Anticipation begins to grow in October for the upcoming breeding bash of whitetails across the majority of North America. Could you be placing too much significance in November? Might October be a better choice for you if hunting season dates align with your smartphone scheduler?
I still recall a conversation I had several years ago with famed whitetail hunter Don Kisky of the series “Whitetail Freaks.” With more than 30 years of whitetail hunting in his rearview mirror, Kisky made the comment that he focuses more of his hunting hours in October than November due to one simple reason: whitetail predictability. I concur and take the debate several steps further. Read on and you might just be persuaded that October holds even more advantages than the breeding bedlam of November.
Commuter Hours
The greatest benefit of hunting whitetails in October, regardless of the season, is commuter predictability. They follow patterns, and solid scouting helps you maintain eyes on them even as hiccups, such as the dreaded October lull, pop up. Modern GPS studies across whitetail country now show this lull to be a falsehood. Whitetails, specifically your targeted buck, begin to increase movement as October plays out. They just do it in a different manner, thus the reason to scout meticulously while hunting and in the preseason.
Uncovering travel patterns outside traditional field edges, such as acorn utopias, and having stands set to counter these October alterations to travel patterns is a must. Stay aware of October crop maturation and harvest activities as both influence patterns. And always monitor hunting activities that encourage whitetail pattern change. Regardless, the testosterone fuel pump is filling the whitetail male tank and that indisputably leads to more restless movement as November nears. Now is the time to rely on drippers at scrapes to encourage repeat visitors.
More Deer, Fewer White Packages
Statistically speaking, the numbers do not lie. There are simply more deer around in October than November. Approximately 6 million deer leave the woods annually, and the majority do so during November firearm seasons when success rates soar. Of course, success varies by region widely, but the rate for predominately archery early-season hunts has little comparison to the success of firearm seasons in November.
Take Pennsylvania Game Commission harvest estimates for last season. A total of more than 476,000 deer were removed from the Keystone State. The general firearm season accounted for more than 105,000 of those over archery hunters.
With crossbows added to many archery seasons and a decades-long trend of bowhunting interest, the arrow flingers hold their own. Nevertheless, you have more deer to hunt in October than November, not to mention the behavior changes occurring due to more hunting pressure. In brief, October offers more opportunities with a full field of deer contenders.
No Warranty Claims Yet
In whitetail populations with a buck-to-doe ratio of one or two does to every buck, competition becomes fierce for breeding rights. Even in populations with one buck to every five or six does, the race to breed females when they come into estrus reaches a boiling point. Fights occur throughout the rut, beginning with sparring leading up to the mid-November estrus peak. Nevertheless, most brutal battles ignite in November and those lead to more broken antlers without an Endurance extended warranty.
Broken antlers may not worry you, but many managers of whitetail properties simply will not shoot a buck if points or a portion of the rack goes AWOL. I personally look for mature body features, and if the rack happens to be missing a chunk of bone it does not bother me. It’s character. Plus, a good taxidermist can fix broken points easily so that nobody will know your restoration efforts. Despite my values, being a guest on a hunting property requires you to follow guest rules. That may put broken antlered bucks off limits so consider hunting in October before the breakup of November.
Obesity Issues
Is venison the centerpiece of most of your meals? If so, early seasons provide another value, particularly when your target has antler ornaments. Going into the breeding season, whitetail deer of both sexes sport a physique that, albeit good looking, is a bit portly. Whitetails go into the rut at the peak of body mass. They must, especially breeding males. During the breeding season bucks, on average, lose approximately 20 to 25 percent of their body weight during the rut. Going beyond the 25 percent figure sets them up for disaster with stress, impossible recovery from wounds and predation lurking with a Grim Reaper ending.
Deer are heavier in October before they rut and that equals more meat in your freezer, if that is your goal.
Imagine yourself at 200 pounds losing 25 percent of your weight in less than two months. You’d be a lean, but a weak 150-pound being since you would curtail eating during this entire period like a whitetail buck. Females fair better as they do not seek out the opposite sex in a 24/7 quest. Chasing occurs, breeding supersedes normal activities for a couple days, but between dodges from testosterone-charged bucks females do not stress their bodies like males … of any species.
With that disclaimer, antlerless hunters do not have to worry as much as buck hunters that their quarry will equal fewer freezer packages if shot during the rut, especially the end. Buck hunters, on the other hand, should think about the factor of maybe a 25 percent less venison outcome during a rut hunt as opposed to a pre-rut hunt.
Sweater Weather
Finally, consider that earlier hunts are apt to display better weather. Transitional weather defines October, but winter does not have the teeth during October to stay long from the nation’s center north. The wettest season for most northern whitetail states is summer. It trends toward fall for a handful of states in the southeast corner of the Midwest bleeding into the Southeast.
Temperatures bounce around, but the below-freezing temperatures, sure to arrive in November, just make quick visits during October. My memories teem with November hunts besieged by subzero windchills, feet of snow, icy rain and the misery that accompanies these forecasts while harnessed in a treestand.
And despite the occasional downpour in October, most of my memories include hoodie hunts without handwarmers. Significant hunts stand out in my mind from Oct. 5, Oct. 12, Oct. 21 … so yes, anticipate October like the November rut to follow.
