women) so while certain family groups of does may have similiar biological clocks others may be a few days different, younger does may come in late older does early or vice versa. One could start the first day, one the last day or even later. I think that is the number one reason we always get conflicting rut reports during hunting season(that and regional differences). After looking at the info this morning I think I'll shoot for Nov. 9-18, depending on the weather of course. A little different than how I've looked at it the past two seasons but it's evolving. So there you have it my "I've got too much time on my hands this morning long winded moon theory rambling". (see 2001 moon phases)
I can tell you this.............more bucks are killed on Nov 9th in Illinois than any other day. I think if the weather is working for you the moon has little affect. Tree stand placement 1st, weather ( cold front coming in) 2nd, and Moon phase 3rd. Really the best time to hunt is when I am in the woods hunt!!!!
I completely agree RJ, I am just alway curious as to why that date, it is a cycle it repeats with fairly close proximity each year I just want to know what kicks it off. Based on everything I've read and seen my money is with the new moon and dark nights as that is a fairly repetitive cycle. Just knowing that helps me to save days in the early season that way I can go as often as possible when November hits.
I have two weeks to hunt in Nov. More than some but less than others. But I still like to try and hunt in the best days in Nov. As you know it is very easy to miss by a week and the bucks are in lockdown. So I like you your theory and will keep track of how it is working. I will try anything that will help put big bucks under my stand! I wish I had a clue on how to hunt when the bucks are in lockdown. I hunt close to bedding grounds in bottlenecks. This always sounds good to me but my buck sightings and kills are very very low. The buck I shot last year I shot in this type of set up and in lock down. That would make 2 bucks killed in lockdown in 36 years of hunting. I could not even tell you how many hours in spend in bottlenecks last year and this was the only good size buck to come by my stand. I have trail cameras on all the bottlenecks on my lease and this also showed that not many mature bucks came through these spots in Nov. I saw more big bucks in the open cornfields at this time of year. Any thoughts on better methods to be more productive at this time of year?
It sounds so cliche but I generally watch the does. Buck hunting seems so hit or miss, I can hunt woodblock X and not see squat and my buddy hunts woodblock y and see lots of action. The only real reason we can find for the variances is some blocks just have more does in them. So by watching them and trying to figure out good ambush spots near their bedding and near the destinations(food) we have seen some good bucks lately and even killed a couple. The hard part for us has been staying out of there until the time is right. I have tried hunting bucks early season but I usually don't get enough time in the field to wait for the perfect conditions when I have a buck located, so I have found that when I try to hunt them early in less than ideal conditions I am usually pissing in the wind whereas if I wait til late October early November and hunt near doe groups I have more stand options and better luck.
I'll take the extreme early season or post rut when hunting a particular buck. Hunting for a good buck... November 24th 25th to the Closer Dec 1.... our rut is about 2 weeks later than most of you guys.
I have the second week of November off this year. Last year it was crazy warm the first week...not that it means anything for this year.
