• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

the October lull is a thing, of some sort

neonomad

neonomad

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Sep 4, 2019
Messages
1,378
I’ve got some good camera data from 2020-2021, and this is a quick chart I’m still getting the 2022 data entered… from what I’ve seen though on the 100 acres I hunt (almost a dozen cellular cameras) the October lull is real, and for me starts about now. I know the podcast experts reiterate that it’s not real, but I think we’re debating definitions here, because there is some phenomenon. In the past from about now to the 25th, I reliably see a plunge in camera action. Each year I try to adjust cameras to better spots, in this case some deeper in timber and more on oaks. Others are on common travel corridors, a few on food plots.

I’m not saying the hunting can’t be good, I’m just more generally curious about the two week shift, and what’s really going on. My objective here is to remind myself that if I want to hunt these weeks, which are usually great weeks to be in the woods, I better keep searching for the magical spots these deer are still moving around in, as of now I def don’t know. We have soybeans and I need to note in future years if corn is better, of course they shift off the beans a few weeks ago. I’ve got some good foodplots including alfalfa, chestnuts, oats grains and brassicas, so I’ll be darned if they’re going down the road for a few weeks. I’ve hunted a few times but keep way to the perimeter, favorable winds only. Maybe the answer is simply acorns, they’re chilling and gorging. I know this topic has been hashed and rehashed, but I’m still scratching my head, it’s interesting.
58AF76BE-6F79-4D01-A00F-B0BF5C02E6F5.png
 
I think it is more that the deer shift food sources in October, going from summer browse to specific foods like field corn, acorns, mulberry leaves when they fall, etc.
My advice is to hunt rising barometric pressure. And especially very high pressure. They seem to move more in daylight then.
 
Looks to me like the data indicates they could just as well be cycling through an area. An increase/decrease every 5 days or so is pretty typical. They don't spend ALL their time in one spot.
 
I do tend to agree with you that it does seem like the early season patternable deer seem to vanish. And I am pretty sure it's because of acorns. I think if they can find a secluded oak near or in cover they have zero reason to move. I found a massive Shingle oak dropping thousands of tiny little acorns yesterday deep in a cedar thicket. There were beds all around it. Pretty sure I bumped deer on the way in. Few hours later I was covered up in deer coming to this tree. Earlier in the week I couldn't even buy a deer sighting, and now they were everywhere! I think the lull = feed tree relocation.
 
I have a cam on a big oak that they have been visiting regularly but as of the last few day, almost no activity. And that goes for all 10 cell cams on the property, what was a good steady flow of pics has really dwindled the past couple of days.
 
bowhuntr09 said:
I have a cam on a big oak that they have been visiting regularly but as of the last few day, almost no activity. And that goes for all 10 cell cams on the property, what was a good steady flow of pics has really dwindled the past couple of days.
Click to expand...
When you run many cams, you’re taking a decent sample of the property deer movement if they’re in good spots… so it says something when they turn off. I imagine a deer making a 50 yard circle all day, back and forth to acorns on the ground. it’s just interesting that they all kinda agree to do it simultaneously. The search for the right feed trees, and how the heck to access them, continues.

I’m in NE Ohio, whereabouts are you?
 
neonomad said:
When you run many cams, you’re taking a decent sample of the property deer movement if they’re in good spots… so it says something when they turn off. I imagine a deer making a 50 yard circle all day, back and forth to acorns on the ground. it’s just interesting that they all kinda agree to do it simultaneously. The search for the right feed trees, and how the heck to access them, continues.

I’m in NE Ohio, whereabouts are you?
Click to expand...
I’m in central VA
 
I’m in Western NC and have seen bucks chasing does this week. Unfortunately, all my sightings have been from my deck since I had foot surgery two weeks ago and will be sidelined for a while.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
mtsrunner said:
I’m in Western NC and have seen bucks chasing does this week. Unfortunately, all my sightings have been from my deck since I had foot surgery two weeks ago and will be sidelined for a while.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Last Saturday I had a 6pt chase a couple does by me and earlier in the week my cams were on fire with activity. So much so I reached out to a buddy who has a flexible schedule encouraging him to get in the woods. I couldn’t get off work. But since about Thursday the activity has really slowed.
 
Standing corn next to CRP is showing no lull for me. Lots of daylight activity.
 
In my opinion the October lull exists for one reason.
A specific spot or even specific areas are hunted to much and the deer start to pattern the hunter or hunters.
im nit really big on moon phases but in my experiences If full moon is in the mix then it probably adds to it.
guys kill bucks all month long in october.
look at social media.
It all has to do with pressure.
you can actually see this with trail cam data
 
Robert loper said:
In my opinion the October lull exists for one reason.
A specific spot or even specific areas are hunted to much and the deer start to pattern the hunter or hunters.
im nit really big on moon phases but in my experiences If full moon is in the mix then it probably adds to it.
guys kill bucks all month long in october.
look at social media.
It all has to do with pressure.
you can actually see this with trail cam data
Click to expand...
I was thinking this is when the corn, beans, and all get harvested. So between the machinery and easy food sources ???? Maybe ???
 
I think it often is the October change. Food sources change, especially as acorns drop and deer move differently than before. As noted above, if they key on one tree for a week they may not move very far from it and sightings go down. One property I hunt I saw 18 different deer 9 days ago, in 3 subsequent hunts I have seen 0.
On my own place where the cameras are daylight movement has increased in some spots at the same time.
 
Skunkworkx said:
I was thinking this is when the corn, beans, and all get harvested. So between the machinery and easy food sources ???? Maybe ???
Click to expand...
Agreed. Any human intrusion is in my opinion pressure. I know they are kind of used to farmers but really the equipment they use isnt used every day and is only really present a few times a year and mainly during the fall.
this is one of the biggest reasons i went 100% mobile years ago.
 
arrowchukker said:
If you want data on deer movement and the “October Lull”, go to the PSU deer blog or the MSU deer lab. The have millions of data points in deer movement. You can read up on it yourself. It will give you the answers to the October Lull theory.
Click to expand...
I believe most of these studies were focused in areas with low pressure on the deer or even outside of the hunting season.
not saying its not a good study or a refrence for someone but, its like a certain podcast I heard last week where one guy is on high pressured public and the other is on an area he can control almost everything that goes on.
its just different.
 
It's on fire right now. Corn came down and within 12 hours we've seen two new bucks and the scrapes have opened up.
 
philsanchez76 said:
I do tend to agree with you that it does seem like the early season patternable deer seem to vanish. And I am pretty sure it's because of acorns. I think if they can find a secluded oak near or in cover they have zero reason to move. I found a massive Shingle oak dropping thousands of tiny little acorns yesterday deep in a cedar thicket. There were beds all around it. Pretty sure I bumped deer on the way in. Few hours later I was covered up in deer coming to this tree. Earlier in the week I couldn't even buy a deer sighting, and now they were everywhere! I think the lull = feed tree relocation.
Click to expand...

i'd add in that the deer likely also sense increased human activity in the woods and so relocate to lower pressure or modify their behavior patterns
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top