To hunt, or wait ?

[dreaming bucks]

Have you guys been hunting much ? I think I am going to wait till Halloween weekend... I just don't want to get my scent in the woods and really put those bucks on full alert... I'm hoping if I stay out of there, maybe one of them will show his face during shooting light hours about Halloween weekend... I only have 60 acres to hunt, so I have been hunting it very sparingly this year, trying to make those bucks feel a little more comfortable.... How about you guys and gals ??? Are you hitting it hard and heavy ?

[headgear]

Get out and HUNT! If you want to save your 60 for halloween by all means do that but hit some public in the mean time. Even if you just pick out a spot on the map that looks good it sure beats sitting home.

[Wrinkleneck]

I hunt when I can. With two young kids and a wife that works afternoons(and almost every weekend afternoon) I don't get to hunt as much as I want. So I really have to plan my days that I can hunt. I don't have alot of land to hunt either, so fitting all this into a good hunting plan can be hard at times. Best part for me is I start my vacation 10/29 thru 11/22

[3dog]

Have a 9 day vaca starting on the 23rd, I'll be huntin' hard. Have 10+ high confidence areas to hit, don't have to worry about burning anything up.

[Bucky]

If you pass on hunting this next week you are missing a good window of opportunity. Bucks are starting to move in my opinion... saw 4 last night. One 8pt right at P&Y that took every ounce of restraint to not pull back the string. But I know there are better ones in the area...

If we get a weather front the next 5-7 days I would definetly try to get in a tree if you can!

[dreaming bucks]

Have a 9 day vaca starting on the 23rd, I'll be huntin' hard. Have 10+ high confidence areas to hit, don't have to worry about burning anything up.

That's the problem 3dog, I don't have any other spots really gone over, so limited to my land probably for this year, but in the off-season I want to do a ton of scouting and learn some new areas... I might try to go friday night and possible saturday morning and then stay out of there for a week.... I have 6 days of vacation to use the first couple weeks of November, so I'm hoping to have some luck during that period...

Just seems like every year, this is just a bad time of the season to bag a bruiser... I know it happens every once in a great while, but it just seems like that last weekend of October and first couple weeks of November really heat up...

[Treejunkie]

I have not been going lately. I have tons of work to get done at work and at home. I have stayed out of my good spots and I am in the same boat as you. Limited land areas (good land) so I dont want to burn them out.

Public around here is hit or miss depending on the day and if the Packers are playing. Woods is usually bare on a Packer Sunday. Tzone just got done with too so hopefully things will calm down by this weekend.

[3dog]

That's the problem 3dog, I don't have any other spots really gone over,

IMO any time of year is a great time to scout a piece you've never been on and it definately beats the alternative of not scouting at all. Found a new spot last Saturday that's absolutely steaming and there's nothing stopping me from cracking him on the first sit. A lot of my best hunts have come from going in blind and setting up on hot sign, you've got nothing to loose doing this.

[headgear]

That's the problem 3dog, I don't have any other spots really gone over, so limited to my land probably for this year, but in the off-season I want to do a ton of scouting and learn some new areas...

You have to hunt on the fly sometimes, this year I didn't have a ton of locations scouted out but I picked out some locations on a map and hunted them. I learned a lot more by going out then sitting on the couch. I still have many of my good areas saved for late Oct too. Heck if you don't want to hunt go out and scout, or scout with your gear on and setup if you find the sign you are looking for. Anything is better then messing up your other land or staying home.

[Hodag Hunter]

My $.02.....

Save your land for late Oct or Nov when you have vacation if your worried about burn out. Now what about trying and scout some public, why wait for spring if your not concerned about hunting it now? Can't say for sure what the best option is with you knowing your land better than others.

If not head out in the boat and go fishing.....and have fun.

[solocam88]

My $.02.....

Save your land for late Oct or Nov when you have vacation if your worried about burn out. Now what about trying and scout some public, why wait for spring if your not concerned about hunting it now? Can't say for sure what the best option is with you knowing your land better than others.

If not head out in the boat and go fishing.....and have fun.

X2

Or I would be out shootin some ducks...

[BackWoodsHunter]

I'd agree I on shooting ducks, scouting or doing some fishing...everyone says the deer are rutting or starting but i just snuck away from school for two days of bowhunting to see 3 deer in the distance on one sit that was it. Also discovered that up til 2 weeks ago 90% of our trail cam pics were daylight or with an hour of daylight on either end of the day bucks and does combined...this time we had less pics than usual and all but 2 were between 9pm and 3am...its the october lull but soon the rut will be here!!

[matt1336]

I have 40 acres that I'm "saving too". I have the 2 weeks prior to gun season + gun season off to hunt so that's when I'm going to get in there. In the mean time I'm hunting public land for a doe and some ducks. I"ve found some nice spots on public this season w/ the LW on my back. I might try some still hunting w/ the bow too if we get some weather that would work.

[lungbuster]

I am going to be out as much as I can before my home body bucks i scouted over the summer take off to parts unknown during the rut..... true you will see more mature buck daytime activity during the rut, but not nessasrily the buck your after, he might be 5 miles away on a hot doe.

[DropTyne]

I agree with Lung on this one....... Ive been chasing a home body deer for two seasons, had one encounter last year, trail cam pics early on, and two close calls this year (50 and 70 yards away) I should have the right wind Friday or Saturday and I really wanna catch this guy before he starts looking hard for does. If you are not hunting a specific buck or do not know of any beds in your immediate area that are being used by a buck your after then you might be best off letting it rest and taking a gamble on getting a cruiser during the rut, but if you know there is one in the area then keep after him cause he will be gone in a week or two.