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How To Find Early-Season Whitetail Success

Mature bucks do not move as much in October, but they are easier to pattern and experience less hunting pressure.

How To Find Early-Season Whitetail Success
Hunting pressure is typically lower in October than November, especially on public land, making more prime spots available without competition. (Photo courtesy of Mathews Archery)

As a whitetail deer hunting fanatic, I find it hard to admit that there might be a better month than November. The fact is, however, October might be it. This statement does come with its share of caveats, including the biggest of them all: hunting pressure.

As one who will spend about 90 percent of my time hunting public ground in an average year, hunting pressure dictates everything, including whether or not October is a better choice than oft-favored November.

In areas of limited pressure, there’s no question in my mind that November is the month to hunt. It’s really not even a close contest when you consider the entirety of each month. Sure, the last week of October can be awesome, but it comes at the cost of three weeks (or so), which can be some of the least productive of the season. On the other end, November starts with a bang and can hold steady throughout the month with some shallow peaks and valleys mixed in.

The equalizer is that just about every diehard bowhunter knows about the November magic and plans vacation days accordingly. The first 10 to 15 days of November are prime time ... and that’s exactly when most hunters hit the woods, hills and fields of just about every piece of public ground available. When that happens, October starts to look pretty attractive.

Of course, as with most things, it’s not quite that simple. November is so popular for a good reason: Bucks will be on the move, and they’ll be moving with a frenzy that’s not seen at any other time of year. Even with increased levels of hunting pressure, it’s possible to see multiple bucks in a day and have one of those banner weeks that we all dream about.

In October, however, the overall amount of hunting pressure can be reduced, in some cases dramatically, and that can open up some public areas that will be full to the brim in November. But, of course, that also comes with a caveat: The bucks in the area may or may not be moving much in daylight, and the overall amount of travel they do is limited.

So, how do you decide? Is October better than November? Well, let’s take a look.

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Mature bucks don’t move as much in daylight in October as they do in November, but their patterns are more predictable. (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

WHEN ACORNS ARE SPARSE

Every year, folks comment on social media about the number of acorns they find in the woods. There seems to be a notion that a bumper crop of acorns is a good thing.

Well, experience has shown me that if you’re thinking about hunting in October, a banner acorn year is not the year to do it. I do not believe in the notion of an October lull. In my opinion, this “lull” period is nothing more than a redistribution of whitetails spurred by changes in food sources (as well as hunting pressure from bow seasons kicking in).

When acorns start to drop, deer start to eat them. When the woods are full of acorn-raining oaks, pinpointing where those deer are feeding is an exercise in futility. This is especially true in areas with abundant tree cover. If you want to see the best action that October offers, pick a season when acorns are hard to come by.

SCRAPE-OLOGY 101

So much of what I do each season revolves around scrapes. This is especially true in October. From the first week of the month to the last, I will key on active scrapes when hunting and monitoring trail cameras.

When I have camera intel that shows me a buck I’m interested in hunting on an active scrape in October, I feel more confident about my chances of taking that deer than in any other situation.

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I still factor scrapes heavily into my November game plan, but the best time to take advantage of a scrape pattern is before the first does come into heat and breeding begins. This is almost always going to happen in October, and I think it happens far earlier than we realize, especially in areas where heavy hunting pressure has skewed sex ratios and decimated the age structure. Here in my home state of Michigan, for example, I fully expect mature bucks to be locked up with does starting around Oct. 25 and for that lockdown phase to continue through Thanksgiving with a few sporadic breaks between does. If I can find one of those mature bucks on a scrape pattern in mid-October, my odds of killing that deer go way up.

COLD FRONT FALLACY

I’m sure you expected to see me credit cold fronts as a key to October success. It is, after all, the trendy thing to cite. It’s also false. I’ve simply read far too many studies that used telemetry to monitor deer movement and found little to no impact from weather changes, moon phase or other such oft-credited, movement-inducing voodoo.

So why should you factor in cold fronts when considering serious October hunting activity? Because you will, no matter how many studies I cite or the data sets that I offer, continue to believe that October cold fronts get bucks on their feet in daylight. If I’m being honest, I will have those same thoughts tugging at the back of my mind as well, even though the science says otherwise.

And that’s an important factor in October hunting: confidence. You simply aren’t going to see the same kind of frenzied deer activity in October that November often produces. You will need a mental edge to stay focused, to stay diligent, and to hunt as hard as you need to hunt.

If a cold front gives you that edge, then use it.

SUPER SCRAPES

Not all scrapes are created equally.

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In October, focus on hunting scrapes with a prominent licking branch that show obvious signs of being worked regularly by bucks. (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

is it, exactly, that I’m looking for in scrapes? There’s no magic or wizardry involved; I’m simply on the hunt for scrapes that are active. I’m looking for those scrape areas that are being visited regularly. They’re easy to spot—they’re cleared of leaves and debris, have an obvious licking branch and usually carry an aroma of deer urine.

Finding an area with several active scrapes in close proximity is even better, and that’s a common scenario when hunting farm country. Standing cornfields are my habitat of choice in October.

Those cornfields offer the very best bedding cover available and create a ton of natural edge. If I find several active scrapes in a 30- or 40-yard stretch along the edge of a cornfield, I’m wasting no time in getting a trail cam in place to see what kind of bucks are making their rounds. This is as close to an October slam-dunk as I’ve ever found.


  • This article was featured in the October 2024 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe.



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