huntrman Posted October 30, 2005 Report Share Posted October 30, 2005 Okay this season has been pretty frustrating and its getting worse. I took a doe in the early season, but now the activity has slowed down a ton and I'm kind of baffled as to why. The last 3 times I've been out I haven't seen deer and its only me and my brother who hunt the property, so it's not pressured. We make sure not to hunt the same stand day after day, we give each stand a rest. For example, the stand I hunted today hasn't been hunted for about 4 days. It was nice and cold and I still didn't see a deer. I really haven't checked for signs of rubs and scrapes by this stand, which I should do, but when I do see deer it's usually a group of does. So what would guys do? I know the best part of the season is coming up, the rut. But I hardly see deer in this particular place. Another thing that has me scratching my head is that neither me or my brother has seen very many shooters. My brother saw 1 shooter this entire season, and I haven't seen any. Last year there were quite a few. Guess I'm just getting impatient, but it's kind of disappointing to spend time on the stand and not see a deer time after time. Any suggestions? I know I'm just ranting, but please, someone send some deer my way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VTbowman Posted October 30, 2005 Report Share Posted October 30, 2005 Re: Someone help me out... You may need to walk around a bit and find the "sign" you need. However I would start to think "hunt where the doe are" and just be patient. These deer are starting to get out of there summer feeding patterns so keep that in mind as well. Other then that Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nebraskahunter Posted October 30, 2005 Report Share Posted October 30, 2005 Re: Someone help me out... I'm having the same problem, but tipically in my area this is kind of a lull in the action to come usaully around halloween and on the action will get better the bucks will start cruising and checking doe bedding areas for hot does. I change my tactics and start hunting doe bedding areas in hope of a buck coming in and also I try and stay in the stand all day. The last couple of years weve killed nice bucks between 2 pm and dark. good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VermontHunter Posted October 30, 2005 Report Share Posted October 30, 2005 Re: Someone help me out... Don't get to worried about the lack of activity just yet... Mid October to late October is a Lull time for deer activity,,, this is a time they usually use primarily for feeding and bulking up for the rut that's just ahead... Remember they won't want to travel far from a good food source and will generally bed 200 - 300 yrds from thier food source, keeping cover between them and these sources... When the RUTT kicks in they will be chasing doe's the majority of the time and then you will see a greater increase of sightings.... Be patient it will happen for you.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VermontHunter Posted October 30, 2005 Report Share Posted October 30, 2005 Re: Someone help me out... Here's a great article I came across, in my reading ventures as of late..... Dealing With Bowhunting’s Downtime ( or October Lull as it is known for ) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By: Greg Miller Anyone with even a few years worth of whitetail bowhunting experience can relate to the phenomenon. It’s the second week of October. The big bucks you were seeing with regularity during the early season period have literally fallen off the face of the earth. And it isn’t only that you’re not seeing those deer either. You’re also having a heck of a time finding any fresh rubs or scrapes. In fact, you’re not finding any fresh buck sign at all. But to be quite honest, you knew this was going to happen, because you’re smack dab in the middle of bowhunting’s downtime. Call it what you will; the downtime, the October slow-down or the October lull. But regardless of what you call it, one thing remains constant. Daytime buck movement, especially mature buck movement, often appears to be virtually non-existent during this time. As if this weren’t bad enough, antlerless deer often develop overly suspicious and extremely flighty temperaments during the lull as well. Not really what you’d consider ideal hunting conditions. What causes this down-time? There are many factors that can contribute to the great slow-down in daytime buck activity that occurs at this time of year. One of these factors is the leaf drop and dying-off of seasonal underbrush. This ‘thinning out’ of the woods can have a dramatic effect upon the behavior and travel patterns of whitetails. I’ve personally seen many instances where whitetails abandoned some of their favorite late summer/early fall travel routes once the woods opened up. Another factor that can prompt whitetails to adopt more secretive lifestyles is a sudden increase in hunting pressure. And I’m not talking here only about other bowhunters either. Small game hunting pressure also increases dramatically after the leaf drop occurs. Unfortunately, some of the best rabbit, grouse and woodcock habitat is often the same type of habitat that mature bucks seek out and use for bedding cover. It takes only a few intrusions by small game hunters to permanently dislodge a mature buck from his favorite bedding spot. But the natural occurrence I feel most affects buck behavior at this time of year is something I call the pre-breeding shutdown. Basically, what happens is that mature bucks drastically reduce their activities, while at the same time increasing their intake of highly nutritious foods. Unfortunately, this increase in feeding activity does not translate into an increase in daytime movement. In fact, the vast majority of this feeding activity occurs after dark. Here’s the normal routine. Big bucks will wait until night has fallen, and then travel directly to their most preferred food source where they will feed voraciously. Although they may travel to several nearby food sources during the night, bucks will do very little additional traveling. They also don’t do much in the way of rubbing or scraping. And they’re usually easing back into their bedding areas at first light in the morning. How to hunt shy bucks It’s easy to see why this can be such a frustrating time for hunters. There’s just enough fresh sign appearing to confirm that there are some big bucks in the area. But try as you might, you’re unable to lay your eyes on a single one of those deer. And this is going to remain the case unless you make some adjustments to your ‘normal’ hunting strategies. Most notably, it’s imperative you relocate your stand sites as close as safely possible to buck bedding areas. Along with washing all your hunting clothes in odorless detergent, it’s also wise to use odor-killing spray on your hats, hands and footwear. But it takes a bit more than merely setting up near bedding areas to realize some success during the dreaded ‘down-time’. To begin with, you must be able to select and prepare those stand sites without alerting any bucks that are bedded nearby. And then there’s the major problem of being able to slip into those stands, sit for a couple hours, and then slip out again without causing a commotion or ‘bumping’ any deer. One of your biggest concerns should be establishing walking routes that ensure you won’t be walking through deer. You simply must do this—even if it means taking the long way around. Another major concern is keeping deer from sniffing you out while you’re hunting. Thankfully, the recent advances in odor-eliminating detergents and body soaps and sprays, along with Scent-Lok suits, make this possible. Just make sure you take all the necessary steps to ensure an odor free state for each and every hunt. And even then, you should hunt only when wind direction is absolutely favorable. I can count on one hand the number of whitetails I’ve arrowed during the October lull over the past 30-plus years. I realize this doesn’t translate into a very impressive success rate. Still, the manner in which those deer were taken speaks well for the strategy I’ve outlined. You see, nearly every one of the deer I’ve shot were ambushed in very close proximity to bedding areas—either right at dawn or just as legal shooting hours were about to expire at dusk. I’m not implying that all whitetail bucks go underground for a couple weeks in October. But after more than 30 years of observing the phenomenon, I’d have to say that the vast majority of mature bucks adopt this type of behavior. Therefore, I believe that all bowhunters should learn to identify when such a situation exists. And at that point they can then make the necessary adjustments to their hunting strategies. Hope this helps explain whats happening for ya... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huntrman Posted October 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2005 Re: Someone help me out... Very good read. That explains it quite well. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VermontHunter Posted October 30, 2005 Report Share Posted October 30, 2005 Re: Someone help me out... [ QUOTE ] Very good read. That explains it quite well. Thanks. [/ QUOTE ] Another satisfied customer..... Glad it helped ya out.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
double_drop Posted October 31, 2005 Report Share Posted October 31, 2005 Re: Someone help me out... I would say take a walk around the area and look for some new sign and possibly move your stands. When it gets colder around here anyway the deer seem to stick to the timber instead of being out in the fields. Might want to check that out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoyt03 Posted October 31, 2005 Report Share Posted October 31, 2005 Re: Someone help me out... good read Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kat Posted October 31, 2005 Report Share Posted October 31, 2005 Re: Someone help me out... My advice is wait a week or so....things should start kicking then. It's boring here too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted October 31, 2005 Report Share Posted October 31, 2005 Re: Someone help me out... I think we've all experienced lulls before. Most recently for me, the last few weeks when the moon was in its full to waning stages. Lately it's been heating up though. I remember one year taking November 12th off thinking it was going to be really hot, and it was, temperature wise that is. Disappointing and frustrating for sure. Keep at it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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