[dpms]

I believe any increase in bucks being killed in October is heavily attributed to the increased use of trail cameras. If one has the means to run cell cameras or the time to pull cards every few days, you can absolutely pin down a buck in October and kill him.

 

[yellodog]

When I used to hunt Ohio heavy, there were no trail cams. I'd simply find an area with a nice buck, pull out the maps, devise a plan and hang some stands. Bucks simply are more active in November, so it made sense to hunt them then with the limited amount of actual intel I had. Topo maps and ariel photos told me where I'd see cruising bucks.

Even now, when we have cell cams here at our home farm, I don't use them to pattern deer, just to see who's hanging around. I personally have never seen enough of a daylite pattern to actually feel confident I was "on" a particular buck. Unlimited food and bedding here, I'm not convinced most bucks bed in the same place repeatably, but mebey I'm not using the cameras right. My main October strategy is not hunting so nobody's spooked, and waiting for some steady daylite activity before I start hunting, usually the week of Halloween.

 

[ebarnes1993]

Here's a thought.

20 years ago, most guys just went hunting and hoped for the best. They found acorn trees, rubs and scrapes, put up a stand and hunted. Everyone knew November rut was the time to go.

Now, everyone has cameras, a hit list, and can study "their" deer. Since those deer are more predictable before the rut, they can actually develop a plan and start hunting earlier.

I watch a FB page called big bucks of Ohio, or something like that. Lots of whoppers killed early in October, I'm sure cus they are patterned and predictable.

Good thoughts! Thanks for sharing, definitely more patternable in October

 

[Bowhunter 1188]

I believe any increase in bucks being killed in October is heavily attributed to the increased use of trail cameras. If one has the means to run cell cameras or the time to pull cards every few days, you can absolutely pin down a buck in October and kill him.

Yes. This helps immensely. We have way too many spots to scout thoroughly. Out of 60+ cams per year, they really help us. 90 percent of our cams tell us where NOT to hunt. Last years buck I shot at first light opening morning was a stand I hung the day prior due to getting a photo at 9:30 AM the Friday before the opener. Rushed home after lunch to hang a stand and snuck in the next morning. Never would've hunted that spot otherwise.

 

[toddtd444]

Here in my area, the does will be in heat Thanksgiving week thru the first week of rifle. The 2nd rut is when the big boys come out. It can be after Christmas thru the 2nd week of January. It might be only a day or two or the 2nd rut can last a week or two. The weather plays a big part of it.

Full moon in my area and Clarksburg, WV, you see little, to no deer. I still hunt it tho.

 

[ebarnes1993]

If you watch the Penn state blog (deer study) and watch the buck movement and rut movement of collared bucks. Over the years October 24 or within a day or two the buck movement like clockwork starts to pick up! Around November 3 it goes off the charts. Around November 15 it starts to decline rapidly. Same every year, my cameras tell me the same thing. Whether you there to see it or not is up to you.
2022 and 2023 my best daylight movement on my cams was on Sunday.

That sounds about right, and makes a lot of sense!

 

[ebarnes1993]

Scrape week around here is always during the early muzzy season. October 24 to Halloween.

What WMU are you in?

 

[ebarnes1993]

When I used to hunt Ohio heavy, there were no trail cams. I'd simply find an area with a nice buck, pull out the maps, devise a plan and hang some stands. Bucks simply are more active in November, so it made sense to hunt them then with the limited amount of actual intel I had. Topo maps and ariel photos told me where I'd see cruising bucks.

Even now, when we have cell cams here at our home farm, I don't use them to pattern deer, just to see who's hanging around. I personally have never seen enough of a daylite pattern to actually feel confident I was "on" a particular buck. Unlimited food and bedding here, I'm not convinced most bucks bed in the same place repeatably, but mebey I'm not using the cameras right. My main October strategy is not hunting so nobody's spooked, and waiting for some steady daylite activity before I start hunting, usually the week of Halloween.

Bucks absolutely have different bedding areas based on wind, terrain, etc.

 

[Bowhunter 1188]

Even now, when we have cell cams here at our home farm, I don't use them to pattern deer, just to see who's hanging around. I personally have never seen enough of a daylite pattern to actually feel confident I was "on" a particular buck.

We hunt a lot of properties like that. It's not that you're using cams incorrectly. The buck just don't prefer to call your spot their mid October home. Most spots we hunt are not typically home to mid October buck. But when we find the one that is for whatever reason, it is much easier killing a particular buck than waiting for the rut to kill the same particular buck. It takes work. It can be frustrating. If I was limited to 40 hours of hunting and scouting combined per season, I would not try to get one in October. I would put nearly all 40 hours into rut spots. But if I have the time and ability to scout down an October buck, I try to do it every year. I do know the days are coming sooner than later that I will need to learn how to rut hunt because I am not going to have the time to hang 50+ cameras and dozens of stands pre season. Back to the 90s and early 2000s rut funnel style of hunting.

 

[NECK SHOT]

What WMU are you in?

4d and 4b

 

[ebarnes1993]

4d and 4b

Probably pretty similar to me. I am in 2G and 3B. I definitely notice a huge slow down in deer movement after the 15th as well, unless you are on a prime food source. In the big woods a light switch flips off.

 

[WOL]

I believe any increase in bucks being killed in October is heavily attributed to the increased use of trail cameras. If one has the means to run cell cameras or the time to pull cards every few days, you can absolutely pin down a buck in October and kill him.

We've been running multiple cameras for 15 years. I have never got a buck due to the cameras. As a matter of fact, only a few bucks we got were even on trail cams we had. And those bucks were shot nowhere near where we got pictures. These are big woods bucks and I never see any kind of pattern with them. Maybe we see the same buck walk by a camera once a week. They may be more patternable in farm country.

 

[dpms]

We've been running multiple cameras for 15 years. I have never got a buck due to the cameras. As a matter of fact, only a few bucks we got were even on trail cams we had. And those bucks were shot nowhere near where we got pictures. These are big woods bucks and I never see any kind of pattern with them. Maybe we see the same buck walk by a camera once a week. They may be more patternable in farm country.

I am not saying that running cameras makes it a sure thing or easy to kill October bucks. What I said is If one has the means to run a BUNCH of cell cameras or pull cards every few days, patterning and killing bucks in October becomes a much different game than it used to be. I know guys that can run a bunch and they kill a target buck almost every year after just a few sits. They have hunted less in 10 years than I hunt in half a season.

I only run a few cameras so I have to put in my time.

 

[yellodog]

We hunt a lot of properties like that. It's not that you're using cams incorrectly. The buck just don't prefer to call your spot their mid October home. Most spots we hunt are not typically home to mid October buck. But when we find the one that is for whatever reason, it is much easier killing a particular buck than waiting for the rut to kill the same particular buck. It takes work. It can be frustrating. If I was limited to 40 hours of hunting and scouting combined per season, I would not try to get one in October. I would put nearly all 40 hours into rut spots. But if I have the time and ability to scout down an October buck, I try to do it every year. I do know the days are coming sooner than later that I will need to learn how to rut hunt because I am not going to have the time to hang 50+ cameras and dozens of stands pre season. Back to the 90s and early 2000s rut funnel style of hunting.

Right now there's not many bucks here, but early September they move in. There's lots of swamps and lowlands in this area, that's where they spend their summers. Acorn drop triggers that movement, along with cooler temps and soybeans going yellow and fuzzy.

I'll have to say we do use our cameras incorrectly as a killing tool. They're mostly on food plots or hung over fresh scrapes later in the season. We simply use them to get an "inventory" and to watch deer movement in general.

Not sure where you hunt, but around here there's unlimited food and cover. Over 50,000 acres of corn and beans in Mercer county, plus as much alfalfa and clover. You can't drive a mile without running across a slashing or swamp, and lots of overgrown, reverting pastures. I don't believe MOST bucks bed in the same spot consistently, there's just to many choices.

That all said, I know a guy who uses cameras very effectively. He waits til his target buck is on a daylite pattern, the kills him, usually the first day he hunts him. I think it takes the right buck for that to happen, but I don't hunt like that so mebey I'm wrong.

 

[Bowhunter 1188]

That all said, I know a guy who uses cameras very effectively. He waits til his target buck is on a daylite pattern, the kills him, usually the first day he hunts him. I think it takes the right buck for that to happen, but I don't hunt like that so mebey I'm wrong.

This is very accurate. It takes the right buck to play ball. There's plenty of buck that are not killable due to their large, inconsistent range. But when the right buck shows up killable and you find him, it is like taking candy from a baby. Once I find one of those buck, I go in expecting to fill the tag. It's no longer hoping or wishing. It's "he will be here any minute" mentality.

The best feeling in the world is walking to the stand in mid October knowing the buck will show up. Much better than the feeling of walking to the stand on November 7th wondering what buck will show up.

 

[ebarnes1993]

Right now there's not many bucks here, but early September they move in. There's lots of swamps and lowlands in this area, that's where they spend their summers. Acorn drop triggers that movement, along with cooler temps and soybeans going yellow and fuzzy.

I'll have to say we do use our cameras incorrectly as a killing tool. They're mostly on food plots or hung over fresh scrapes later in the season. We simply use them to get an "inventory" and to watch deer movement in general.

Not sure where you hunt, but around here there's unlimited food and cover. Over 50,000 acres of corn and beans in Mercer county, plus as much alfalfa and clover. You can't drive a mile without running across a slashing or swamp, and lots of overgrown, reverting pastures. I don't believe MOST bucks bed in the same spot consistently, there's just to many choices.

That all said, I know a guy who uses cameras very effectively. He waits til his target buck is on a daylite pattern, the kills him, usually the first day he hunts him. I think it takes the right buck for that to happen, but I don't hunt like that so mebey I'm wrong.

It's definitely different hunting bucks in farmlands settings than public land big woods. In the big woods they aren't that patternable and usually have 3-5 separate bedding areas that could be miles apart. If he's not bedding in the area you are hunting that evening, you are out of the game for him that day, without even knowing it.

 

[ebarnes1993]

This is very accurate. It takes the right buck to play ball. There's plenty of buck that are not killable due to their large, inconsistent range. But when the right buck shows up killable and you find him, it is like taking candy from a baby. Once I find one of those buck, I go in expecting to fill the tag. It's no longer hoping or wishing. It's "he will be here any minute" mentality.

The best feeling in the world is walking to the stand in mid October knowing the buck will show up. Much better than the feeling of walking to the stand on November 7th wondering what buck will show up.

Yep, those are the bucks that are showing up 3+ times a week in daylight...

 

[WOL]

The best feeling in the world is walking to the stand in mid October knowing the buck will show up.

I've never had that feeling.

It's definitely different hunting bucks in farmlands settings than public land big woods. In the big woods they aren't that patternable and usually have 3-5 separate bedding areas that could be miles apart. If he's not bedding in the area you are hunting that evening, you are out of the game for him that day, without even knowing it.

This is more of what I am dealing with.

 

[ebarnes1993]

I've never had that feeling.



This is more of what I am dealing with.

This year will be a little more balanced with me as I picked up a 150 acre lease that's 120 acres of woods and 30 of fields along with the 6-8 public spots I have, 2 of which I found this winter. Next winter I will be figuring out the new lease from top to bottom. This year I will basically be hunting it with my climber, bouncing around and learning how the deer move. Then hopefully next year knowing some areas where I will want to hang some stands.

 

[yellodog]

Much better than the feeling of walking to the stand on November 7th wondering what buck will show up.

That's exactly what I love about November. Half the bucks iv'e shot, I'd never seen before.