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October tactics...what do YOU do?

B

Benois

New Member
Fellers - historically I have only been able to hunt the first week of November due to other fall commitments. I have finally reached the point where I can hunt before the rut and wanna hear what your favorite tactics are for putting down a slob in October.

Thanks in advance for all replies!
 
I am retired. Have all the time in the world. I still wait until last couple days of Oct and frst 2 wks of Nov to get serious. In my area,,experience has told me,,a waste of time any earlier. Older animals don't usually start moving until at least 6 th of Nov. Just my area though I know.
 
Hardly ever kill a mature buck real early. Unless one is patterned. Last 2 weeks in oct. The 2 and a half weeks in November.
Acorns on the edge of a bedding areas are good for activity.
 
I have cameras at every stand. Unless a target Buck is showing up regularly during daylight- I'll stay away till late October. I will get a freezer filling Dow early season where I have zero hit list bucks at.
 
I typically hunt near food or a travel route. I know, seems pretty obvious. Something with as minimal impact as possible. Last year I tried a couple new spots on the ground where I had some decent bucks on camera, but didn't see much movement until dark. Best October activity I think was on a clover field the 2nd weekend of October. In the past 6 years, I think I've only been out before the 2nd weekend maybe two years, when I didn't have other things going on. I typically would only hunt evenings, unless I have a lot of morning activity on camera.
 
The first real cold snap after roughly Oct. 15 can be pretty good particularly in the evening sitting on almost anything GREEN. Clover, radishes, oats, rye, wheat, etc. I've not connected in such a situation, but have seen plenty of mature bucks on their feet during daylight hours in such a scenario.
 
Hunt the cold fronts in early season unless you have a buck patterned. This weekend could be pretty good with the cooler temps. I usually just hunt evenings for does in early season, but yesterday I saw over a dozen deer out and about around 8am while at work.
 
I was out yesterday morning in a low impact spot. I like going every opening morning out of tradition. It was beautiful out. I saw 17 does and a 1.5 year old buck running does like it was Nov. 5. Comical to watch and worth the trip.
 
In early October we will normally just try to pick off a doe or two away from our prime spots and this, mostly on evening sits. BUT...we have had really good luck in the past few years when there is a nice cold front in early October. 2-3 years ago, all three of us could have tagged out on 135"+ bucks on night one of the season. I think it was October 5th or so, and just following a super nice cold front. It was almost as fun that night as the 10th of November...almost. :D In these conditions, all deer seem to move well and are headed for "green" food, as others have said, and can be quite vulnerable.

Now then, when there are a lot of acorns in the timber, and this year seems to be one of those years...then a good white oak sit is probably in order. I have had really nice hunts "early" in years past when focusing on dropping acorns and the deer are even more likely to move well before shooting light fades since they have the cover of the timber to rely on for safety.

I would avoid hunting any area though where you will "blow out" any deer. It's too early for that IMO. Hunt carefully, the best days are still ahead of us.
 
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