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If you have only 7 days to hunt......

Arrowsmith1

Arrowsmith1

Active Member
We have a small farm in Davis county that we bought in 2009. I have never hunted it. I drew a tag this year along with my hunting partner. We are trying to decide when to hunt. I was up there this past weekend. My two awesome neighbors gave us permission to hunt their farms. I set out 4 cameras which I hope will narrow down our options for some good tree stand sets.

So lets have some opinions Nov.3 thru Nov. 10 or Nov. 10 thru Nov. 17 ?
 
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10-17 for me. On the land I hunt, based on what I've experienced in the past, I'd honestly go more like the 17th-24th. But each area can vary a bit. Hopefully you can get some good action either way!

One other BIG factor to keep in mind is weather. If it's something that you can wait until the 2nd to decide, see what the forecast looks like. If the week of the 10th is looking better, wait for it.
 
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3rd through the 10th for me! Isnt their more B&C bucks killed on the 7th than any other day ? Someone told me that once, not sure if true.
 
jkratz5 said:
I would shift it and hunt the 7-14. I counted one year and I think I have killed >50% of my bucks the 7-10th
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Fwiw, I am with jkratz on this...those dates exactly. Of course ambient temps are going to be a factor, but we can't know those now.

When I used to hunt more in the middle part of the state, I preferred the 3rd - 10th. Now that I always hunt the southern counties, I strongly prefer the later dates. 7-14 all the way. :)
 
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I have been told by more than one person I hunt in a crummy area but that aside I am not far from Davis CO. Hunted for 10 plus years here. Been my experience later is better. A sharp cold snap changes things but I'd say 7 thru 14 better.
 
November 12 seems to be a great day (from past experience). But also, Halloween is always good, and I like to sit Halloween no matter what.
 
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2 choices you gave, I wouldn't pick either! (If forced, I'd pick 10-17 based on your 2 picks, hands down) BUT You said "7 days" so I'm gonna give you 7! :).....
7-14 (ok, that's maybe 8, whatever). If I had to pick a week, that's the timeframe I'd go for. Before that a couple days is great and after that a few days is great but that would be the PEAK in bell curve IMO.
If you wanted to get offtrack (I have ADHD so I just will)..... Nov 5-23. How's that! I love later Nov but it's slower - yet some huge bucks moving at random times. I'm honestly not a fan of early November. I'd be a fan if I wanted to shoot 2-3 year olds BUT I don't think it's peak for MATURE bucks by then.... So, take your 7 days in Nov 5-23 and get a horrible case of FLESH EATING BACTERIA, TUBERCULOSIS, EBOLA or some other scary contagious disease so you don't have to work the other part of it!!!! DONE!
 
November 3rd thru 10th for me. I feel like those dates are going to be pre-rut. But as stated before, if you can wait till the last minute to decide, let the weather do the talking. Good luck!
 
I just do not see the mature buck movement as much in that "later" timeframe in my main area. I think it may be way too many does. When the does start coming in and the big boys have to move 20' to find the next one. Late October and early November I see target deer looking but does arnt ready. My 2c. Late October, in cold weather, is one of my favorite time periods for above reasons. Maybe as I get into new geographic areas things change. We shall see. ;)
 
Hunt the later dates, let me hunt the earlier dates and ill give you all the info you need!

Good luck and enjoy your trip!
 
Sligh1 said:
2 choices you gave, I wouldn't pick either! (If forced, I'd pick 10-17 based on your 2 picks, hands down) BUT You said "7 days" so I'm gonna give you 7! :).....
7-14 (ok, that's maybe 8, whatever). If I had to pick a week, that's the timeframe I'd go for. Before that a couple days is great and after that a few days is great but that would be the PEAK in bell curve IMO.
If you wanted to get offtrack (I have ADHD so I just will)..... Nov 5-23. How's that! I love later Nov but it's slower - yet some huge bucks moving at random times. I'm honestly not a fan of early November. I'd be a fan if I wanted to shoot 2-3 year olds BUT I don't think it's peak for MATURE bucks by then.... So, take your 7 days in Nov 5-23 and get a horrible case of FLESH EATING BACTERIA, TUBERCULOSIS, EBOLA or some other scary contagious disease so you don't have to work the other part of it!!!! DONE!
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I definitely agree with that finer point. ^^ There will be bucks moving in earlier November, but it will be weighted towards the youngsters, on up to frisky 3 year olds. The ol' boys definitely seem to be able to temper themselves for a few extra days.
 
Killed all my best deer and had my best chances Oct 25-Nov 8th. Just heard a podcast with Mark Drury and he said last 5 days in October and first five in November. Couldn't agree more. Varys from one spot to the next I guess. Here they lock down during the end of that first week of Nov. Then it gets tough
 
That's a coin flip. I like the later week if o had to choose but my brother who hunts the same farm has done alot of damage on the 4th. If it's because of work time off I will add this. If you still have a tag and the desire/ability I would consider the long weekend of Thanksgiving. I have had a few of my best overall hunts during that weekend and killed 3 mature bucks that weekend
 
Since I am an Iowa rookie..........What do y'all think about these camera sites.

I didn't have long to scout last Sunday since I had a 12 hour drive back to Texas. I tried to find some travel corridors, some active scrapes and some trails leading from food to bedding areas. Some of the cams are on our ground and some are on my neighbors.Arrowsmith Farm 2017.jpg
 
I hope Oct-lull is right. I am an Iowa rookie, reading every one of your responses and I can understand that everyone has a "special pocket" for their specific hunting grounds. In my 20+ years of hunting PA, NJ, and Md, even though it's 1,000 miles away. Mark Drury's explanation of how the rut unfolds is spot on to my experiences. Anytime after Halloween your chances of mature buck encounters rise. The "rutting moon" just exposes how much of the rut we see during daylight. The article is awesome check it out. Many different views from guides, outfitters, biologists, etc. I believe I read it on wiredtohunt. I'm heading out to SC Iowa next Friday through Nov. 7th. We may be a little early but we are hunting public land and my thought process was the earlier the less pressure, hopefully. Good luck to everyone!
 
Interesting results...by my count:
1 for earlier
4 for Nov 3-10
4 for the 10-17
4 for later

I've hunted Iowa several times as a NR, either the last week of Oct or first week of Nov. Not enough experience with the later dates to say, but we've often thought we were there too early. However, the best hunt was the last week of October, but it was also the coldest.
 
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