Absolute Favorite Day or Factors for Hunting White Tailed Deer?

[tyson129]

Is there one day of the year that you find to have exceptional movement/success and a "must" day for your hunts or do you use other methods to choose your prime hunting days like photoperiods (hours of daylight), moon phases, or any other factors?
Do you prefer to hunt before the Rut, Middle of the Rut, or after the Rut? It is well known that before and after the Rut deer can be patterned better as they tend to act unpredictably during the Rut while chasing Does and can stop actively checking and keeping up rub and scrape sites.
Thought this would be a fun little Topic that many forums don't cover and that many young hunters could get tips from the pros on the site along with the long time hunters as well.
I myself prefer a period more than an exact day and that is the typical peak rut time(Although Geographical location, as well as Climate can affect when Does go into Estrus) occurring usually during the middle of November (Second Week). I know a lot of factors can affect peak of the Rut but this is the time that I get the most out of aggressive calling, attractant scents, and tend to see more deer. I sometimes adjust the dates slightly due to weather conditions and cold/warm fronts that are approaching.
Hope the Pro Staff gets involved here and share some Great Tips!
Happy Hunting and Be Safe!!!!! :)

[tyson129]

I probably should have posted this in the Deer Hunting Section. Does anyone mind if I add it there as well or can a Moderator move it there for me? Thanks in advance, and Can't wait to hear some Great comments/Tips from the Pro Staff here at Quaker Boy and all other Pro Staff Members from other Companies.
Tyson

[FlHunter23]

Chad will move it for ya if he sees it, or you could send him a PM. He moved one for me a while back.

As far as the best days for me to be in the woods is any day that i can get out there. Its hard to pinpoint the rut where i hunt at. I havent seen any rubs or scrapes so far this year.

Different weather conditions do affect how i hunt or where i hunt in the area. If its windy as all hell i like to stalk because the wind helps to conceal my movements a little as well as the noise i make walking. If its a calm cool morning i like to sit in a stand on a well used travel route or in an oak hammock thats dropping acorns.

I dont use any calls or scents because its hard to pinpoint the rut and our buck to doe ratio isnt very good. Using an eustris scent at the wrong time ive heard is no good.

I do pay attention to moon phases although i do not let them affect whether i hunt or not. I try to keep a log in my head of where i seen what, time of day, weather, and moon phase.

To sum it all up i go every chance i get, no calls, no scents, key in on food sources and water, bring your A game and a little luck, and hope your in the right place at the right time.

This is what works for me being in a southern state on public land. If i was farther north on private land the game plan would change a little.

[tyson129]

Chad will move it for ya if he sees it, or you could send him a PM. He moved one for me a while back.

As far as the best days for me to be in the woods is any day that i can get out there. Its hard to pinpoint the rut where i hunt at. I havent seen any rubs or scrapes so far this year.

Different weather conditions do affect how i hunt or where i hunt in the area. If its windy as all hell i like to stalk because the wind helps to conceal my movements a little as well as the noise i make walking. If its a calm cool morning i like to sit in a stand on a well used travel route or in an oak hammock thats dropping acorns.

I dont use any calls or scents because its hard to pinpoint the rut and our buck to doe ratio isnt very good. Using an eustris scent at the wrong time ive heard is no good.

I do pay attention to moon phases although i do not let them affect whether i hunt or not. I try to keep a log in my head of where i seen what, time of day, weather, and moon phase.

To sum it all up i go every chance i get, no calls, no scents, key in on food sources and water, bring your A game and a little luck, and hope your in the right place at the right time.

This is what works for me being in a southern state on public land. If i was farther north on private land the game plan would change a little.

I hear you man. Thanks for the tip on moving the thread, but hey it got some action here so why move it now. I totally agree with you about hunting every chance you get. That is my style until I go Pro...:D
Probably will use my vacation time second week and later of November, but with the cold weather coming in sooner than usual we may have an early rut.
I will have to wait and see...Who knows maybe I will tag out opening day for Maine Residents next Saturday! Wish me Luck!!!
Thanks for your feedback!

[TrophyTracker]

I took action Tyson, and this bumped it to the top of the Deer thread!

[perrysbirds]

For me I dont have a paticular day but in the last 2 years at the exact same location sitting the exact same chair I have taken 3 deer on Nov 25,19 and the 21st!
Guess where I will be that week!:p

[TrophyTracker]

When hunting up North, I prefer to hunt in remote areas during the weeks surrounding Thanksgiving. The foliage is down enough to give me a great view of the woods, and the weather is cold enough to initiate more movement in the deer. At this time of year, in the area my gang hunts, the bucks start to rest up from all of the heavy rutting activity of late Oct. and start to select their favored resting/hiding spots. The increased odds of snowfall, means one thing: Tracks. This is where the hunt takes a new pitch. We have never been content with sitting over food plots, piles of corn, or feeders that bring the game to us, we prefer to go after them. This method of hunting is best suited to the early to mid part of the day, as you will cover tons of ground, and will want lots of time to get the job done.

As some of the guys in the group start to have more years in the woods behind them, then they do in front of them, they are starting to rely on their years of experience and knowledge of deer behavior to allow themselves to hunt from more stationary positions, usually from the ground. The location of the stands, are still in pretty remote areas, as this is where they have the best chance of finding the bucks they are after. Body weight is considered the true trophy to these guys, with weights in the neighborhood of 200+ lbs being the goal. Respectable racks are typically a byproduct of deer of this size where we hunt.

This hunting lasts for the first week of the season. After that, the style switches to a more proactive angle, or attack. With the increased pressure, and amount of gunshots going off everywhere, it becomes more productive to start doing "rabbit drives" in smaller patches of woods, with ultra thick cover. It is not unusual for nice bucks to be holding up in clumps of brush that are next to the road, and right under most people's noses. One person can still-hunt these areas with great results, if they are willing to do the work and think outside the box.

I know this isn't how the masses of deer hunters go about it, but I wanted to share my favored way. Most of the trophy racks are on the wall in my Uncle Ron's "Man Room". They add flavor to the room. I have a couple up there, and there are quite a few from various members of our crew. Some of the guys are no longer with us, and their additions are all the more special for that. The only racks that I have in my own home are from my first buck, a little six pointer, and one from my favorite buck, a ten pointer, with palmated beams that resemble a moose, more than a whitetail. This buck I spent the better part of a day tracking down, until he finally got preoccupied with fighting with a little buck that got in his way. That was one of the craziest moments of my hunting career! My new Remington 7600 was Baptized at that moment, and has been at my side on many more great hunts since.

[tyson129]

I have requested the 13th (Friday) and the 16th (Monday) of November 2009 for Rifle Hunting White Tailed Deer this year. With the time set back an hour it allows for me to hunt 2.5 solid hours before having to leave the woods for work. This will begin to get shorter and shorter as the days pass but it is nice to get out there every day.
If my days are approved by my bosses than I will have two four day work weeks and one 3 day work week at the end of November because we get the day before Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving Day off for PAID Holiday Time Off.
This gives me a total of 9 full days (One day was October 31st which was Maine Resident Only Day) and 24 mornings (given that the weather cooperates:)) for Deer Hunting during the rifle season.
Next will be Muzzle Loading! Can't Wait!!
Happy Hunting Out There Everyone! :D