When To Hunt Deer

October Deer Hunting

This article offers tips for deer hunting during the month of October.

Food Sources

Acorns are falling offering a good food source for the upcoming winter. Look for areas with a small growth of oaks that are actively producing acorns. Also look for any seasonal foods that are becoming available to deer in your area. Evening hunting over remaining field crops may still be effective.

Rubs And Scrapes

As October progresses, there will be more and more signs of rubs and scrapes appearing. Look for and hunt near rub lines and active scrape lines. Pay close attention to such signs that are found deeper in the woods near bedding areas.

Bedding Areas

Evening hunting near a deer’s bedding area may be one of the more effective approaches. October is a transitional month between the active summer feeding schedule and the rutting period. Deer sometimes become seen less often during the month. A bedding area set up provides the hunter the opportunity to catch deer when they first get up.

Lures And Calls

October is the time to begin using and experimenting with different lures and calls. The rattling antlers and grunt calls become more effective. Deer lures start coming into play towards the end of the month.

Related: Deer Hunting Tips

All Day Deer Hunting

Deer Hunting Tips- For the most part, hunting the mornings and evenings will always be the best times to hunt deer. These are the times when deer are most active during daylight. However, there will be exceptions when deer hunting all day might be a good idea.

Limited Time Or Season

One such instance is for those that have a short deer hunting season or little time off. Some states only have a few weeks that are provided to hunt deer. If you happen to live in one of those states, or if you are limited due to work or other obligations, by all means stay in the woods.

Hunting Pressure

Another situation can be related to how much hunting pressure a particular area has. If there is a lot of pressure that keeps the deer on their feet, it would be wise to stay afield as much as possible. The odds of seeing deer will often be slightly increased as hunters move around through the woods.

Weather

Some weather conditions will also dictate midday deer movement. For example, a long cold front that give way to a few days of warming temperatures often results in a little more activity during the midday hours. Pay attention to forecast and plan on staying a little longer on such days.

Rutting Periods

The rutting periods are by far the best times of the year to spend as much time deer hunting as possible. Day time deer activity increases due to bucks searching out receptive does. This provides the hunter with increased opportunities of observing additional deer movement. If no other time of the season, planning to hunt all day during the rut will greatly increase the chances of seeing more deer.

Be Prepared

One thing to remember when deciding on an all day hunt is to be prepared. Make sure to have adequate clothing, food and water, and a comfortable stand or seat. Staying in the woods all day is not an easy task. It requires a bit of mental focus. However, if done under the right situations, it may be a worthy cause.

Take advantage of these deer hunting tips for improved success in the field. Good luck and be safe.

Related Articles: Deer Hunting

.

Midweek Deer Hunting

Many deer hunting trips are limited to one day a week. This is generally on a Saturday. This means that a majority of pressure on deer will also be on this day.

Since deer are able to pattern hunters, they will often change their activity once pressured. This often results in becoming more nocturnal. This will obviously reduce deer sightings.

Especially if hunting deer on public or shared land, a hunter may increase his chances of success by deer hunting during the middle of the week. Midweek hunts often result in less pressured deer movement.

When the woods are filled with hunters, the odds of alarming deer dramatically increases. This is simple reasoning. More hunters provide the possibilities of more human odors being placed in the woods.

This also means more foot traffic. Deer will detect both these changes as danger. They simply will avoid such areas altogether or not move until after dark.

After a few days, the deer may return to a limited day light movement activity. This will allow a midweek hunter to take advantage of such movement.

So if a hunter is able to schedule his deer hunting around days that most others are not, he may have a better chance at seeing more deer.

These deer hunting tips are provided as helpful information based on the authors personal experiences. Good luck, be safe, and enjoy your next hunting experience.

Related Articles: Deer Hunting

.

Evening Hunting For Early Deer

The early part of the hunting season often find deer in a variety of food sources locations. Being able to locate these feeding areas will increase the chances of a harvest. Knowing when to hunt these locations becomes a primary concern.

For the most part, hunting the evening hours will be the best approach during the early deer season. This allows the hunter to slip in more quietly under daylight. Being able to see without the use of a flashlight is a plus. The hunter will have a greater field of view which can help in reducing the chances of spooking deer.

Although it is certainly possible to harvest deer in the morning, the odds are greatly reduced. The reason for this is that in most cases, the deer have already bedded down by the time the sun rises. Of course there are always exceptions. Mature bucks will generally exit a feeding area well before sunlight.

So instead of risking spooking of the deer by setting up during the morning, take advantage of the odds and hunt the first few weeks of the season during the evenings. Be safe and good luck.

Related: Deer Hunting Tips

September Deer Hunting

September in many areas brings the opening of bow season. these hot and buggy days aren’t exactly the most comfortable times for hunters. They can however be very productive and provide an excellent opportunity to take a nice buck. Here are a few deer hunting tips to get you going.

Heat And Bugs

When dealing with the heat, comfort is of primary concern. The use of a good seat with back support can make a difference. This doesn’t do anything for the temperature, but if you are more comfortable on stand, it does make things more tolerable. A camouflaged tee shirt with a bug suit jacket over top and a hood or face mask is ideal for the biting critters. Since these are all light weight and breathable, it also helps with the heat. The use of a mechanical bug device has also gained in popularity.

Stand Placement

An abundance of field crops and other food sources provide a good starting point for stand placement. Observing deer from a distance using binoculars often reveals where deer are entering fields. If you decide to hunt the field edges, place the stand during midday hours prior to the season if possible. Remember to locate a good entrance and exit area that will allow you to get in and out of the hunting area undetected.

Another suggestion would be to go deeper into the woods and set up on travel trails or staging areas. These types of areas will often provide a better chance at a nice deer. Most mature bucks don’t enter fields until just before or even after dark. By hunting deeper, you position yourself for seeing the buck during quality day light.

Scent Control

It goes without saying, because scent control is always of concern, but due to increased sweating conditions it is of the utmost importance during early season. Clean your body, wash your clothing, and spray your gear with scent elimination products prior to entering the woods. Pat attention to wind direction to avoid being detected. When walking to a stand, take your time to reduce sweating.

Remember these deer hunting tips and as always be safe and good luck.

.

Opening Week Deer

The opening week of the deer hunting bow season provides the hunter with a good opportunity for success. There is a wide selection of food sources available that can in many cases allow for better patterning of the deer. The abundance of farm crops give the hunter a chance to observe deer from a distance, and then based on observations, be able to set up accordingly.

Early season deer hunting in many instances often seems like the easiest time of the year to hunt. This is because, for the most part, there has not been any pressure on the deer. The woods have been free from hunter activity for several months. Deer movement has become almost routine and the deer seem somewhat relaxed. Often the hunter is able to take advantage of these situations.

The key to success during the early deer hunting season, like other times of the year, is for the hunter to not be detected by the deer. Fields full of crops offer the hunter the ability to hunt numerous locations without over saturating any given area. Since deer will have bedding areas near these food sources, the hunter has the choice of hunting near field edges or areas near bedding locations.

The hunter should set up stand locations based on observed deer movement. Placing stands during the middle of the day is a tactic often used, however, carrying a portable stand into a location to be hunted in immediately can be just as effective. The trick is to be as quiet as possible to prevent being detected. Always allow extra time if using the later approach.

Another key to success, especially during the warm weather months, is scent control. Deer hunting during early season requires extra attention to be given towards controlling human odors. The hunter will sweat, this obviously creates odor. Taking a shower prior to hunting is recommended. The use of human odor control products is a requirement.

Although there will be much anticipated excitement for the opening week of the deer hunting season, the use of good judgement and hunting tactics will dictate success. As always be safe and good luck.

.

Archives

Subscribe

 Subscribe in a reader

Follow WarriorCritic on Twitter

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Moon Phases

CURRENT MOON