October Lull

[Edcyclopedia]

Hormones, archery, small game hunting (squirrels, birds, waterfowl, scouting activity = pressure) and changing food seasons switch things up in a hurry...

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[buckeye]

Many of my best hunts and a few of my best bucks have come during the "lull". The vast majority of my good bucks have come from October. Only a few from November.

[ Post made via Android ]

[mainebowhunter]

I believe we collected some kill data on a thread I started last season. I dont remember exact numbers but a large percentage of Beast members killed their bucks between Oct 20-Nov-20. The data shows the facts. For the amount of talk of how Beast hunting produces early season bucks the numbers showed very few "lull" kills.

[ Post made via Android ]

Here to be exact.
http://www.thehuntingbeast.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=33914&start=45

Bucks killed before Oct 20th - 15
Bucks killed Oct 20th - Nov 20th - 54
Bucks killed after Nov 20th - 9

[Hawthorne]

One of the big buck measuring clubs said the most entries were shot on nov8th more than any other date. Can't remember the exact club

[ Post made via Android ]

[JoeRE]

I believe we collected some kill data on a thread I started last season. I dont remember exact numbers but a large percentage of Beast members killed their bucks between Oct 20-Nov-20. The data shows the facts. For the amount of talk of how Beast hunting produces early season bucks the numbers showed very few "lull" kills.

[ Post made via Android ]

Here to be exact.
http://www.thehuntingbeast.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=33914&start=45

Bucks killed before Oct 20th - 15
Bucks killed Oct 20th - Nov 20th - 54
Bucks killed after Nov 20th - 9

There is no denying every buck is most likely to do something dumb when they are rutting. So am I Its also when hunters tend to spend the most time hunting. Add those together and those stats will hold true every year.

What I do find really interesting...all our talk about scouting our butts off and hunting bucks in their beds, it never fails the vast majority of success in October is during cold fronts. I watch the kill zone and live from the stand threads and it never fails. I am not meaning to belittle our efforts (I am one of those guys that live for October not November!), just shows how big of an impact a cold front can have.

[DaveT1963]

I believe we collected some kill data on a thread I started last season. I dont remember exact numbers but a large percentage of Beast members killed their bucks between Oct 20-Nov-20. The data shows the facts. For the amount of talk of how Beast hunting produces early season bucks the numbers showed very few "lull" kills.

[ Post made via Android ]

Here to be exact.
http://www.thehuntingbeast.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=33914&start=45

Bucks killed before Oct 20th - 15
Bucks killed Oct 20th - Nov 20th - 54
Bucks killed after Nov 20th - 9

There is no denying every buck is most likely to do something dumb when they are rutting. So am I Its also when hunters tend to spend the most time hunting. Add those together and those stats will hold true every year.

What I do find really interesting...all our talk about scouting our butts off and hunting bucks in their beds, it never fails the vast majority of success in October is during cold fronts. I watch the kill zone and live from the stand threads and it never fails. I am not meaning to belittle our efforts (I am one of those guys that live for October not November!), just shows how big of an impact a cold front can have.

X2

I did take two of my bucks in Oct last year - both were pre-rut (2nd & 24th off the top of my head) and both were evening kills as the buck was heading towards food sources (both were in staging areas close to beds). Here's the thing - a buck is out in the woods 24/7/365..... [glow=red]and he is vulnerable on any given day[/glow]. Now where and when [glow=red]YOU[/glow] can get close enough to take him is the key. Of course it is easier to find, see and kill a big buck as they travel more end of Oct and into Nov - but that same buck is out there in Oct and is just as killable in most circumstances - it just takes a lot more effort and thinking to do it and you better make it count when the shot comes.

I also watched the kill threads and the vast majority did not kill a buck off a bed in early Oct. Dan makes this look easy, I assume there are some that think they can watch one or two of Dan's videos, find a few beds, and then make it happen first time in..... reality will hit home when the realization that not everybody is a " Dan Infalt". Dan has been doing this for decades and I can only imagine the effort he has put into finding his prime bed spots and the learning curve. The truth as far as I am concerned can be formulated something along these lines (in no particular order): [glow=red]Success = Knowledge/Experience + Attitude + Effort/Determination + Time + Location[/glow]. If you short yourself in any one area results on killing mature bucks will probably diminish. Yes we all can get lucky and we all know the kid that walked down a creek sat down and shot a monster - but those are the rare exceptions. People that do it year in and year out are not all that common. Killing a buck in Sept vs Oct vs Nov vs Dec-Jan all calls for different approaches and tactics .... how well you apply the above formula [glow=red]to each of the different time frames[/glow] will determine how well you consistently do during that phase IMHO.

[JMAR85]

That's great stuff. Thanks DaveT. How do you go about deciding when to hunt certain beds?

[ Post made via iPad ]

[DaveT1963]

That's great stuff. Thanks DaveT. How do you go about deciding when to hunt certain beds?

[ Post made via iPad ]

I hunt approaches and exits to bedding areas not single beds. I use trail cameras in funnels in these entry and exit to tell me when. If I'm after a buck for a few seasons then I also keep track of what he has done in the past. I try to identify his biggest vulnerability, I then wait for the right conditions and set up. Where and when that happens depends on so many factors. I usually have a few of the pieces but seldom all of them.... So sometimes you just make your best play and stay after them. I personally think that the most consistent pattern is a buck's morning approach to bedding areas... His bedding areas for pre-rut and doe bedding for rut. If at all possible that is my first plan. From there I move to evenings, water holes, etc.

[ Post made via Android ]

[Lockdown]

I had one encounter with a mature buck last season. October 15th. Of course I was hunting bedding.

That encounter never would have happened without Beast tactics.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[JMAR85]

DaveT I hunt a lot of big woods PA mountains. Steep and rocky. Sometimes its hard to nail down specific beds but what I do see are trails coming down the mountain into what appear to be staging areas. I'm assuming they're staging areas when they contain rubs, poop, and browsed plants. This may be a question but would you set up right on these trails or off them a little bit for an evening sit to account for thermals? Also because there's a staging area involved would you assume that these beds are used yearly in October?

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[mainebowhunter]

I had one encounter with a mature buck last season. October 15th. Of course I was hunting bedding.

That encounter never would have happened without Beast tactics.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

From the looks of your journal, your trying to change that this season to more than an encounter!

[DaveT1963]

I had one encounter with a mature buck last season. October 15th. Of course I was hunting bedding.

That encounter never would have happened without Beast tactics.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

In a Marsh?

[ Post made via Android ]

[DaveT1963]

DaveT I hunt a lot of big woods PA mountains. Steep and rocky. Sometimes its hard to nail down specific beds but what I do see are trails coming down the mountain into what appear to be staging areas. I'm assuming they're staging areas when they contain rubs, poop, and browsed plants. This may be a question but would you set up right on these trails or off them a little bit for an evening sit to account for thermals? Also because there's a staging area involved would you assume that these beds are used yearly in October?

[ Post made via iPad ]

I don't think i can give you a cookie cutter answer as each situation has varables that must be considered. When I hunted MT a lot I was always looking where terrain features would funnel then and give me a wind advantage.

But yes I would try to intercept him on his approach to staging if he is using it during daylight (camera could confirm it). During the rut I would focus on funnels leading into and out of doe bedding. Don't overlook where's headers flatten out as they can be great funnels.

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[JMAR85]

What do you mean by headers?

[ Post made via iPad ]

[DaveT1963]

What do you mean by headers?

[ Post made via iPad ]

Where a Creek/drainage originates the deer will cross over there in a lot of cases.

[ Post made via Android ]