2 Bucks That Show You Shouldn’t Dismiss October Deer Hunting
2 Giant Bucks That Prove October Deer Hunting Can Be Successful
What you are looking at are two bucks “Lefty” and “Danger”…and they are both examples of October deer hunting perfected. This is a smack in the face for many hunters. All too often bow hunters dismiss the first 3 weeks of October as fruitless and barren as far as deer movement and harvest opportunities are concerned. If you have up to this point been one of these hunters…the small amount of days left in October should be exploited.
The two bucks shown above and below are proof that big mature bucks can and will be brought down throughout October. If these two stories don’t change your mind about October upon watching them, will prove you might just be the most stubborn hunter in the woods to date.
Bill Winke’s “Lefty”
October 19th Bill WInke had his last encounter with a buck he called “Lefty”. If you follow the Midwest Whitetail show at all, you were kept up to date with every single photo, trail camera image and video that Bill got of “Lefty”. Throughout the season Bill dove into a constant state of patterning “Lefty” with his Muddy trail cameras. In fact, in his weekly web show “Whitetail 101” featured on Muddy TV, he discussed “Lefty” on episodes, keeping an audience up to date with the buck’s home range, recent movements, and status. Even when the mature buck “Lefty” broke off his G3 on his signature left beam, Bill kept us up to date.
Midwest Whitetail’s signature, the thing the audience loves the most about the show, is that it is semi-live content. Every week, you get the latest intel, hunts, and what is coming up from the guys that are actually out there hunting. Some of this semi-live content is available on Muddy TV under the web show name “Whitetail 101”. The weekly episode, Episode 8: October Cold Fronts, covering the hunting strategy Bill was going to be using, actually explained the scenario that led to the successful harvest of “Lefty”.
Whitetail 101 Ep9, “October Cold Fronts”
Bill’s focus for the week of hunting was to concentrate on cut corn fields. As soon as the combines rolled out, Bill went in. This tactic and information that he presented to the audience could not have proven to be any more reliable as the buck he named “Lefty” worked his way into the field.
Iowa Giant | Winke’s Quest for “Lefty
Mark Drury’s “Danger” 217 2/8” Inch Buck
Another big name in hunting, Mark Drury of Drury Outdoors, found success with a very very impressive deer during October. Again, this particular buck was brought down with help of trail camera info. A build up of trail camera information from previous years and recent information on the bedding area where “Danger” resided, led Mark to believe that hunting the bedding area would pay off big.
After the thought, the strategy went into place Mark built a platform for, and hauled in a Muddy Bull box blind to hunt “Danger”. Mark spent a couple hours setting up the box blind, and trimming shooting lanes and set up for the day he would go in after “Danger”.
Takeaways From These Bucks
The takeaways from these bucks killed in October is obviously that October is a month to hunt. We all to often hear of hunters that completely dismiss October deer hunting as a “good” month of hunting, when in fact it could be the best to your specific situation. Sure October is a month of rapid change, this change is associated with homornes, weather, food sources and the changing deer movement as a result of those factors. But if you have the knowledge of how to kill a buck in October, then you can use the month of bow huting to its full potential.
This knowledge can be summed up from these two hunts that give you some amzing hunting tips for October. Bill WInke’s buck “Lefty” was killed using the information he revealed on his weekly show “Whitetail 101”. Cut corn fields, again the same information he told the audience “could pull deer off acorns during October”, led him to a successful harvest of his number one hit-list buck. But before this, with keeping up with both Midwest Whitetail and Whitetail 101, the audience viewed the entire strategy laid out behind the deer and the hunt that day. Years of trail camera information suggested not only the buck’s personality, but his home range depending on the month and time of the year. This supplied Bill with information to where the buck “Lefty” might be bedded, giving Bill the intel he needed to stay out of the area.
The biggest mistake hunters can make in October is being carelessly aggressive after a buck. Going after a buck is one thing, but being careless in you scent strategys, entry and exit routes, noise, and stand setup will ruin the hunt and your chance for the deer. Bill took extreme caution on this buck. This mostly came with his trail camera strategies, not being to invasive with his placement, wearing rubber waders while checking cards, and keeping the pressure off the buck.
Mark Drury used the same strategies with his buck “Danger”. The trail camera intel was invaluable, but his hunt brings with it a new factor that you absolutely should be paying attention to this time of year. Mark looked for an October cold front, just like the one that is explained and laid out in the blog: Deer Hunting October Cold Fronts. With a cold front pushing cooler temperature and a rise in pressure, Mark planned to go in for an aggressive hunt. The combination with the weather and an optimally placed Muddy Bull box blind came together for the harvest of the number one hit-list buck “Danger”.
Both of these giants are tangible evidence that October is more that a month to sweep under the rug. Each and every week we bring you new, “fresh” content on our semi-live, always available channel, Muddy TV. You will find several shows giving you the latest hunting observations, how tos, and tips for each week of hunting! October is not over, now is the time to get aggressive and go after the bucks, with of course the tips and tactics you have learned today.
Shooting lanes are important but don’t forget about entry and exit points to your hunting spot. While pulling you stand or checking your set location, trim your trails. Clear fallen branches from winter and widen trails to avoid scent and noise that may spook game as you enter and exit during hunting season.