I will be taking advantage of Oklahoma's blackpowder season this year and need a little help on how to hunt it. It starts on October 23 and is about 3-4 weeks before the rut should kick in. How should I hunt this? Should I rattle? Should I use scents or mock scrapes? How will the bucks or deer in general be acting? Thanks.

Nick

hey nick? Sounds like a good time to be in the woods if ya ask me. I think the rut is coming early this year, and the time you are talking about is the pre-rut.......which is a great time to rattle and use some scents. Anything you can use like rattling and stuff is always a benefit, hunt the acorns if you had a good mast this year, find the does and the bucks should be around.......good luck and take alot of pics to show us!

I am not familiar with Oklahoma hunting but my guess would be similar to the previous post. I would concentrate on food sources such as acorns, apples and any other food source deer flock to at that time of year in your area.

I would concentrate on the the bedding areas and the trails that lead from bedding to feeding.

hickman what part of Oklahoma are you hunting? ML season can be very productive in late October. We have had a surprizingly wet and mild summer and the deer are in tremendous shape. I have to dodge them every morning going to work. The acorn crop is loaded and the deer are already feeding on falling acorns. We have a lot of oaks in southwest Oklahoma where I am. I will concentrate on oak timber and hunt trails to water, we have plenty of that this year as well. If thats not available hunt as suggested in other posts and hunt feed to bedding areas. We have had rut activity in October before, it is not uncommon. Good luck.