What is best?
Contributors to this thread:Wisconsin
From: BW
10-Sep-19
What day/days/weeks do you find the absolute best during the rut here in Wisco? Just listening to podcasts on Wired to hunt (older episodes) and was just wondering. I foolishly don't document my hunting experiences, but I feel like the last week to 10 days of October have been the best...but that's just guessing because I haven't documented. Let me know what you think and what part of the state you're talking about. I hunt southern Adams county.
From: CaptMike
10-Sep-19
The 7-10 days immediately following Halloween.
From: Sweeney
10-Sep-19
November 7,8th, and 9th have always been my best 3 days. I began to keep notes 6-7 yrs ago. These 3 days I have experienced the best response from deer with rattling and calls. I’m hunting Brown County.
From: Crusader dad
10-Sep-19
The 7 days surrounding Halloween but my personal favorite timeframe is the second week of the season.
From: retro
10-Sep-19
Week before gun season
From: casekiska
10-Sep-19
I have been record keeping for at least 20 years and have found the time period from October 28 to about November 8 - 9 is when I see the most action and bucks best respond to calling and rattling. I hunt southern Sauk County.
From: RJN
10-Sep-19
The best day for me has been Nov 7. Oct 30-Nov 12 is primetime.
From: Naturelives
10-Sep-19
For seeing a lot of deer, chasing and younger bucks Oct 31- Nov 2. We've had great success for the hunters just looking to shoot any deer in that time frame. For older bucks they always seem to fall Nov 9-12 in our group
From: Pete-pec
10-Sep-19
Any day I'm not at work or on the couch! I hunt them all.
From: Franklin
10-Sep-19
X2 with casekiska…..but I would start about the 25th of Oct.
It depends if you are hunting "deer" or a "deer". Later on he will get out of any pattern he has been in. I prefer pre-rut over full on rut for a specific buck. Richland County area here...
From: Nocturnal
10-Sep-19
If I was a betting man, betting only a few days off, from the family, work, weather, or whatever.. I would pick the last week leading to rifle. Mature bucks are on their feet and coving large distances and not locked down with local doe's anymore. This is the time bucks from anywhere start showing up on trail cams and visual sightings too. The weather is usually cold and with fronts ahead and behind. The barometrics are rarely steady this time of year, which gets deer up moving at any time of hour. Most guys vacationing has been used up also. So November 14-21.
However....The first week can be great, especially if you have a local buck in mind, but I have been disappointed way too many times with the weather, and movement beginning and ending the half hour of dark. In the end of it all. Anytime you can get out.
From: Firsty
10-Sep-19
Nov 6-11
From: Drop Tine
10-Sep-19
Opening day is the most predictable day to tag your shooter buck if you’ve done your homework.
From: casekiska
10-Sep-19
DT, you've got something there! The first two or three days can be great for connecting with a good one...they don't yet know they are being hunted and that can work to the bowhunter's advantage. (...I still stick with what I wrote above, but this opening weekend opportunity is one not to be missed.)
From: Franklin
10-Sep-19
Nocturnal brings up a great point. I have shot some of my biggest deer late in the rut. The big boys looking for that last hot doe is a great strategy.
From: Bloodtrail
10-Sep-19
I'm with RJN
From: Trapper
11-Sep-19
Just going out on a limb here even though I hunt most of the season. December 29th thru the end of the season providing there is a bunch of snow. Evening sits only. If no snow, November 10th up until gun hunting.
From: South Farm
11-Sep-19
Everybody gets all excited over the rut, for good reason; it's fun, but I'm with Trapper...if it's COLD give me the last 10 days of the season. WAY MORE PREDICTABLE in their location and habits than they are during the rut.
From: Jeff in MN
11-Sep-19
Ditto what Nocturnal said and worth repeating below. That is exactly why I will be hunting Kansas starting around November 7. I am also a fan of right around Halloween. I can't remember how many times I had to delay tracking or dragging a buck to the truck until I went home and took the kids out trick-or-treating.
" I would pick the last week leading to rifle. Mature bucks are on their feet and covering large distances and not locked down with local doe's anymore. This is the time bucks from anywhere start showing up on trail cams and visual sightings too."
From: Duke
11-Sep-19
The three or four days surrounding Veteran’s Day have always been my best days in the woods in terms of seeing mature bucks on the move.
From: Crusader dad
12-Sep-19
Noc, you hunt beast style. I’m surprised you actually have a preferred timeframe. Aren’t you locating and hunting right in their bedroom? Your style seems conducive to anytime. Am I missing something?
Most of the folks on here are hunting travel corridors and food. It makes sense that they see more activity mid/rut season hunting that way but for you, it makes more sense to me that you’d not want them to be out chasing tail.
From: Live2hunt
12-Sep-19
It also depends on where you are hunting in the State. I can hit great pre-rut action in the Eau Claire area the days surrounding Halloween. If I went up North of that 2 hours, nothing is going yet. Which, keeps you in the action for basically the whole month of November. Which is why I need the months of October, November and December off!!!! Damn It.
From: Nocturnal
12-Sep-19
Crusader- The OP asked about hunting the "rut." So I answered based off historical data, through hunting, and through hunters. Also, I change my tactics based on sign and observation. I do not hunt just one type of way, especially during the rut, when travel corridors are great places to hunt. Just not on heavily pressured lands. Now If he asked favorite day of the season. I would have answered in the way of DT or trapper! Another day to be on stand is hunting the opener of pheasant season.
From: Trapper
12-Sep-19
Awww Noc, I missed the OP rut comment. Now I will say November 10th until gun season. Don't get me wrong, I will be hunting most days before that in early November in some out of the way places in my climber.
From: Nocturnal
12-Sep-19
We will all be out there when we can, agree!! ^ And..... Your pictures are always stellar, or maybe it's just your scenic property! Haha
From: rallison
12-Sep-19
I'm in south-central Wisconsin and have hunted the same spots for decades. As for all buck sightings, November 6 is the day they open the cages and let the bucks out...it's uncanny...year after year.
In my area, the week the 6th falls on was my vacation week (now retired...best job I've ever had!!!).
That said, from Halloween to gun season it's worthwhile to be in the woods,and that last week used to be a favorite...but for the last 20 or so years, there's so many guys banging around prepping for gun season that it's almost a waste of time.
I know this is a rut related thread, but I agree with the opener being good, and late season with snow and a food source.
From: Crusader dad
13-Sep-19
Thanks for the clarification noc. Your style always impresses me. Not enough for me to copy you though,,, way too much work for me:)
From: Glunker
13-Sep-19
This is just one survey and it comes up frequently. Appears the dates suggested are later than what I have seen on other threads.
