Hunting a particular buck prior to the rut or pre rut takes a little work but can easily be done If you know the steps In doing so. Most have tried both times and have found out their success has been better during the "rut". The last 5 or so years I'm having much better luck In October (mid October) then I've been having during the rut In seeing quality bucks. Mid October has now become my favorite time to hunt for mature bucks. The problem before was I wasn't doing It right while hunting In October.
If I can find a spot where the duck hunters haven't pounded... I don't mind hunting in October. I've had encounters of 4.5 and older bucks...passed on a couple... been busted by a couple and have seen others out of range. It is alot tougher hunting then September and if I wasn't so picky and passed on a couple... killing them is do-able. Tim
I sit in a funnel area between two large wooded plots. They walk by me to get to the other woods. I would take a small funnel area over a large clump of woods any day! Funnel areas are the best!
I like hunting early October, but basically I don't chase the big bucks much in October simply because for the last several years its been just too dang hot for me to be out. I don't enjoy hunting while sweating, fighting bugs, the still abundant weeds, etc. It seems our killing frost is much later than it used to be. I'd rather kill does in the early season. Maybe I'm just getting lazy.
If all possible being able to get the time to get out in the field in october is crucial. I have had success in october and november. There have been alot of cases of monsters killed in october, especially the last 10 days of october(red days of october) called by whitetail addiction pro staffer adam hayes. He loves hunting this 10 day window. He now has 3 or 4 whitetails grossing over 200 inches which were harvested at this time, so he's definantly onto something! These big bucks will still be hanging around there home ranges checking and making mock scrapes. If you have good signs of this, and have glassed fields seeing bruisers look out, it could get exciting.
I've killed the majority of my bucks with a bow during what is considered the "October lull." I know each state has its own differences, but what I have seen here in PA as well as in MD and NJ is that the beginning of the season sees a lot of deer still hitting fields and a bunch of eager hunters sitting field edges to hunt them. Some will get lucky, but the bigger bucks, even 2.5 year olds get wise to this pretty quickly and switch their habits to hitting the fields at night until the acorns start dropping. Then they focus on the timber during daylight hours and hit the fields even later. This is usually where I will see some good bucks is when they are staging up before hitting the fields at night. Even later in October when the does are focusing on the acorns you get that great combination of deer on their feet during daylight hours and bucks starting to "feel that itch" and move about a bit more to nudge the unwilling does. Shortly after this all bets are off because the bucks become less predictable IMO, but are on their feet more. If you can put in the hours you will have some exciting hunts and may see a buck you didn't know existed. On the other hand, the buck you were hoping to tag may be 5 properties away or in the bed of another guy's truck at that time as well. Whatever the time though, it's always fun to be out there.
Good discussion thread, Scott. I love hunting October not so much because of the success, or lack thereof, just because I enjoy the transition the deer are making between summer and fall anatomically and physiologically. Anywho, I think, like others have said, the fear of over hunting a spot is what really keeps most hunters from really getting after it in October and I'm kinda one of those people. The spot I discussed in my last blog is a great spot to kill deer anytime of year. You could probably go down there and shoot a nice buck right now if you really wanted to. But that area is so sensitive to pressure that I wont hunt it until late November when bigger bucks are on there feet and more vulnerable. It is all about percentages. Another aspect I think that deserves some consideration is food availability. For those who hunt farm land this isn't really applicable, but having good mast years will determine how aggressively I hunt for bucks during October. It's amazing how much more stressed deer become when there is no food. They become less tolerable of human presence and more apt to vacate an area all together. Last year, we had a terrible mast year and it forced me to hunt closer to bedding areas than I would have liked because the deer were simply not moving. Signs thus far point to a good mast crop for this fall so ill be able to pick and choose spots more exclusively, as opposed to diving right into areas. The above may or may not make sense so read with caution.
I NEVER count October out as I know it could happen any time I have killed plenty of bucks in Oct but just none over 2.5, I have beeen very close several times but just couldnt seal the deal for whatever reason. The last tow years I have beenkeyed onto mature bucks up until 1-7 days before the season (in a pattern anyway) but they just faded away before I could hunt them as the food was changing. Never count out Oct
'Round here, you are lucky to see a mature buck during the rut, let alone durning a time when he is MUCH less likely to be roaming around during daylight hours. If things pan out with my job this fall, I might be able to hunt daily after work at my good spot for the first time in 6-7 years. I am curious to see what kind of action I have, because I will "over hunt" the crap out of the place according to the modern day thinking, but I bet I see more bucks along the way than I have the past few years that I've been "tip-toeing" around.
That's gotta be a great feeling Rybo, knowing you have a great chance at significantly more time in the woods. I agree with your line of thinking. There is SOME merit to just plain time in the woods. Hope the job thing goes your way.
Considering my last two archery bucks were shot a mere four days apart the third week of October, I'm a fan of that time of year In all seriousness, though, the over hunting issue has always been in the back of my mind since I'm hunting 90 acres. However, after two seasons of journals show, I was seeing the same family groups of doe, and 1.5yr old bucks consistently. 2.5 or 3.5 yr olds are a different story (I saw two including the one I shot last year prior to November, but the year before, I hadn't seen any, and the year before that, only one sighting before November). I would like to think that I'm not overhunting as I'm not seeing the effects of it on the doe/younger buck population, but perhaps the lack of mature sightings in the early season isn't coincidental.
Perhaps some folks are luckier than I am, but I have to laugh a bit at the "over hunting" mindset. In PA if I'm not over hunting a spot somebody else is, so I might as well have my rear end in the woods too trying to out-maneuver him and get on the buck. In MD/NJ there are fewer guys, but the ones I do encounter are the beginning of the season/rut hunters. So the beginning of the season is over hunted and then guys take time off until the rut. I like having the woods to myself for a couple of weeks in October and if I hit it right the bucks are recovering from the early season pressure and moving around a good bit again. I know this is completely subjective, but considering how random the rut is can you really over-hunt an area? A stand I could see, but a whole hunting area I'm not sure of. There has to be some place you can hunt.
I thought we were talking about October. I'm not worried about over-hunting some areas. I worry about over-hunting areas where I think bucks are. I don't think you'll/I'll bump them out. I think we'll drive 'em to move at night. Again, talking October.
Oct highly overlooked in my area...and I grew up the same way. Oct 1 opener, hit the woods hard for a couple days just in case a big boy is still showing himself, then it's kind of like a "doe mindset" for the next couple weeks just filling tags...waiting for the first real cool down in weather, and the big boys scraping toward late Oct. And just checking the Outfitter prices in my area prove the same thing...early Oct prices up to $1000 less for 5 day hunt than late Oct, then up to another $1000 higher for the 2 week peak-rut of Nov...the rut is still the magic time, and especially for someone who really just wants to go spend time in a stand in a good area...but for those who want a little more challenge, and don't mind the work...from mid-Oct on, that first and last light can produce some monsters I have only shot one buck in Oct (22nd) and he was doggin a doe hard...so I consider him a rut buck...it was one of those magical mornings I didn't expect, at least 5 different bucks all chasing and running around...obviously a hot doe in area that morning.
Yes, but the recurring theme in October is to not hunt that time for fear of over hunting an area prior to the rut. My thinking is that even if you did over hunt in October and make that buck nocturnal once the rut kicks in his hormones will get the better of him and not only will he be on his feet during the day, so will other bucks that have no idea that you've over hunted the area because they are out of their core area looking for does. Maybe I'm off my rocker, I don't know.
I love October, this year my main time in the woods will be from Oct.16 to Nov 14. I always love the couple of days prior to and after Halloween and realistically it usually takes VA that long to even start getting any cool weather.
I don't think you are (off your rocker). I don't think you can over-hunt it either (IF your plan is to hunt there, during the rut). My contention was....if you do over-hunt it, that'll likely be the only time you'll get a shot at "him" (i.e. AFTER Oct.). Over-hunting areas (in Oct.) kills what could be a good time to hunt. If you're hunting a particular or particular 2-3 bucks, IMO...the LAST thing you're looking forward to is the rut.
The area's I hunt October is my favorite time of the year especially the last week. By the middle of November the bucks are gone and don't return until March at least. I am only talking about the area's that are close to home that I hunt.
I have had luck in october. On the land I hunted last year I saw all the deer I saw the whole season in October. I didnt see anything during the "rut"..lots of time wasted there lookin for a booner. I saw 6 bucks in the last week of October last year so I am starting to turn into a October Bowhunter. The trees are always colored f'n sweet too!
Gotcha. I'm in complete agreement with that last statement. Since the parcels I hunt are pretty small once that buck/s I am after starts roaming it drops my odds of seeing him dramaticially. My way of thinking on the over hunting part in October is that if I bump a buck/s into a nocturnal pattern, I blew it. No excuse for that. However, I still would rather be out there because I have a better shot than not being out there.
