You always read and hear about this but I want to know your guys opinions. Do you believe in the Lull or do you not see a difference. I know that deer density , mast crops, etc etc, can affect deer sightings but what kind of pattern changes do you see(if any) and do you change tactics. I hunt east tn and deer sightings aren't too high anyways but about the only luck I have in October is if I can catch a cold front coming in.
The October Lull
- Thread starter DKO77
- Start date
in unit L, there is never a lull
Redfred16
Well-Known Member
I definately felt like there was one where I hunted in WI.
It was always great the first 2 or 3 weeks, then just went dead until right around Halloween which was about when the rut kicked off.
It was always great the first 2 or 3 weeks, then just went dead until right around Halloween which was about when the rut kicked off.
There is always what I would consider a lull in October where I hunt in southern middle TN. Sometimes I wonder why I even start hunting until late Nov. But of course I'm talking about mature buck movement. I have had a lot of years I don't see a shooter buck until the end of Nov., then its like a light switch is turned on in December. The mature bucks are on their feet.
From my experience, it is way more pronounced in Midwest than in the south.
For me i seem to struggle until mid october and then it starts happening.
Nealmeally
Well-Known Member
No lull.. You just ain't hunting where the bucks are moving. And by then the mature bucks have had pressure so you for sure ain't gonna see em in daylight.
tellico4x4 said:
X2! I see a difference here in se tn and I see a huge difference in the mid-west. Around here the 1st 2 weekends of season are awesome then it just shuts down until november hits. Ky is awesome through sept and 1st week of october then it shuts down until almost the rifle opener. Illinois is ok for the 1st week of bow season then you mine as well hang it up until Halloween gets there now this is southern ill. I'm talking about
benellivol
Well-Known Member
Not much of one
BSK
Well-Known Member
I think a lot of the "October lull" is hunting pressure driven. Hunting is good when bow opens because deer haven't been pressured since the previous year. However, the early bow-season pressure drives deer more nocturnal into October. The daylight activity remains low until early November, when the irresistible sex drive of the rut pushes deer into more daylight movement.
Have never seen it here to any degree. Have seen it big-time in Canada. Requires some moving of stands to stay in the game.
Mike Belt
Well-Known Member
I believe there is somewhat of a lull around the end of October. The hunting pressure of archery season, the changing of food sources, and the beginning changes of available cover all seem to drive the deer into more nocturnal movement patterns. I don't know if the bucks "sense" the impending rigors of the upcoming rut but they seem to lay low conserving their energy.
plinker22
Well-Known Member
DKO77 said:
Oh yea, East Tennessee Hunter here as well. For us, it is the Sept-December Lull.
plinker22 said:DKO77 said:
Oh yea, East Tennessee Hunter here as well. For us, it is the Sept-December Lull.
I'll second that!
Headhunter
Well-Known Member
I can take you to places where until the last week or so of October deer are everywhere and they VANISH for a week or so, they show back up the first week of November you see deer everywhere. Have seen it more times than I count in Middle Tennessee.
For bucks, especially older bucks, from the first of December to the end of the season it is basically impossible to just see one, much less get a chance to kill one, if I remember right BSK agrees with that.
For bucks, especially older bucks, from the first of December to the end of the season it is basically impossible to just see one, much less get a chance to kill one, if I remember right BSK agrees with that.
Last season was the first time ever in my 40 something years of huntin' that I have ever killed a buck past Dec...and it was on Dec 1st.
Buzzard Breath
Well-Known Member
And, I'll third that. Just because you don't see a deer for a few days, or even a week or two, it doesn't mean that there is a lull. It just means there aren't many deer around.MUP said:plinker22 said:DKO77 said:
Oh yea, East Tennessee Hunter here as well. For us, it is the Sept-December Lull.
I'll second that!
Winchester
Well-Known Member
I too hunt East TN for the most part and don't really see any type lull especially in October. I do have to change what and how I hunt as the season progresses, but the deer are still there and still moving just in different areas than early bow season. I think the herd in East TN has grown greatly over the last 10 yrs especially, and the hunting is very good, Mature bucks included. I know we don't have near the density of deer vs Mid/west TN but we have very good huntable #'s these days compared to 20+ yrs ago!Buzzard Breath said:And, I'll third that. Just because you don't see a deer for a few days, or even a week or two, it doesn't mean that there is a lull. It just means there aren't many deer around.MUP said:plinker22 said:DKO77 said:
Oh yea, East Tennessee Hunter here as well. For us, it is the Sept-December Lull.
I'll second that!
Buzzard Breath
Well-Known Member
I do too. But, these guys from Mid and West TN have gotten so that they expect to hear us crying about how bad it is and I don't want to let them down. Next thing that will happen is that they will want to start heading east to hunt our bucks.Winchester said:
BSK
Well-Known Member
Headhunter said:
We've never seen a mature buck while hunting after the end of November. We get a surge of daylight pictures the first week of December (as the rut is winding down), and then not even trail-cam pictures during daylight after that.
