October Hunting Tips

These October Hunting Tips will help you nail down big bucks this month.

Now that we are deep into October, there are a few things you should be looking for whenever you step into the woods. Things are beginning to change in the woods and new clues are popping up every day. To make sure you stay on top of your game so you can keep up with that big buck, we have a couple of October Hunting Tips for you.

Scrapes

This is the time of year when buck signs can appear overnight and it’s something that you need to be constantly looking for. Scrapes will start to become more common this time of the year and this will show you where you bucks are scoping out potential mates. During this time of the year I like to stick a camera over a scrape with a licking branch just to see what kind of attention it draws. This is a good opportunity to see what kind of bucks are still in your area and you can also use mock scrapes to capture these bucks.

Feeding Areas

Now that most of the plant life in the woods is dying, deer will start to look for another feeding source. Oaks are a prime location because a deer can still be in the safety of the woods and have an abundance of food. If the acorn crop is lacking then you can always check out young clear-cuts. The deer will chew and nibble on the tips of the new growth for food as well as being close to their possible bedding areas. Clear-cuts can be thick and nasty and this can be a double whammy providing both cover and food.

Travel Routes

Travel routes can be anything from a funnel to a transition area between bedding and feeding. I like to focus on these during this time of the year because bucks will be laying down sign in these locations since doe travel these areas frequently. Bucks will cruise these areas looking for doe as the magical rut gets closer making this a good place to catch a buck on his feet during the daylight.

Although many people refer to this time of the year as the “October lull,” there are still plenty of opportunities for being successful. Make sure you stay on top of finding out where your bucks are by keeping tabs on the latest sign.

For more tips on hunting the rut click here.

You can also find the best days of they year to hunt the rut here.