October Deer Hunters Almanac

October

OK, the month we have been waiting for is upon us, the bucks are in hard horns, the necks are swelling and sometime this month the first of the does will come into estrus, the rut will ramp up and the “Greatest Show on Earth” will begin. The Hunting Page will be tracking the rut as it develops and let you know the days you must be in the woods thehuntingpage.wpengine.com.  Right now, the deer are in their fall feeding frenzy, but there will most likely be some early breeding in October, if the rut holds true to form, the majority of the rut action will take place next month but we are on it and will be keeping you posted. Basically, the name of the deer game through most of October is food, food, food.

Deer in October

• The woods are a virtual smorgasbord of fall foods, soft mast (fruits and berries) is falling and the acorns are dropping.
• The deer are busy packing on the pounds getting ready for the winter which is sure to come.
• As testosterone continues to build, the bucks are getting ready to breed, scrapes are on the ground, licking branches are being worked and trees are being rubbed.
• Buck dominance is being established through sparring and “dominance posturing”, the stage is being set for later this month and November.
• Sometime in October the occasional doe will come into estrus and trigger full rut behavior by the bucks.
• 5-10% of the does will probably be bred in October, unless the rut lands earlier than usual, stay tuned to The Hunting Page for regular updates.

Woods Work

• This is not the time to be doing woods work, it should be well behind you and of course much to come on the winter months ahead. Your woods work this month is to kill a big buck.
• You will have lots of time in the stand (waiting for Mr.Big) to think through all the woods work you should of done, make plenty of notes, there will be plenty of time after the season.
• Don’t let your hunting buddies get by without committing to a little “work time”, discuss work projects now and enlist help now as you lay out projects going forward.
• Managing a property takes work and planning, now’s the time to take out the pencil and paper and do the latter.

  

Hunting 365

• OK, this is the month you have been waiting for, you can’t kill em on the couch, get out there and hunt!
• If you want to kill the buck of your dreams spend some time figuring him out before making your move, don’t strike until the time is right.
• A good buck will only take so much pressure, don’t screw him up by hunting him when the wind is wrong or you may be over hunting him. Pressure is the enemy of hunting big bucks, hunt low impact.
• Your principal hunting technique in October generally will be hunting food sources.
• Late summer and early fall bucks are driven by food and can be easily patterned but keep the pressure to a minimum.
• Mast, (both hard and soft)  is a preferred food for early fall, hopefully you know where all the mast is and you have an idea when it will hit the ground, mast often trumps food plots once it begins hitting the ground.
• Rut hunting techniques differ dramatically from hunting food sources, don’t confuse the two.
• Be sure the rut is “on” before using rut hunting techniques.
• The phrase, “The rut makes good hunters of us all” was written for good reason, big bucks get very careless when their brain is clouded by testosterone laced with a hint of estrus.
• Stay in the woods when hunting rut crazed bucks, a chase could break out at any time and bucks are on their feet and moving all day and night.
• Even though most of the breeding happens in November, you could very well see some rut activity in October, be prepared for anything.
• A doe in estrus attracts a crowd in a hurry, a small percentage of does may be breedable in October, be ready and fasten your seatbelt if a breeding party is headed your way.
  

  “Digging in”  notes from our sponsor Big & J Attractants:

  In many regions, first frost has occurred or is just around the corner meaning that forage quality has declined to dormant levels or is continuing to decline at a more rapid rate.  Supplementation of nutrient dense feeds are critical as agricultural fields are being harvested and energy dense grains are no longer on the menu unless provided as supplement.

  As does begin to come into estrus, buck focus shifts from food to reproduction, often missing meals as other functions of production become a priority.  Supplemental feeding needs to be provided that is nutrient dense especially energy.  For successful conception does need to be on a positive plane of nutrition if this is not possible than reproductive success will suffer and next year’s numbers will be down.

  It may seem early to start this discussion but management of next year’s bucks and does starts now.  The more intensively nutrition can be managed now the better the odds for success hunting this year and production of next year’s trophies.

  Products for consideration during this time are BB2, Cube, Enhanced, Deadly Dust, To Die For.

• For more information on Big&J  Attractants and Feed visit http://www.bigandj.com/