johnhroberts
Button Buck
With the rut nearing, how do you guys change tactics during these pre-rut/late October hot spells? Forecast calls for warm temperatures the next week or so. Just curious if you guys do anything differently.
Late October Hot Spells
- Thread starter johnhroberts
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I wear less clothes.
bwfarms
Old Mossy Horns
I put up more stands. It’s a bit warm cutting trees though.
nhn2a
Ten Pointer
I just keep hunting when I can. I favor getting back in the woods more or near a river where its cooler but otherwise just keep after them.
Homebrewale
Old Mossy Horns
I stay home.
Yep. Be patient, and keep your stinky butt out of the stand until you get a day that is significantly cooler than the average temps.
MJ74
Old Mossy Horns
oldest school
Old Mossy Horns
mornings are more fun when it's this hot.
But deer dont stop any of their activities. If it's 80 or 8 they are going to breed.
BUT just in time for central ML opener it seems the weather turns.
Homebrewale
Old Mossy Horns
BUT just in time for central ML opener it seems the weather turns.
If you trust long range forecasts. I closed my pool this past weekend because the Weather Channel app on my phone was predicting 69F and rain on Saturday. Now the forecast is 78F and low chance of rain. I could have delayed closing by one week.
buckshooter
Old Mossy Horns
We shut the hunting down after the first week of October until the muzzleloader opener. It gives the property and us a break.
We go every other Wednesday and bait , pull SD cards. Just a quick in & out visit.
Seem to work pretty good.
Helium
Old Mossy Horns
We usually back way off (often completely) mid October in VA until blackpowder comes in 1st weekend of Nov
This year it comes in on Halloween
Seem to work by allowing the deer to be Unpressured
On my places in Va, I might hunt the first couple weekends of bow, then I stay the heck out til Muzzleloader. And then stay out after rifle closes til late muzzleloader
That's how I'm playing it.
Its still early in the game; if this week is the week you took vacation than you have to play the hand you're dealt. As for me, I'll bide my time and wait for the weather to turn, which it'll hopefully do by Nov 1st.
nchawkeye
Old Mossy Horns
I hunt more at night, the ones with a full moon are best, then you don't need a light, just a good scope......
kilerhamilton
Old Mossy Horns
I can tell you one thing. It’s been a slow year for me. These last couple of weeks the cameras are sparse with pictures.
Figured the deer are laying in cover catching acorns as they fall on their head.
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Figured the deer are laying in cover catching acorns as they fall on their head.
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Winnie 70
Ten Pointer
Just picking tattors round here...and they are in fields during mornings and late day. Just picked over a field and loaded down my trailer to feed them till end of season.....wife baked couple tonite....boy were they good. When season wears on and food sources dry up those corn and potatoes are drawing cards for me.....just have to be there when he shows up.
My cameras are still catching deer, but very few daylight pictures of bucks. Or daylight pics of any deer for that matter. Of course I don't have them set in their beds either. There is a tremendous amount of food out there right now, and they only need to walk a few steps to get it.
It took me a long time to realize that hunting every chance I got was actually hurting my success.
While I agree with this (I look for any 10 degree switch day/day), I'm not going to let a warm morning stop me from hunting SOMEWHERE........if it's Nov. 8th (or about).
I agree with you, in general. I don't like hunting when it gets above 50, but I do make exceptions.........(during the rut).
TH7
Eight Pointer
I have vacation scheduled next week. Thinking about changing it. Took half the following week as well.
buckshooter
Old Mossy Horns
This is exactly why retirement is so grand. All you need is some patience a good wind and a bit of luck.
nekkedducker
Ten Pointer
Last year I killed my two bucks on Oct 26 and Nov 9. Both morning hunts and not terribly cold. I remember sweating trying to get them cleaned and cooled down quick. The Nov 9 buck was running does all over the place. Deer will still move when it's warm, it just makes hunters uncomfortable and less confident.
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oldest school
Old Mossy Horns
Exactly.
All this from a man (me) who saw zilch yesterday but went because of killing two in back to back years on the 21st and 22nd.
I did hear some hellacious running in the nearest bedding cutover. Nothing popped out though.
Newly falling acorns in massive amounts and above norm temps make it tough but" it's " happening whether we see it or not.
Swamp_Donkey
Eight Pointer
I've been pondering this today myself. Its as still as can be and wind would be right but the heat is no bueno. I keep remembering that it is only the first week of gun in eastern. With that they are still willing to come out much earlier than in mid December once they realize its deer season. Like another said earlier, we just lose confidence and get uncomfortable in the heat. I think I'll rock shorts under my ghillie suit today.
TH7
Eight Pointer
I am on board with this statement. My other thought is the does are going to feed more on weather. So if the does are moving more in daylight on a cold front arguably...would you wait a week into November if you could only pick one? A yearly journal would be a nice thing to have with weather, moon phases etc.
Swamp_Donkey
Eight Pointer
Well I’m up in Franklin, had to kill an amphibious mosquito first as I forgot the thermacell. All critters are out moving, no deer yet. I was trying to remember back at all the big deer I’ve seen in the heat and I remembered quite a few. Hope the big one is out for a gander early tonight.
got in the oaks this morning down by a creek......15 minutes later over my right shoulder a 4 point scrub walks in 10 ft from stand.......heard another deer behind him and in walks a bruiser of an 8,9,10 point.....heavy horned deer about 20 feet from my stand under a freakin holly tree canopy.....can’t make out any characteristics or even get a shot on him.....4 point trots on off and he continues to stand dead still under the holly.....I can’t even raise my rifle for fear of blowing him out of there.....he finally starts walking straight away from me and I can see the mass and width but nothing else.....too thick to chance shot in that direction......so fat boy is right back in the same spot with a reasonable wind this evening....... with my Dad and one of my boys hunting close by ......hoping someone gets a shot at him......nice buck .....product of a one buck limit since 2015 or so......hoping pics will be following!!
how many times do you have deer too close problem???
how many times do you have deer too close problem???
That's why you need to start keeping track.
I've been holding off this season because it's been so warm, and being able to look at my journal of past hunts reminds me that most of my buck kills have come in the period between the 5th and 15th of Nov. Thats what I'm holding out for, (along with some colder weather).
TH7
Eight Pointer
I've been putting it off with no reason why. No better time than now to start!
TravisLH
Old Mossy Horns
Fishing helps, but when I do hunt, I’m still targeting oak ridges with nice deep cool bottoms. Stay out of your better spots that you want to hunt during the rut.
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nchawkeye
Old Mossy Horns
For a few years , my hunting buddies and I would go the first week of muzzleloading in Gates County, this was before we had 2 weeks....We soon found that on that week, we would see does and a few small bucks...So, we moved to the first week in November, now we were seeing larger bucks, chasing does...That is when it really starts, from then until the fist week of December is the time to be in the woods...If you want to see the larger bucks chasing..