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Midwest October thoughts..

B

boone0

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2014
Messages
423
So, its October 10 and I have yet to get out hunting this year. In MI the season goes oct-jan1. I am working nights which is tough on the family, so I need to make every day count! I am hunting land I have been on before so I am getting a decent idea of where the deer move, but its public land so anything can happen.

In the Midwest where temps are all over the place and the rut doesn't start until mid November, where do you guys focus? Are transitions and funnels still the way to go? This particular area is a state game area, gets decent pressure, has some topo changes, and has farms (corn from what ive seen) to the west, south, and south east. I'd love a buck but I would be happy with a doe too.

I buy a combo tag, hunt for meat, the then the rest is fun. I have some areas scouted out for after the gun season pressure is on, where I am pretty sure bucks are bedding late in the season. Wanna stay out of there now.

Just wondering how everyone approaches the early season! Tuesday is looking good, lowest wind and temp forecast of the week, day after a rain, partially sunny... I want to head out but can't decide on a plan.
 
I haven't even bought my license yet. Im also busy with family, kids in sports that go till late october. Truth is the older i get the less motivated I am to actually go out and hunt. I see your content with getting any deer, that's a different formula than trying to shoot a decent buck. I've scouted a fair amount of public land in the howell/brighton area and its pounded to death. So much hunter sign I can't bring myself to go out there hunting. My advice is go up north and hunt. You might not see a ton of deer, but you wont see lots of hunters either. Find the acorns.
 
Yeah, I hear you on public land challenges. I am starting to find the areas that get pressure and those that don't. Honestly, knowing what I know now, had I not shot my first deer here I would have looked elsewhere for somewhere to hunt. But in the time I've been hunting, I have seen some decent bucks, bumped a few deer, and shot one. So despite the pressure I know there are deer here. I am just figuring out how to be smarter than the other hunters out here.

We use venison in a lot of recipes so I am hoping to get a doe. I have only been at this a couple years, so I am still learning and getting experience.
 
Hey fellow MI hunters! I'm lucky enough to have a couple of parcels of private land to hunt, including my little 4 acre parcel I just bought to put a home up on. My best piece which is 80acre farm (40 ag/40timber) can be a decent spot because it has doe bedding, but there is no crop in the field right now so it's not holding as many deer as it usually does. The farmer told me r plans on doing winter wheat so it might be a good late season spot this year.

I have been out twice since season opener and having two young children and working full time has made it challenging to get out to say the least. I do plan on taking my 4 yr old out for her first sit this year but it twill be in a pop up blind from the ground.

Since I have only seen a single doe+fawn pair at the farm I had planned on waiting to hunt it until later this month for pre rut. Hopefully I will get a stranger buck harassing the doe. Also hoping more deer move in to the area from surrounding pressure.

I'm also really just looking to put some meat in the freezer this year but so far even the prospect of meat has not been terribly promising. Just seem to be much lower number of deer on my properties this year.

I guess now is a good time to hunt properties and stands that aren't your best. Or just wait until the pre rut kicks in at the end of the month. Definitely is tough hunting MI any time of year.

FYI I'm out in St. Clair Co. Near St. Clair. I hunt around here and have also hunted the Port Huron SGA but it too gets hammered.




-Sent from d_mobile
 
Boone, in OH the beans and corn are out. The deer are on the acorns in the woods, then cleaning up the young winter wheat browse in the fields.

If I was on Michigan public land I would find the deepest cluster of white oaks I could... but that's pretty much always good advice!
 
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