Are you guys ready to kill some deer?
10-03-2012, 07:47 AM
#1
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Munising MI
Posts: 501
Are you guys ready to kill some deer?
There are 2 reasons this is an outstanding opportunity to take to the woods this weekend:
1. HUGE cold front! Here is SW WI my forecast is 76 for today(wed), 60 for Thurs...then 53 and a high of 48 for Saturday. That is as good a temp drop as you will see in early October. We have lows forecasted in the 20s as well. There is nothing, by far, that has influenced my mature buck kills going back to the early 90s...than cold fronts. I have really focused on those fronts the last several years and almost all of my mature bucks have come on the heals of cold fronts. What it's done for me is allowed me to spend more time with family, and even hunting other states as my hunting opportunity and success has increased to a very high % per sit hunting only cold periods. I can think back to 2005 when I was in WI for a 9 day hunt...we had 3 good days, basically Fri, Sat, and Sun...and then the temps when into the 70s which was pretty bad for early November! I went home Sunday night, spent time with the family and did a little work...and then came back late Wed. night to catch the next cold front and shot a 5 year old giant that Thursday morning.
The majority of my oldest buck opportunities the last few years including 5 year olds last year, in 2010, and in 2007 have all come between the 20th of October and the 26th, during that first big front after the 20th. I will not miss that time every year...Lord willing! My strategy for hunting the pre-rut, rut is to hunt every cold front after the 20th of October...and ignore the rest of the days.
This is too early for pre-rut...but the feeding frenzy this front will push the deer into can't be missed! Also, it's a great time to be hunting over water on the way to an evening food source. Deer get almost all of their moisture requirements from green vegetation...however, after sitting dry all day the love to hit water on the way to feed in the evening...that is not as natural a pattern in the morning after feeding on green vegetation all night. Its been dry for a while...and the deer are pounding water right now if it's around. Add water on a way to an evening food source and it's a great spot to hunt, without spooking out the food source.
Something cool about water? When you start getting morning to mid-day pics of mature bucks on a waterhole....the pre-rut is on! It's an outstanding indicator...
2. Food source change! Beans are being picked, alfalfa/hay has been cut for the last time, and about 15-20% of the corn has been chopped or picked. Also, hard-horn means chemical changes and what seemed like an amiable group of boys feeding in the fields turns a little more selective in who their pals are. Social groups are breaking apart...and bucks are moving around! In the last week there has been a huge influx of new mature bucks popping up on the cameras in the neighborhood because we plan for this early fall shift. We have fall food, fall greens, and fall cover. Many guys that have been drooling at summer feeding bucks on their property all year wonder why those bucks went nocturnal, when really they didn't...they just moved a mile or 2 to their fall ranges.
Also, weeds and native vegetation is drying and dying. Food sources are dwindling, leaves are falling, and areas that held summer herds...are soon to be devoid of deer.
Temps and Food...the big shift is taking place this weekend! Watch this site and social media and you will see a lot of dead bucks coming soon. For me personally, I hunting the high winds of change on Thursday night on the quiet side of a ridge with my scent filtering out into an open, deerless area. It will be quiet except for the trees knocking 200' in elevation above. Friday morning I am hitting a stand between great bedding areas...and the weekend evenings I will be on bedding to water to food movements. I won't sit in the same stand twice...and each of 5 areas on the property will get a sit, once. I am not saying I will shoot one...I am pretty picky! But, I expect a ton of sightings and can't wait for some high quality early October sits!
1. HUGE cold front! Here is SW WI my forecast is 76 for today(wed), 60 for Thurs...then 53 and a high of 48 for Saturday. That is as good a temp drop as you will see in early October. We have lows forecasted in the 20s as well. There is nothing, by far, that has influenced my mature buck kills going back to the early 90s...than cold fronts. I have really focused on those fronts the last several years and almost all of my mature bucks have come on the heals of cold fronts. What it's done for me is allowed me to spend more time with family, and even hunting other states as my hunting opportunity and success has increased to a very high % per sit hunting only cold periods. I can think back to 2005 when I was in WI for a 9 day hunt...we had 3 good days, basically Fri, Sat, and Sun...and then the temps when into the 70s which was pretty bad for early November! I went home Sunday night, spent time with the family and did a little work...and then came back late Wed. night to catch the next cold front and shot a 5 year old giant that Thursday morning.
The majority of my oldest buck opportunities the last few years including 5 year olds last year, in 2010, and in 2007 have all come between the 20th of October and the 26th, during that first big front after the 20th. I will not miss that time every year...Lord willing! My strategy for hunting the pre-rut, rut is to hunt every cold front after the 20th of October...and ignore the rest of the days.
This is too early for pre-rut...but the feeding frenzy this front will push the deer into can't be missed! Also, it's a great time to be hunting over water on the way to an evening food source. Deer get almost all of their moisture requirements from green vegetation...however, after sitting dry all day the love to hit water on the way to feed in the evening...that is not as natural a pattern in the morning after feeding on green vegetation all night. Its been dry for a while...and the deer are pounding water right now if it's around. Add water on a way to an evening food source and it's a great spot to hunt, without spooking out the food source.
Something cool about water? When you start getting morning to mid-day pics of mature bucks on a waterhole....the pre-rut is on! It's an outstanding indicator...
2. Food source change! Beans are being picked, alfalfa/hay has been cut for the last time, and about 15-20% of the corn has been chopped or picked. Also, hard-horn means chemical changes and what seemed like an amiable group of boys feeding in the fields turns a little more selective in who their pals are. Social groups are breaking apart...and bucks are moving around! In the last week there has been a huge influx of new mature bucks popping up on the cameras in the neighborhood because we plan for this early fall shift. We have fall food, fall greens, and fall cover. Many guys that have been drooling at summer feeding bucks on their property all year wonder why those bucks went nocturnal, when really they didn't...they just moved a mile or 2 to their fall ranges.
Also, weeds and native vegetation is drying and dying. Food sources are dwindling, leaves are falling, and areas that held summer herds...are soon to be devoid of deer.
Temps and Food...the big shift is taking place this weekend! Watch this site and social media and you will see a lot of dead bucks coming soon. For me personally, I hunting the high winds of change on Thursday night on the quiet side of a ridge with my scent filtering out into an open, deerless area. It will be quiet except for the trees knocking 200' in elevation above. Friday morning I am hitting a stand between great bedding areas...and the weekend evenings I will be on bedding to water to food movements. I won't sit in the same stand twice...and each of 5 areas on the property will get a sit, once. I am not saying I will shoot one...I am pretty picky! But, I expect a ton of sightings and can't wait for some high quality early October sits!
10-03-2012, 07:49 PM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Dover, Ohio.
Posts: 1,434
You have this right. I have been waiting for my first sit in my favorite stand for the right conditions. According to Weather.com it looks like it will be Monday evening here in Ohio!!!!! I can't wait!!!!!
