Early Seasons Tactics

[CentralKyHunter]

You guys ( or gals) have any input to increase day time deer activity in early season?

We've got a few very nice bucks that are consistently in an area at night but no day activity.

You all use any tactics to try and increase day activity??!

- Mock scrapes or Urine?
- Others?

 

[Tree Spud]

You guys ( or gals) have any input to increase day time deer activity in early season?

We've got a few very nice bucks that are consistently in an area at night but no day activity.

You all use any tactics to try and increase day activity??!

- Mock scrapes or Urine?
- Others?

The only thing that encourages deer activity is the lack of people, predator, & pressure ... there is a reason they have turned nocturnal ... scrapes or urine will make the situation worse ...

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

Buy your neighbors property where the Bucks bed! I have no idea how big your property is, but on small properties it's hard to have the ideal habitat all year. I'd rather have the deer there on October snd November than September. In our area it is tough to compete with large ag areas in late summer and early fall. Once the crops are picked it changes and cover is the key.

 

[Bill]

The only thing that encourages deer activity is the lack of people, predator, & pressure ... there is a reason they have turned nocturnal ... scrapes or urine will make the situation worse ...

Yep, except I do tie down some branches for them to use for scrapes. 0 activity after the velvet comes off except to broadcast rye into the beans. If they smell me after August 1st. "Ish". I better be in a stand. And if the RF cameras don't tell me thier there we don't hunt until Haloween.

Zero pressure is under rated IMO.

 

[buckdeer1]

My opinion is the only thing that encourages early season movement is either a cold spell or catching them on feed before they come out of summer pattern if your season starts early enough

 

[j-bird]

I stay home. Seriously - my stand access and how the deer use my place has proven over time that I do more harm in educating the deer in the early season than it's worth. A good cold front will change my mind, but other than that, day-in and day-out - I will wait until roughly halloween before I hunt on a regular basis. I'm sure different properties are different and better stand access and better scent control can impact all of that....but those are all things we need to be asking ourselves. As such, I hunt less and shoot just as many deer and even better deer because I don't spend a month educating the does. I don't have the bucks I am after living on my place so no point hunting something that isn't there......yet!

 

[Tree Spud]

I may go out to one of my perimeter stands one afternoon early season to do a little scouting, but I stopped early season hunting several years ago. To hot, too many bugs, and too little deer movement. Almost never saw a buck on the move this time of year and found I was burning out stands.

I don't start getting in a stand till around 3rd week of October. Have seen some of my biggest bucks on the move then in their front end rut search mode. Usually see them as early as 2-3 pm in the afternoon.

 

[Buckly]

I wait for those bucks that are on camera at night show up on camera in daylight. Usually Nov 1. Until then I stay out of the stands.

 

[CentralKyHunter]

Thanks for the input. Gonna be tough to stay away but guess that will be the plan until weather & time line up

 

[shawnv]

There is a lot of variables that go into it but if they are not there, it would be best to not hunt it rather than hunt it just for the sake of getting out. I would focus on some of the public lands that are in your area in the meantime.

 

[trampledbyturtles]

I use to get out any chance I got. The sits rarely proved worthwhile, a lot of encounters with 1-2yr olds an a lot of spooked does.
Last yr didn't get a chance to get out till Nov due to work, sat one night an punched my tag. Just picked the appropriate stand with the wind presented.

After the second week of Oct I will sit if a major weather event moves through an I am presented with a favorable wind.

But typically Sept through mid Oct is reserved for the ducks, doves n geese.

Will punch a tag late season in Dec if I am looking to fill the freezer.

 

[SWIFFY]

I have small sanctuaries on our farm that we stay out of 99% of the time. They are the areas that are thick brush, willow, and swamp. In recent years Ive been planting oats and small grains on the edges of these spots so the bucks can feed very close to where they bed. Oats just seem to be the favorite here. For whatever reason this seems to be working. We have had opportunities at many of the best bucks in our area and the first week of October seems to be our best time. They love the green!

Many of these deer have been 4 1/2 yr old and some older. It seems if were trying to target a specific deer, this is how it happens. They do move more during the rut but seem to be much less patternable.

 

[Tree Spud]

I have small sanctuaries on our farm that we stay out of 99% of the time. They are the areas that are thick brush, willow, and swamp. In recent years Ive been planting oats and small grains on the edges of these spots so the bucks can feed very close to where they bed. Oats just seem to be the favorite here. For whatever reason this seems to be working. We have had opportunities at many of the best bucks in our area and the first week of October seems to be our best time. They love the green!

Many of these deer have been 4 1/2 yr old and some older. It seems if were trying to target a specific deer, this is how it happens. They do move more during the rut but seem to be much less patternable.

What do you define as early season?

Sounds like in central Minn you are well into the early rut phase in early Oct...

 

[SWIFFY]

I guess I define early season as Sept.... but our bucks dont really seem to disperse until mid October so im referring to before that. Although they are more frequently making scrapes and exploring in early October I haven't found that they leave to seek new ground until the middle of the month. Prior to that they are feeding heavy and seem to be somewhat predictable.

I can only speak for what I see here where im at. But yes... i would say its the early, EARLY rut phase here. Many say its the "lull". From what ive experienced they just arent up early far from their bed when its light out. So putting very attractive food right next to that spot has been a deadly recipe. A scrape tree is the "candle on top".

 

[H20fwler]

I hunt opening weekend mornings & evenings here which comes in the end of September and I usually see deer, have seen even a few decent bucks that are still in summer mode. Then I usually back off until first week of November...October is for duck hunting. I watch for the temps dropping hard and spitting snow...I see more deer then than I do during rut, those are worth all day sits for me.

 

[Lee Haakenson]

Every year my friend has hunted their land every weekend opening day and on. Last year he moved farther away and didnt get to the home farm to hunt until mid November. Shot his best buck yet the 1st hour out. I applied the same approach the last two years and have had much better success. I only hunt cold fronts prior to halloween. I dont hunt in september. Hunt less and smarter is highly recommended!

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[Bill]

Don't miss understand when I say I wait til Haloween.
If we have a buck we want still in a summer pattern and the wind is right we'll be there. But there has to be a strong argument that our target will show. Otherwise it's a no go. That's only about a 2 week window at my place if it happens at all.

 

[SWIFFY]

Don't miss understand when I say I wait til Haloween.
If we have a buck we want still in a summer pattern and the wind is right we'll be there. But there has to be a strong argument that our target will show. Otherwise it's a no go. That's only about a 2 week window at my place if it happens at all.

Ya I agree. Im watching my cams like a hawk and have a pretty good idea if and when a particular buck is coming in to the plots in daylight. If there wasnt one, I sure wouldnt be there leaving scent.

Hunt smarter, not harder. Ill toast to that.

 

[Lee Haakenson]

Ya I agree. Im watching my cams like a hawk and have a pretty good idea if and when a particular buck is coming in to the plots in daylight. If there wasnt one, I sure wouldnt be there leaving scent.

Hunt smarter, not harder. Ill toast to that.

Are you using cell cams? If not, where do you hang them to not be intrusuve when retreiving cards? My problem is that all my cameras are in areas that are too intrusive to check them frequently. I only check them when going to hunt.

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[Bill]

Are you using cell cams? If not, where do you hang them to not be intrusuve when retreiving cards? My problem is that all my cameras are in areas that are too intrusive to check them frequently. I only check them when going to hunt.

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Buckeye cams for me. RF signal to the base hooked to a network computer. High tech redneck. I can check them from anywhere. But I am getting ready to experiment with the new cuddeback system.