If you could...


ChrisSeb53

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Southern Iowa or Northern Missouri in the rut of course. The early season easy to pattern hunts do sell . The first week of course is the best. If you talk to outfitters the first week of the season is always full.

Once the hunting season starts and the bucks hear, see, and smell their world intruded, easy patterns fade away.

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My 1st choice would be southern Iowa too. IMHO the best time to be there is from ~Nov. 4th through Nov. 15th.

My 2nd choice would be Kansas. I believe the best time to hunt there is from ~Nov. 12th through Nov. 25th.

but would any of you go on an early season hunt with an outfitter because the bucks are "easier to pattern"?

NO Why? They may claim they are easier to pattern but mature bucks tend to be more nocturnal than 3.5 year old & younger bucks. If you've been watching hunting shows on TV you'll see the vast majority of mature bucks are killed while rutting activity is going on. With that said...as a general rule of thumb you''ll see initial rutting activity occurring anywhere from the last week of October through late November in areas that have a traditional November rut. It's earlier in some places like Montana & Canada. It's also later in other areas like Mississippi that has prime ruttng dates that can vary from early December to late January.

About the only exceptions I can think of is post rut hunting. You'll see and hear of big mature bucks being killed after the rut utilizing the remaining food sources recovering from the rut along with secondary rutting activity.

Edited by Rhino
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I'd say Illinois, Iowa, and then Cananda. As far as hunting early, yes, I've seen a bachelor group in late September. You could have set your watch my them, come 5 p.m., they where in the field within in 30 minutes. Also I have had the opportunity to talk to a hunter that hunts public land, and I've heard the same story, hit em early season, cause once the rush starts they go nocturnal. I'd agree with him, cause his proof you can wrap your hands around! I also believe you hunt where the pressure isn't, cause big deer don't get big for being stupid, rut no doubt increases your odds. If you look at alot of the places they shoot those big bucks during rut, the hunting pressure is minium at best.

Edited by abrown
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I'm going to change things up. I would love to hunt Texas someday. probably Dec. for some reason I've watched Texas hunts since I was a kid and always wanted to go. Heck you can shoot whitetail, turkeys and you don't need subzero hunting gear.

Texas is a lot of fun too but you're probably looking at a gun hunt. The places I hunted didn't have much in the way of big trees & most outfitters there gear toward iron men. We gun hunted from tripods, shooting houses, and ground level. Been some time since I went there (1997) but it used to be an annual trip at one time. Texas bucks are the most aggressive deer I've ever hunted. No problem rattling up bucks at the places I hunted...only question was...how many a day would come to the horns. They are also small bodied animals even compared to MS bucks. Makes their horns look bigger if you're used to heavy bodied bucks. My friend in Iowa refers to them as cute little deer! :D

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