Beating the lull: Mid-October can still produce

The buck wasn't supposed to be there.

Apparently someone forgot to tell him that, because there he certainly was. A big, mature buck with a set of antlers that I had admired from afar on many summer evenings prior to the opening of the archery season. Oh yes, I knew this buck and knew him well. But, apparently, not well enough.

It was the deer that I had set out to take. Many plans had been made, stand sites selected and effort put forth. I hunted the deer for the first 10 days of the archery season. Then, as the beans in the fields turned brown and the element of surprise seemed lost thanks to the sudden influx of human activity in the woods, I called off the chase. I pulled off the area and went into a waiting mode. It was time to slow down and wait for the rut.

Because the mid-October lull had arrived. And everyone knows that deer activity - particularly among mature bucks - diminishes greatly during this dreaded time period.

Well, that's the story anyway. It's a story that big buck hadn't read. Because there he was strolling along the field edge, working his way to an old apple tree that was dropping some fruit.

And there I was sitting in my truck, watching him through binoculars as he walked directly underneath my empty tree stand.

I never saw that buck again and, obviously, I didn't tag him that mid-October day. But I did learn one valuable lesson: When the hunting season is open, you need to be hunting.

The "October lull" is a very real phenomenon. After the first 10 days or so of the archery season, the action seems to drop considerably and things stay relatively slow until about Halloween when rutting action begins to pick up.

But the deer are still out there. And as I saw first-hand, they will still move around. If you place yourself in the correct spot at the correct time, you can fill your tag during the middle of October.

But putting yourself in that right place at the right time is the key. I'm certainly not trying to say that I've developed a fail-proof system of taking deer during the lull period. I'm not sure anyone would be willing to say that they truly anticipate those mid-October days. If they do, then I'd find out everything you can about what they're doing. Because they've uncovered a secret that very few hunters know. For the rest of us, well, we'll simply have to do what we can to make the most of mid-October.

Here are a few things I do to help keep the action going.

Find the right food

To hunt the lull period effectively, it helps to understand why there is a lull to begin with. I think several factors come into play. The most obvious is the sudden change in food sources. Early in the bow season, unless we've had an extremely dry summer, soybeans are the primary attraction for whitetails across much of the state. Deer flock to green bean fields in early October. But once those beans begin to turn brown, deer leave them alone until the cold winds of winter begin to blow.

Hunting pressure also impacts deer movement. For months, the deer have had the land to themselves, encountering few humans. But once bow season begins, it doesn't take deer too long to realize that the pressure is on. Many of the deer --- especially older ones - simply become nocturnal, venturing around only under cover of darkness.

But the deer still have to eat. And they do eat. You simply have to locate those new food sources and, most importantly, you must hunt those areas in as low impact a manner as possible.

My favorite locations for mid-October hunts are located about 50-100 yards inside the edge of a field. The area should have an alternative food source. Old apple trees that still drop fruit can be awesome. Oaks producing acorns are nearly as good. But they must be located in an area of relatively thick cover so deer feel secure. An isolated food plot near cover is also an excellent option.

Find the edge

I love corn. And I'm not talking about buttered cobs here. Standing corn always holds deer and it provides them with a sense of security. Hunting along the edge of a standing corn field is probably one of the best bets I know for finding mature deer during the lull period. Tucking a stand along the edge of a standing corn field is a great tactic for mid-October. While the mature bucks will quickly become nocturnal, they seem perfectly willing to move around in standing corn. Often those deer will travel along the edge where a cornfield and thick timber merge, even during daylight hours.

It's certainly a hit-and-miss opportunity, as is all mid-October hunting, but hunting the edge of standing corn will almost certainly mean that you're very near deer and that's half the battle during this time of the season.

In fact, any type of edge situation is a great place to take a stand during the lull. Where a cedar swamp meets a hardwood ridge or where two other types of cover come together is a natural travel route for deer. Again, you must maintain a low impact when hunting these areas. If you're too aggressive and try to force the action during the mid-October stages, you're going to harm your chances significantly.

What not to do

One of the most important lessons I've learned about hunting deer during the lull period has nothing to do with what I should be doing and everything to do with what I shouldn't be doing.

We all have those favorite little spots that seem just prime for deer. Thick, tangled places where big bucks live. While the temptation is great, you simply can't hunt those areas until the time is right. And mid-October is not the right time.

As already established, many deer will become nocturnal soon after the bow season opens. Which means they won't be leaving their core sanctuary or bedding areas until the last bit of daylight in the evening and they'll be returning before dawn the following morning. In other words, the big deer are on their feet precisely when you'll be walking to and from that favorite stand. You will bust deer. Bust a big deer once and you should probably start hunting a different one. They're that spooky in heavily hunted regions.

Do not hunt deep in the woods unless you live in an area where there is no other option. In big-timber areas, the rules are different. But in broken farmland, you must hunt the edges. Don't hunt field edges (unless it's standing corn) but don't penetrate so deeply into the cover that you spook deer on your way in or out.

Scrape secrets

Hunting scrapes is a tricky proposition. I've not had enough success doing it to convince me that it's a viable option. I will, however, hunt a scrape that I believe to be a "primary" scrape. Noted deer hunter John Eberhart discusses these types of scrapes in detail in his books and I think I know exactly the type of scrapes he's talking about. But I don't find them often. When I do, I'll hunt them in mid-October if the situation is right. Otherwise, I tend to ignore scrapes. Sure, I love to find them because it's proof that a buck was in the area. But I haven't found them to be a consistent drawing card in mid-October.

Getting through it

The lull is certainly not my favorite time to be in the woods. But, as I've learned, there really is not a "bad" time to be out there. The deer are always around. They just move less and will cling to the last glimmers of daylight. Position yourself in the best area you can that doesn't spoil the rest of the areas you plan to hunt when the rut cranks and the deer really move.

Patience can pay off in a big way. But there is definitely a difference between hunting patiently and not hunting at all.