WV, PA, OH, and MD hunters (or similar): when is the best time to be in the woods?

[raisins]

When do you see the most daylight buck activity and usually have the best chance at a decent buck (8 pt or bigger).

I'm limiting this to my general area because including what happens in Maine, Florida, etc will cause a huge spread in the numbers.

If you want to expand on something (why this is a bad question or some other subtle thing), then please leave a comment. Or if these data ranges don't make sense (the real answer is last half of 1st week of Nov and first half of 2nd week of Nov, etc) then please post in comments.

I posted this because I've heard 4th week of Oct, 1st week of Nov, and 2nd week of Nov from several different sources.

Here's an interesting study from PA.

When is the rut?

www.pgc.pa.gov

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The chart shows peak breeding Nov 12 to 18 (end of 2nd week and beginning 3rd week of Nov). So, I think that time should see lower buck activity because the bucks are spoiled for choice (in PA and WV there are way more does than bucks, to the point where in several counties you have to earn a second buck by killing a doe first).

 

[elk yinzer]

Really anytime. I never believed in rut phases I think it just fills magazine writers needs to compartmentalize it.

I tend to see more grownup bucks the 2nd and 3rd weeks. Really excited we finally get that 3rd week to hunt, always see a lot of big bucks that week. Lil' guys start getting excited this week but the bucks that have been through the rut a couple times know not to get excited too early. Next week is good. So much is dependent on two factors though: weather majorly effects daytime cruising activity and the complete randomness of hunting proximate to a hot doe.

 

[raisins]

Really anytime. I never believed in rut phases I think it just fills magazine writers needs to compartmentalize it.

I tend to see more grownup bucks the 2nd and 3rd weeks. Really excited we finally get that 3rd week to hunt, always see a lot of big bucks that week. Lil' guys start getting excited this week but the bucks that have been through the rut a couple times know not to get excited too early. Next week is good. So much is dependent on two factors though: weather majorly effects daytime cruising activity and the complete randomness of hunting proximate to a hot doe.

Thanks. Last year in WV, it was in the 70s F last of Oct and first of Nov. I felt like I missed the rut. I am around 1 to 2 hours drive from decent hunting, so I didn't make enough morning hunts when temps would be a little less.

They are definitely making scrapes now.

 

[elk yinzer]

Thanks. Last year in WV, it was in the 70s F last of Oct and first of Nov. I felt like I missed the rut. I am around 1 to 2 hours drive from decent hunting, so I didn't make enough morning hunts when temps would be a little less.

They are definitely making scrapes now.

I think the rut can create some unreasonable expectations that every day in the woods there will be chasing and horny bucks running crazy everywhere. I usually take 2 weeks vacation in November and get a day, maybe two of the kind of crazy rut action of the sort that you encounter when a hot doe is around. The rest is a lot of pretty boring, long, cold hours on the stand with an occasional buck cruising through.

 

[GCTerpfan]

I have had several encounters and seem to get the most pictures of mature bucks cruising in daylight the first week of November. I would also include the last couple days of October in that. I agree with @elk yinzer in that the best days for daylight movement are more weather dependent though. My son has also had some really good luck on MD's youth day which is around Nov. 16th a couple years but, the years he has killed a good buck the youth day coincided with a good temp drop. I also shot my best buck five or six years ago on a bitter cold Nov. 16th morning.

Last year my cameras got lit up with buck pictures between Oct. 17th and 20th. I had multiple pictures of every buck in the area on those couple days. I assume that there was a doe on the property that came into estrus early.

 

[Blacksmith]

An old timer friend of mine ,who by the way, has more huge W.Tails on the wall than I've ever seen besides Cabela's, said the best time to hunt big bucks is when you can, and he did every day religiously.

 

[neonomad]

It depends on your situation, for example on my property where I have some patterns understood, I start to see bucks get up in the evening and head to food and cruise in daylight around Oct 25. There’s a path we have that’s best to hunt for a week or two after that, and then that pattern falls apart. Downwind of doe bedding pretty much any time a full month from Oct25th on. I do tend to prefer bottlenecks and rut sits before and after peak breeding, maybe just bad luck but I have less luck in ‘peak lockdown’. If I’m hunting bucks that are constantly outsmarting me Nov6-16th feels like my best odds of iron assing it and waiting for their mistake. Throughout this entire period can’t really go wrong hunting doe areas as tight as you can and waiting for the bucks that inevitably will show up.

 

[Robert loper]

Anytime in the woods is a good time in the woods.
im in tge woods year round probably at least 3 times a week.
cant kill deer playing video games or on couch

 

[raisins]

An old timer friend of mine ,who by the way, has more huge W.Tails on the wall than I've ever seen besides Cabela's, said the best time to hunt big bucks is when you can, and he did every day religiously.

True but narrowing it down helps if you only have so much vacation days from work to use each year.

 

[neonomad]

True but narrowing it down helps if you only have so much vacation days from work to use each year.

Yeah kudos to anybody who can hunt whenever they want, most of us can’t, nothing wrong with trying to maximize ur bang for the buck.

 

[tam9492]

Really anytime. I never believed in rut phases I think it just fills magazine writers needs to compartmentalize it.

I tend to see more grownup bucks the 2nd and 3rd weeks. Really excited we finally get that 3rd week to hunt, always see a lot of big bucks that week. Lil' guys start getting excited this week but the bucks that have been through the rut a couple times know not to get excited too early. Next week is good. So much is dependent on two factors though: weather majorly effects daytime cruising activity and the complete randomness of hunting proximate to a hot doe.

I’ve always had the best action in the last day or two of our PA season, so that third week should make a difference!

 

[Buckkillr]

I wanted to vote twice

Last week of October is great for 2 reasons 1) bucks will respond to a rattle bag, grunt etc 2) might catch start of rut

First week of November will probably be full on rut which is great for seeing numbers but once there on a hot doe they rarely ever stop for anything

 

[Robert loper]

I tend to kind if disagree with the wearher effecting deer movement especially when people say its too hit or man we need cooler weather.
If that were true. If its 95 degrees with100% humidity in july/ august. You wouldn't see any the bucks in the crop fields super early like we do. Thry be all at night.
Well with that said i believe the number one factor of movement is pressure. And of course environmental change
it doesnt matter if its hunters, horseback riders , a guy walking his dog. Whatever.
the severe pressure on most public lands probably starts late summer.
Guys will go out and poke around if it cools off a bit right before season. Check cameras trim lanes hang stands.
Then You got your idiots( like me) that are in the woods all year long.
Checking trail cameras, scrapes, travel corridors , etc.
well that's all pressure.
So really especially on public land there is pressure on deer for months on end.
it educates and conditions them to adapt.
if a deer doesnt. He/ she will usually get killed.
private properties seem to be better places to hunt because the low pressure.
but with yhat slso said most small private properties see deer sighting drop off as the season goes. Most guys gave preset stands, box stands , blinds etc. less pressure will be of course beneficial to more deer sightings.
i do think moon phases have a small effect on-movement.
By instinct and i guess nature , deer are nocturnal animals. So they go about doing most of the things they do at night ir after dark. full moon more light less daytime movement.
They adapt to and move a bit later or even skirt around dangerous areas during full moon.
yes i said it deer avoid certain areas.
I do know they also vacate certain areas at certain times of the year. (Guaranteed No food no deer )
example oak flat with no scorns will be void of most deer.
with thst also said its such a good idea for people new or even veteran hunters to gets but mobile. Its so fun and you learn so much.
Move around in a few different areas snd learn when and how deer use them snd when.
Timing and pressure is in my opinion the biggest effect on consistency seeing and harvesting every year.

 

[raisins]

Is the “Lockdown Phase” a Myth? - NDA

Some hunters believe they witness an “October Lull” or a peak-rut “Lockdown Phase,” when mature bucks suddenly stop moving or hole-up with an estrus doe. Researcher Andy Olson did not see evidence of either in the movements of three mature Pennsylvania bucks wearing GPS tracking collars. “We had...

www.qdma.com

Interesting study, I'd like to see the raw data and talk to the study's author (Andy Olson).

 

[Wvbowhunter]

Every day that ends with y....haha but seriously my favorite time is....halloween to november 7th

 

[raisins]

Every day that ends with y....haha but seriously my favorite time is....halloween to november 7th

Thanks, trying to plan things right now while looking at the weather.

I hope we get a few more votes. Right now, 1st week of Nov is just edging out the 2nd week of Nov.

 

[Jagger0502]

I will put my vote in for first week of Nov. you have more local dumb bucks chasing less hot does. I believe the rut continues to push back later and later as the years go on though. Second week is still a great week to be out there and I see more traveling bucks later in the rutt so it’s a good week to have a chance at these travelers but less chance for local bucks you have scouted all year for the same reason.

my office overlooks a field that deer frequently pass thru and I notice little bucks often there the last weeks of October with a couple big ones venturing out right at dark. By the first week in November they are all over that field all day. By the second week in November it’s similar but not as sporadic I think because more does are bread and I seem to see more traveling bucks that I have not seen all year passing thru looking for the does that come into season later.

If you are undecided between week 1 and 2 maybe take off the last few days of week 1 and first few of week two. Best of both worlds.

 

[7mmremmag]

I chose other because.... all the above

 

[raisins]

I will put my vote in for first week of Nov. you have more local dumb bucks chasing less hot does. I believe the rut continues to push back later and later as the years go on though. Second week is still a great week to be out there and I see more traveling bucks later in the rutt so it’s a good week to have a chance at these travelers but less chance for local bucks you have scouted all year for the same reason.

my office overlooks a field that deer frequently pass thru and I notice little bucks often there the last weeks of October with a couple big ones venturing out right at dark. By the first week in November they are all over that field all day. By the second week in November it’s similar but not as sporadic I think because more does are bread and I seem to see more traveling bucks that I have not seen all year passing thru looking for the does that come into season later.

If you are undecided between week 1 and 2 maybe take off the last few days of week 1 and first few of week two. Best of both worlds.

Where are you located, roughly? SW PA, etc?

 

[Jagger0502]

North of pittsburgh about an hour.