Rut vacation timing

[westwind]

I'm curious how my fellow Wisconsinites time their vacation (if they take it) around the rut. This year the full moon falls on November 1. We know the rut is triggered by reduced daylight hours, but Mark Drury has a theory about the moon accentuating the visible and perceived rut activity we all look forward to (full moon around Nov 1 equals more daylight rut activity, and vice versa).

Whether or not you subscribe to any of that, I'm curious how you plan your time off around the rut. If you could only take a couple of days, which ones would they be? For example, last week of October, the few days around Halloween, the few days around Nov 7, etc. Or are you one of the lucky ones who has the flexibility to wait and see how the weather is and plan around that?

[HuntingParadise]

Im planning to take off a few days around Nov 7thish probably. I may look to see if I can find some cold fronts in advance but not sure yet

[JustinP]

I'm off that first week in November this year.
I don't have a crystal ball or some secret formula or anything, I just used the WAG method of picking time off.

[Dewey]

I’m off work from Oct 24-Nov 15. Should be able to find a few good days in there.

Oct 31-Nov 5 has always been my sweet spot. Rarely changes from year to year unless we get some extremely warm temps. The ruts still going on but just much more condensed.

[MichiganMike]

That's a tough one. That first week of November in Michigan seems to always be best for me. Last week of October is always good too. If I had to picks a week- I would say Halloween to Nov 7th

[Boogieman1]

I’m not a Wisconsinite but I will bite. Some years many things account for when I cash out my rut vacation. Other years the big decision is just that’s the only time I could get off.

There is a few historically good days in my area that I hate to miss. I also love hitting that first hard cold spell when falling in pre rut. I enjoy a full moon when matched will cool temps.Seems I get better midday action. I like to drop my vacation when I see the first big wave of road kill. But in the end I take it whenever I can and look forward to it every year. Waiting around for the stars to line up often never happens so I hit it hard regardless and make my own luck.

[druski]

I think Halloween to Nov. 12th is generally most promising but I rather take long weekends or wed - Friday or Mon-Tues type stuff to better dodge weekend pressure also too close to opening day gun depending where that falls for shotgun, lets say a day or two before season and it never fails people are sighting in their guns near by and hanging stands in the woods, though baiting is banned now so don't half to worry about that as much.
Work is pretty good with one day notice if I'm only out a day or two so it works out well to play the weather and all the other factors to make those calls. Fortunately no one in my work hunts so they love me for not competing with summer dates off and could care less about fall.
Will take couple days here and there with that first early cold front.
Killed me last year we had a great cold snap early Oct. in MI and I had to be out of state.
If I had to put in advance and had to get on my first try I'd say Halloween through 7th and to stagger those so you can hit the front or back of a front and not burn myself out.....might ease with pressure if limited to a single smaller hunting property.

[venisonassassin]

Second week of November is usually a good bet overall. Being a public land guy I like the last week of Oct. It's more pre rut though.

[matt1336]

I stretch it out taking long weekends. That protects me from bad weather. If I had to choose I’d be right around 11/3.

[tgreeno]

I’m off work from Oct 24-Nov 15. Should be able to find a few good days in there.

Oct 31-Nov 5 has always been my sweet spot. Rarely changes from year to year unless we get some extremely warm temps. The ruts still going on but just much more condensed.

I agree with Dewey! The end of October Thru the 1st week of Nov always seems to be good movement!

Personally I like the 1st two weeks of the season! That's the best time to ambush a good buck before he realizes the season even started

[Rich M]

Not in Wisconsin but I hunt the rut in GA.

My favorite week would be Oct 24-31. The deer are on the move no matter what - temps in high 80s, full moon, gale force winds - they are out and about. Once I got over the various stigmas of why not to hunt, started seeing more deer and the peak of movement for me was this week. Another guy on the same lease loves Nov 4 and shoots a mature buck or two every year on Nov 4, with few exceptions.

[bigbuckhunter88]

Iowa guy here. I will have about 5 days of vacation plus weekends for archery. I dont have to have it submitted until mid October. I will wait until then as harvest this year could be early, therefore late October be great. Mark Drury said on a recent podcast Oct 27-31 this year with some good weather should be dynamite. I'm usually more of a fan for later November but I think I will use 2 days on the 29th and 30th of Oct. 5th, 6th and 13th of November that way if warm weather or something hits its broken up

[Ack]

Last 5 days of October through the first 5 of November has been the best for me. Weather can make or break that timeframe though.

[Ghost Hunter]

I usually go for third week of October and second week of November.

[Pfunk]

I’m not a Wisconsinite, but i’ve been coming over from Minnesota 3 years now for roughly the first week of November, and I have shot my buck on November 3rd every trip.

Honestly though if it wasn’t for having to be home for Halloween with the kids, I’d be shooting for roughly 10/28-11/3 if I had to pick a single 7 day period ignoring weather. Cameras consistently show a big uptick in daytime movements those last few days of October and I’ve never been around to hunt it.