October lull....

[Grizz1219]

I think it is here.... wow... not a lot going on over the weekend

 

 

[WNYBuckHunter]

They have shifted food sources. Still lots of activity near me, just in different areas.

[Grizz1219]

I'll be back out this weekend... Took a 13 year old this past weekend, we saw deer.. He passed on a few skippers (fawns) but not a ton of movement... even my pics are down.... hoping they get back to moving in my area soon.. 

[Core]

6 minutes ago, WNYBuckHunter said:

They have shifted food sources. Still lots of activity near me, just in different areas.

Thinking this, too. I have two cams on some private land. I have no idea how many hunters are around. Anyway, all through september these cams picked up tons of activity and it just damn near totally died at the very tail end of september. Instead of a deer most days I'm going consistently several days before seeing them. I don't think I ruined the area, either, as a card pull between around the 24th of Sept and Oct 6 (meaning I wasn't there almost two weeks) is when the let up happened. Either a hunter nailed all of them on the 1st, or they have changed patterns. I'm giving up on the spot for now and hoping it changes back in the next few weeks.

[moog5050]

For what its worth, if I based activity on our cam results, I would think its pretty bad.  But our sits show otherwise.  We had real solid activity these past two weekends, but still not many photos.  One afternoon I counted 11 deer and only one was photographed.  All were within 40yds of the cam though.

[Grizz1219]

True... I see more deer at my stands then what the cameras pick up.... But still it has reduced in the past week... I have no hunters walking by on camera, of course they may be doing things off camera that is effecting the deer... like hunting on the wrong wind etc.. 

[phade]

I can't say I believe in the lull as an actual event, but the lull feels real to us as hunters. Completely logical explanations of why we perceive it that way. Studies show increasing daytime activity as deer push through October, but what we see of that is different. Pressure/changing food sources, shifting ranges, etc. All perceived as a decrease in activity during day.

That said, we sure as heck are not seeing it this season. Been a good season as far as sightings go.

Edited October 11, 2016 by phade

[Zag]

Cams by oaks have produced a ton of activity for me. Deer are always moving you just have to find them, my bro shot his buck after 9am yesterday. 

[Grizz1219]

I shot mine opening day.... Was trying over the weekend to get a 13 year old on his first deer... just can't get back to the oaks, the place we hunt is a farm... no permission to go to the oaks.. 

[Core]

20 minutes ago, moog5050 said:

For what its worth, if I based activity on our cam results, I would think its pretty bad.  But our sits show otherwise.  We had real solid activity these past two weekends, but still not many photos.  One afternoon I counted 11 deer and only one was photographed.  All were within 40yds of the cam though.

Yep I was hoping for this last night, too, but no such luck. Even 10 yards could take the deer out of sight. 

[LetEmGrow]

3 hours ago, moog5050 said:

For what its worth, if I based activity on our cam results, I would think its pretty bad.  But our sits show otherwise.  We had real solid activity these past two weekends, but still not many photos.  One afternoon I counted 11 deer and only one was photographed.  All were within 40yds of the cam though.

Yeah this is one of the frustrating things about cameras if you let it be.  Unless you have cameras flying overhead on drones, they are hard to rely on.  Indicative of deer movement a lot of the time, but certainly not all the time.  Plus they can't do things like grunt to get a deer to come near them

[BizCT]

I gotta wait for 11/5 xbow opener, but my cams on logging/atv trails are less used so less pics. But the cam by the acorns has deer everyday single all hours of day time. Decent 8pt comes in almost everyday during mid-day.

[Hock3y24]

still lots of  deer movement here in 7s, hammering the acorns at all times of the day.

 

[turkeyfeathers]

Not a betting type of person.  But I would have bet the house daughter would have put something on the ground for youth Saturday thru Monday. Morning sit/ afternoon / long morning sit. Didn't see a deer. I can't believe it. Cams have 15+ bucks , had decent daytime pics and then they went cold. I've hunted my brothers property for years and am flabbergasted we didn't see a thing. October lull in our area at least. Pretty disappointed 

[BizCT]

7 minutes ago, turkeyfeathers said:

Not a betting type of person.  But I would have bet the house daughter would have put something on the ground for youth Saturday thru Monday. Morning sit/ afternoon / long morning sit. Didn't see a deer. I can't believe it. Cams have 15+ bucks , had decent daytime pics and then they went cold. I've hunted my brothers property for years and am flabbergasted we didn't see a thing. October lull in our area at least. Pretty disappointed 

The fireballs man! those things stink!

[turkeyfeathers]

The fireballs man! those things stink!

Favorable wind. Not blaming them for not seeing deer.


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[QDM4ME]

9 hours ago, phade said:

Completely logical explanations of why we perceive it that way. Studies show increasing daytime activity as deer push through October, but what we see of that is different. Pressure/changing food sources, shifting ranges, etc. All perceived as a decrease in activity during day

Bout sums it up and very well said!

See it on my land and hear about it from other hunters every year about this time. The October lull. 

As the rut approaches I usually see a decrease in mature buck activity during this part of October. Some disperse off my property for a while, some change food sources and travel routes, some even start to go nocturnal. Drives me crazy trying to figure them out often leaves me scratching head.

Although easier said than done, gotta try to not pressure or burn out your favorite hunting stands. I like to key in on harvesting does and filling my freezer on the outskirts of key areas during this lull. Less intrusion the better if trying to harvest a mature buck in your area. 

 

[Bowguy 1]

I think the October lull is mostly pattern changes n more importantly stand burn out n pressure. 

[wooly]

I'm still seeing bachelor groups of bucks on their feet before sunset.

It's one of those all or nothing deals here, but I would hardly call it a lull.

You're either on 'em or your not I guess.

[jesse.james]

Got scrape lines as of yesterday. Saw 5 deer. No lull here

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[OldNewbie]

Two weeks ago they were in my acorns morning and evening every day. Now still 1-2 in the AM and zero in PM.  Instead if I drive around I see packs of them (6+ does mostly) in the fresh cut corn fields or walking toward standing corn, well before sundown. More leaves have started coming down now and covering the acorns which are mostly on the ground, so it seems to me (as several above have said) the deer are changing food sources (to easier pickings). I am sure they will be back by the gun opener - they all but knock on the door and ask to come in when the guns start going off.