Focusing on opening week more than the rut......

[Divergent]

I have also had better luck during the first month of the season then during the rut! The rut is usually a crap shoot for me.

X2.

[GoInLight]

From a down south view we are about a month behind u guys, in low pressured areas a hidden alfalfa field was pretty easy Pickens in my early years. Crop rotation has changed and I have my best early season luck in a isolated persimmon tree close to bedding these days. But in all honesty the sounds and smells of the rut bring me the most joy. I luv a swole neck toad with his tongue hanging out

Just scouted persimmon trees this weekend. They are awesome early season around here. My son killed his first deer with a bow off one last year.

[RidgeGhost]

Bump.

May be a little untimely, but I can't get enough of this stuff. Looking at an early season hunt this year and trying to gather up as much info as possible.

[Wannabelikedan]

Traditionally I’ve loaded my vacation from the beginning of November through the third week. Almost exclusively I kill in November and rarely have any sightings of bucks in general til the last week of October. Lots of people do the same and use the “luck” of the rut for it’s odds. I’ve always played the odds game but I’m stepping out of my comfort zone this year.

I really admire the guys here that can get on big bucks in the early season and put one on the ground. Tactics and knowledge implemented here have curved my goals and aspired me to stack more free time in October this coming season. Whether I can successfully get on a slob or not this year, the road to learning how will be longer if I never put the time in.

[Rob loper]

I always for years couldnt wait til november (pre beast) now the way ive learned to hunt i just look forward to all season. The rut to me is less predictable for patterns of bucks. But then on the other hand other bucks will be in the area too. So just being on primary bedding areas all year is exciting to me. From opening day to the closing daylight minutes makes no difference too me if im on hot sign on a prime bed. Its very exciting

[RidgeGhost]

Traditionally I’ve loaded my vacation from the beginning of November through the third week. Almost exclusively I kill in November and rarely have any sightings of bucks in general til the last week of October. Lots of people do the same and use the “luck” of the rut for it’s odds. I’ve always played the odds game but I’m stepping out of my comfort zone this year.

I really admire the guys here that can get on big bucks in the early season and put one on the ground. Tactics and knowledge implemented here have curved my goals and aspired me to stack more free time in October this coming season. Whether I can successfully get on a slob or not this year, the road to learning how will be longer if I never put the time in.

Mostly the same for me too. I've alway banked on the first week or two of November and I was always one of those guys that just banked on luck.

After this past season, I have exponentially more confidence hunting beds through October than I do blindly hunting rut funnels. I'll be burning most, if not all, of my vacation time before November rolls around.

[Octang]

Was anyone else surprised by how quickly deer seemed to return to an area after being hunted? Honestly, I would have expected more than five days. I wonder how different their study is to public land.

[Bucky]

Was anyone else surprised by how quickly deer seemed to return to an area after being hunted? Honestly, I would have expected more than five days. I wonder how different their study is to public land.

Depends on area... but I don’t think deer move as far as people think in early season. Even with pressure... they just move very little in daylight after pressure

[backstraps]

Was anyone else surprised by how quickly deer seemed to return to an area after being hunted? Honestly, I would have expected more than five days. I wonder how different their study is to public land.

Depends on area... but I don’t think deer move as far as people think in early season. Even with pressure... they just move very little in daylight after pressure

Agree 100% I have witnesses mature bucks lie still and let people pass right by them. As well as camera data showing mature bucks after a small amount of pressure adjust their daytime movement to near nocturnal movement....but stay in the same core area

[ghoasthunter]

September bucks are on a routine like clock work last week of that month they start shifting bedding almost like they are scouting. then October they shift to there rut areas but don't move much scrapes and rubs start getting active but all night I see most of my big bucks last two weeks of October coming out of bedding to make scrapes before rut kicks in every year there's a short window when the loose there minds. then typically rut is hit or miss then they go nuts at end of November again. then gun starts December followed buy weeks of muzzleloader till January. during that period they are buried in cover and not moving till dark. for me its just before the rut the big bucks are actively hitting primary scrapes and establishing territory. they compete over rut beds and dominance ill get a different mature buck on the same scrape every day from trail cam pics. they come in all hours of the day. I never miss that time frame and take off a whole week for it. other than that I'm doing traditional bed hunting threw whole season. and scouting for hunters to predict the shifts in deer pockets.

[Boogieman1]

My season opens in October so any summer feed pattern is well over. My sightings and trail cam pics reveal early season without a cold front is all but worthless. Feel you do more harm than good, by the time the buck would be moving in daylight, most have already educated him and let him know he's being hunted.

I play odds, and no matter what source you wanna look at B&C records, P&y records or even prior year kill threads on here. There is a time when more big bucks are killed than any other, and it ain't early season in my opinion. I hunt bucks when the odds are high that a buck will actually move in daylight. I have no shame in concentrating my efforts during the breeding season.

[Rob loper]

Sorry double post.

[Rob loper]

My season opens in October so any summer feed pattern is well over. My sightings and trail cam pics reveal early season without a cold front is all but worthless. Feel you do more harm than good, by the time the buck would be moving in daylight, most have already educated him and let him know he's being hunted.

I play odds, and no matter what source you wanna look at B&C records, P&y records or even prior year kill threads on here. There is a time when more big bucks are killed than any other, and it ain't early season in my opinion. I hunt bucks when the odds are high that a buck will actually move in daylight. I have no shame in concentrating my efforts during the breeding season.

I think its why we hunt the beds and try to get as close to the bed as possible when we hunt that area because the more pressure the less distance that mature buck will move. So if December is gun season. Im pushing that limit of distance to the max too get close. Slow and steady is what im teaching myself. Besides i love to hunt and want to hunt all year. I want my confidence to be high everytime i walk into the woods to hunt doesnt matter to me if it’s September 1st october25th or january 27th
Im busting my hump figuring out where the beds are what trees to setup in and figuring out food and bedding changes from post season scouting. Its why ill be in the woods almost everyday from the first day of post season til the green up. Then im still on computer marking things to scout with stand on back for day one of the season. Rut to me is just another time frame where it will come together if you do your homework
Im on the path of hunting deer not being just trying to get lucky like most hunters do that dont hunt like us
We create and make my own luck and up our odds of success
Im not saying you dont also do this too boggie but this is just how im taking all this in and setting my goals and game plan for next season. I cant wait

[Boogieman1]

My season opens in October so any summer feed pattern is well over. My sightings and trail cam pics reveal early season without a cold front is all but worthless. Feel you do more harm than good, by the time the buck would be moving in daylight, most have already educated him and let him know he's being hunted.

I play odds, and no matter what source you wanna look at B&C records, P&y records or even prior year kill threads on here. There is a time when more big bucks are killed than any other, and it ain't early season in my opinion. I hunt bucks when the odds are high that a buck will actually move in daylight. I have no shame in concentrating my efforts during the breeding season.

I think its why we hunt the beds and try to get as close to the bed as possible when we hunt that area because the more pressure the less distance that mature buck will move. So if December is gun season. Im pushing that limit of distance to the max too get close. Slow and steady is what im teaching myself. Besides i love to hunt and want to hunt all year. I want my confidence to be high everytime i walk into the woods to hunt doesnt matter to me if it’s September 1st october25th or january 27th
Im busting my hump figuring out where the beds are what trees to setup in and figuring out food and bedding changes from post season scouting. Its why ill be in the woods almost everyday from the first day of post season til the green up. Then im still on computer marking things to scout with stand on back for day one of the season. Rut to me is just another time frame where it will come together if you do your homework
Im on the path of hunting deer not being just trying to get lucky like most hunters do that dont hunt like us
We create and make my own luck and up our odds of success
Im not saying you dont also do this too boggie but this is just how im taking all this in and setting my goals and game plan for next season. I cant wait

This is what I am saying.... I think most hunters would agree your first time in is your best shot. So, I take my best shot with the highest odds that the buck will move in daylight. That doesn't mean I don't hunt outside prime time, I hunt a lot. But I don't storm the gates of my best spots just for the sake of going hunting. I go hunt pressured public stuff or spots I know are gonna get trampled on by others and keep the pressure off the good stuff, or there's certain situations where I know a buck will relocate for the rut, so I take a early season shot. No harm no foul. Again this might be just my herd, but I've had cams out for years, in bedding, just outside bedding and everything inbetween. And outside the rut or late season cold spell they just don't move in daylight. Maybe once or twice the entire early season, for me that's low odds to burn my 1st sit in a area I know the habits