Do you Use your Hunting vacation wisely

[Bucky]

Over the past 25 years of bowhunting I've found a few things to be constant....

Early season CAN be productive but its generally hot, buggy, full of Asian lady beetles, and boring. Deer are lethargic and just don't move all that well. I've sat bedding areas, water holes, food plots, transition areas, etc many MANY times and one word I don't associate with early season hunting is exciting.

Since this post , to me, is looking to ask best time to wisely hunt for a buck the best bet to simply tag a buck (not a specific buck you're after) is pre rut if he's a younger deer. The last 8 days of October, year after year, every Hunting forum blows up with numerous posts talking about how "its on" as every Dink in the nation finally drops his nutz and starts chasing. If you're looking for a "good buck" then the first 9 days of November are, on average, the best chance you've got depending on weather and moon phase. If you're wanting to tag a truely giant buck then I firmly believe the few days before and after Thanksgiving are the best. Little guys stop chasing as much but the giants ALWAYS show up that time of year.

No matter how much you post that Hunting beds is exciting I've yet to see how it is. Even Dan says that the MAJORITY of the time you don't see jacksquat early season. Yes, that one hunt where you maybe pop one will be exciting but don't blow smoke up my chimney, early season is boring.

There's my one post for the week.

[ Post made via Android ]

- I agree Opening weekend is usually good though here in WI

[BackWoodsHunter]

Over the past 25 years of bowhunting I've found a few things to be constant....

Early season CAN be productive but its generally hot, buggy, full of Asian lady beetles, and boring. Deer are lethargic and just don't move all that well. I've sat bedding areas, water holes, food plots, transition areas, etc many MANY times and one word I don't associate with early season hunting is exciting.

Since this post , to me, is looking to ask best time to wisely hunt for a buck the best bet to simply tag a buck (not a specific buck you're after) is pre rut if he's a younger deer. The last 8 days of October, year after year, every Hunting forum blows up with numerous posts talking about how "its on" as every Dink in the nation finally drops his nutz and starts chasing. If you're looking for a "good buck" then the first 9 days of November are, on average, the best chance you've got depending on weather and moon phase. If you're wanting to tag a truely giant buck then I firmly believe the few days before and after Thanksgiving are the best. Little guys stop chasing as much but the giants ALWAYS show up that time of year.

No matter how much you post that Hunting beds is exciting I've yet to see how it is. Even Dan says that the MAJORITY of the time you don't see jacksquat early season. Yes, that one hunt where you maybe pop one will be exciting but don't blow smoke up my chimney, early season is boring.

There's my one post for the week.

[ Post made via Android ]

Great post Muddy, I'm sure someone will find a way to try and discredit it though.





To answer the main question, being in school my whole hunting season was a vacation and I was out a lot. After one specific buck most of season I only saw him in daylight during the RUT 2011. Now I am heading out into the real world and I am not so sure how I will use my vacation, or how much vacation time I will even have. I will most likely take my days off the the second week of November and spend the first couple weekends of early season hunting. Then transition to ducks through October, then pick the bow up again in rut when there are more deer on their feet.

[BigHunt]

Over the past 25 years of bowhunting I've found a few things to be constant....

Early season CAN be productive but its generally hot, buggy, full of Asian lady beetles, and boring. Deer are lethargic and just don't move all that well. I've sat bedding areas, water holes, food plots, transition areas, etc many MANY times and one word I don't associate with early season hunting is exciting.

Since this post , to me, is looking to ask best time to wisely hunt for a buck the best bet to simply tag a buck (not a specific buck you're after) is pre rut if he's a younger deer. The last 8 days of October, year after year, every Hunting forum blows up with numerous posts talking about how "its on" as every Dink in the nation finally drops his nutz and starts chasing. If you're looking for a "good buck" then the first 9 days of November are, on average, the best chance you've got depending on weather and moon phase. If you're wanting to tag a truely giant buck then I firmly believe the few days before and after Thanksgiving are the best. Little guys stop chasing as much but the giants ALWAYS show up that time of year.

No matter how much you post that Hunting beds is exciting I've yet to see how it is. Even Dan says that the MAJORITY of the time you don't see jacksquat early season. Yes, that one hunt where you maybe pop one will be exciting but don't blow smoke up my chimney, early season is boring.

There's my one post for the week.

[ Post made via Android ]

good post muddy ....thanks for the input .....

[Brad]

Over the past 25 years of bowhunting I've found a few things to be constant....

Early season CAN be productive but its generally hot, buggy, full of Asian lady beetles, and boring. Deer are lethargic and just don't move all that well. I've sat bedding areas, water holes, food plots, transition areas, etc many MANY times and one word I don't associate with early season hunting is exciting.

Since this post , to me, is looking to ask best time to wisely hunt for a buck the best bet to simply tag a buck (not a specific buck you're after) is pre rut if he's a younger deer. The last 8 days of October, year after year, every Hunting forum blows up with numerous posts talking about how "its on" as every Dink in the nation finally drops his nutz and starts chasing. If you're looking for a "good buck" then the first 9 days of November are, on average, the best chance you've got depending on weather and moon phase. If you're wanting to tag a truely giant buck then I firmly believe the few days before and after Thanksgiving are the best. Little guys stop chasing as much but the giants ALWAYS show up that time of year.

No matter how much you post that Hunting beds is exciting I've yet to see how it is. Even Dan says that the MAJORITY of the time you don't see jacksquat early season. Yes, that one hunt where you maybe pop one will be exciting but don't blow smoke up my chimney, early season is boring.

There's my one post for the week.

[ Post made via Android ]

good post muddy ....thanks for the input .....

X2

[ Post made via BlackBerry ]

[tim]

i agree with muddy and spysar. i will say this , i take my vacaiton the way i said because i believe it is the best time of year . but i still will hunt early season, just cause i take my vacation from oct. 20th thru end of november doesnt mean i dont hunt at all early season. i put many hours in early season but im 3rd shifter and most mornings are out of the question which doesnt bother me early season anyway. i only get every other weekend off thats what limits me for out of town hunts so im basically around town and metro hunts early season.

[Buckfever]

I just blocked off the afternoons from 11/4-11/15, I need to work Monday through Sat mornings, to ensure that the afternoons are freed up, as I need to be available to provide support to other team members. Personally this year being a leap year I would have liked to start on 11/2 but given that the time changes on the 4th, I'll start on the 4th as I don't want to get home too late. I don't want my hunting to impact, the time I spend with my daughter and the hunts that I would have available on 11/2 and 11/3 are too far away. So it's a combination of that I can't take that much time from work, so I focus on the prime time, with consideration as to the impact that my hunting has on my family.

11-12 afternoons doesn't seem like much, but I've got 4 good sets already trimmed out that will be preset early September and I'll stay out. And while it's highly pressured public land, it's the right time on unpressured sets and it's good hunting. Even though it's not a lot of sits, it really makes me feel like I'm keeping my hand in it.

[spring creek]

Probably won't use my vacation wisely. But the high point is that I work 4-10'sso I have every weekend off. Throw in the olidays and I should get a good bit of tree time done. We wil see if it works out.

[virginiashadow]

Last year was rough because I was unable to get any days off for hunting, other than weekends and holidays. This year I will be taking days off from around October 30th-mid November. I will also be working a much more favorable schedule where I work 4-5 days in a row, then get 4 to 5 days off in a row. Bring it!

[Milk Weed Seed]

I am lucky to have a flexible schedule and am able to take off when I pretty much want to. Regardless of time off, when the season starts the working stops......

[ Post made via iPhone ]