Two years ago I spent several mornings hunting early season in some of my best spots. No bucks killed that year. Last year I hunted mornings in early season but felt I should hunt less in my prime spots. It paid off. Had a few encounters with some bigger bucks in November and missed a good old mature 10 point. This year after listening to podcasts and trying to learn more I've come to believe that hunting mornings early season is not a good idea where I'm at. Most bucks are on their feet and headed to their beds while I'm walking in blind. I've probably caused more damage hunting mornings than I've known. I've always hunted mornings because they were more convenient for me. Had very few evening hunts in October. The question I have is how much success have you all had hunting evenings in early October? Success being a mature buck on the ground or at least within shooting distance. Yes on TV you see guys killing them then, but is that realistic in the Midwest and on a property that doesn't have corn or soy but just alfalfa fields and timber. I know there's something special about a "first sit" in a stand and that I shouldn't burn out a good stand. But if a front is coming and and the weather is right, I'm thinking it would be dumb to miss out on a good evening hunt...especially if I play the wind and make sure not to bump any deer in the way out. I have a buddy who's leaning toward not hunting much at all until the rut. Just seems like you could miss some good opportunities to me. Thoughts? Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
I have taken a few big bucks (6) in the early season before November. All but one of them were evening hunts. I stopped hunting mornings before the last week or so of October about 8 years ago. I don't hunt just any early season evening though, I key on weather patterns.
I spent too much time going into the woods during early season last year and pressured the deer. This year I won't hunt a morning until end of October or even hunt a stand thats not on a field edge. With that the neighbor just shot a good one the other morning.
I have had mixed success. Hunted and killed a nice 8 pointer Oct. 15 (1st day of season that year)but have sat during several mornings early in season and not really saw a lot of movement. Last year had my largest bow kill was on Sept. 26 on an evening sit. I would say from my experience that evening is probably better for bigger deer.
I'm not much of an early season morning guy unless my scouting tells me something different. The piece of property you hunt might not be a good morning spot, like if you have to walk through the food food source to get to the stand. The weather is the other key factor I look at for early season morning hunting if I have a cold front moving in over night I'm there or if it rains all night with clearing in the morning that's another good time. Scouting and figuring out the best way to get to your, even if it's the long way will make morning hunting pay off eventually.
I have had more success with mature bucks by hunting less. Last 2 bucks I shot I sat a total of 6 times.
In over 40 years of deer hunting I have never killed one in the house. It has always been outside. I have taken bucks morning, noon and night. But the largest bucks I have taken were around noon during the rut. Early season I see more bucks going and coming from food sources like acorns, alfalfa fields and corn. Rut comes and bucks are seen moving where the does are feeding and around bedding areas. Deer get get spooked by new changes but grow accustomed to things that seem normal and have caused them no harm. A spooked deer does not run off to the next county. If you are bumping deer going into a stand then choose different path or location. Here I hunt a public place where a farmer leases some flood prone ground and raises crops. Deer feed there but hunters sit all around it and get some deer. I have found by sitting a 1/4 to 1/2 mile back towards were they bed I get shots on deer run out of the field by hunters coming in in the morning and where the deer hold till after dark before moving into the field at night. As the season and food changes so should you. Early season I hunt more mornings because it is cooler and more comfortable and late season more evenings because it is more comfortable and during rut I sit dawn to dusk till I run out of tags.
On the flip side of Scott (buckeye's) post, almost every good buck I've killed in October has been on a morning hunt. (4 of 5) The earliest was I believe October 16. All have been on the back side of a cold front and directly in or next to a bedding area. When it comes to your hunting season and how you're going to hunt you really do need to look at the bigger picture. How much time you have - how many spots you have - what days you can and can't hunt - how your property lays out - and then start making decisions on what you're doing to do. While I tend to agree with "experts" who say not to hunt October mornings, the fact is you can't kill them if you aren't out there.
As Mark Drury would say weather trumps everything! If you have a good front coming in and all the signs are pointing to good deer movement then you should probably think about that good spot. I don't know how many stand choices you have but if you have a few and things are just looking marginal weather wise maybe you hunt a different stand and just leave your best for when things are heating up rut wise of the weather is just perfect. If you only have one or two stand choices then maybe you take your buddies advice and wait until later in October to hunt. Or just be very selective about the days you go out.
I agree generally do not hunt mornings in October, however I have some spots with cams where I get nice mature bucks 3.5 yo plus traveling at 9:00-10:00AM in October. I think you can hunt a morning, but it would be in a transition area. I wouldn't hunt a field edge or food source. I'd hunt next to their bedding area and beat them back to bed. I'd have to know I could get in there early in the dark undetected, and then know that when they were past me back to bedding I could get out of the stand undetected to end the mornings hunt. Evenings are a different story.
I have a spot like that, deer are hiding in this little thicket by a field and they show up at 10-12 like clockwork. I wonder if I should even try to hunt that stand in the morning because I know they'll see/hear me going up the tree in the dark.
