What days for Oct - Nov hunting?

[West Branch]

I am trying to figure out what days I should hunt in the end of Oct/beginning of Nov. I was looking at Friday Oct 31 to Tuesday Nov 4. Or else it would be Thurs Nov 6 to Monday Nov 10.

First dates would be bow only while the firearms season opens Nov 8.

If I did the first weekend I would likely go up for firearms hunting on the 8th and 9th. Maybe the best option to catch some different activity each weekend? Or I could do a 4 day weekend and a 3 day weekend. Too many options, I need some help to decide!

What does everyone else plan on doing?

 

[tooln]

Currently my property is best for bow hunting. I also prefer bow over rifle.

 

[phil@thesidehill]

could be an apples to oranges comparison....but the period of November 2nd through the 10th has accounted for the best rut hunting for me over the last 6 yrs (since i started keeping more detailed records). Maybe a plus/minus of a day or 2 on either end of that range over the last 10 yrs.

All of that aside...thats a tough call...I imagine you are trying to juggle your days off to pull off some hunting? I personally prefer to fill my tags with my bow....but I still do enjoy our firearms season. Gun season is more of a social event and a time to get out of the tree and go take the rifle for a walk up in the big woods for me. By the time Archery season ends for us (November 15th this year), I need a break from tree stand hunting anyway. If i had to choose from your options I think i would possibly decide on a little of both like you suggested. However the benefit of having one solid block of days would be that you could make more moves if need be to get in the right spot based on what you are seeing.

 

[McLovin]

I would bowhunt as much as possible up to November 8th, once the gun season starts all bets are off. I would take the entire week off before gun opener if possible.

 

[PRK]

I see you're in MN too. I always plan some solid bow hunting time the week before gun season opens. The bucks are moving around, the woods haven't been disturbed yet, and you've probably been bow hunting already so you have some idea of how the deer are moving. For gun hunting I always want to be in stand all day the first three days of the season.

 

[sandbur]

I see you're in MN too. I always plan some solid bow hunting time the week before gun season opens. The bucks are moving around, the woods haven't been disturbed yet, and you've probably been bow hunting already so you have some idea of how the deer are moving. For gun hunting I always want to be in stand all day the first three days of the season.

I am working 1.5 days between Nov. 2 and Nov. 18! I will bow hunt the week before rifle season but have no intentions of shooting a deer unless I just can not let him pass. Mid week rifle season in zone 1 is just about as peaceful as bow hunting and I would just much rather kill a deer with the rifle.

 

[sandbur]

Prk- I made a 150 mile run that ended up north of you by Wirt on Tuesday. Did not see a deer on the drive in either direction. Did not see a partridge either. Probably a pretty quiet deer season in the northland. Some friends up there said they saw a doe and fawn in August and a buck sometime before then....

 

[Jim Timber]

I'm positioning myself to be in the woods the last two weeks before rifle season. Last year I missed the monster 3 days before rifle started. He wasn't concerned about me in the slightest and I was sitting butt on the ground staring at each other.

 

[MoBuckChaser]

I will start back scouting and bow hunting when the next cold front comes through, looks like 10 days from now. Then I will hunt til the beans are ready. It took over 40 days last year until the right buck and I crossed paths. Hope it don't take that long this year! Good Luck everyone!

 

[West Branch]

I will probably end up splitting it somehow. Maybe a 4 day weekend for bow hunting and 3 day for firearms. Work is pretty flexible but it would be tough to take a whole week off then based on projects I know will be going on.

I never got the stands up that I wanted to, might have to take a chair out in the woods with me and find a place to sit.

 

[sandbur]

I have had very good luck, just sitting on a stool with my back to a windfall, or in a cubby hole cut out of a conifer. I once shot a buck at 9 yards with the rifle from this set up.

Wear a camo face mask. I would only wear a blaze orange vest if you are confident of safety. Do not wear blaze orange gloves as the movement of orange gloves and sleeves is easily seen by deer against a dark background in my opinion. A bit of elevation is nice.