Busting the Lull: Hunt The Fronts
The October Lull, the phase of the whitetail season that often leaves hunters stumped and frustrated. The temps are cooling, leaves are changing and we can almost smell the whitetail rut in the air. All year we have been dreaming of deer season and it's finally here. We want to be in stand any chance we get in pursuit of those monster summer velvet buck we have on trail cam. But caution must be taken! Have you ever heard the phrase "you can't kill um from the couch"? Well the fact is that age old saying is simply not true. Hunting smarter and not harder is one of the number one tactics most successful bowhunters exercise year after year to achieve their harvest goals. But what exactly does that mean? The October Lull is just setting in here in Iowa but what is the lull? Why does it happen? And how can we beat it?
The October Lull
The October Lull is often referred to by hunters as the time where buck daylight movement simply shuts off from early in October, around October 8th until around October 24th. Trail cam pictures begin to flood in cataloging "nocturnal bucks" night after night. Stands that were guaranteed buck sightings in the first weekend or two of the season have all but dried up with little or no action in both mornings and evenings. This is often a time where bowhunters get frustrated and try to push the envelope. The excitement of deer season still coursing through our veins we often find it next to impossible to watch a weekend go by from the sidelines of our couch, trust me I have been there! But in taking a look at why the lull happens, if it even exists, this is exactly where we must use EXTREME caution.
Why does the Lull Happen?
The concept of the October Lull is often debated throughout the bowhunting community. Does it really exist? Is it happening to me on my farm? To answer these questions we must first dive into how it could possibly happen. In my opinion the Lull does occur. But there is hope and help! And it lies within the reasons the Lull happens. We believe it is partially due to the whitetail deer's natural physiology and diet, and the rest is left up to us and the action we take.
- Deer physiology and diet- During this time hunters often refer to the October lull as the October swell. Whitetail bucks go through an extreme hormonal change as they get geared up for the rut. Their testosterone skyrockets, as a result, their necks swell, and they begin to get one thing on their mind. Does. This can be seen through the whitetail woods as rubs on trees and scrapes on the ground begin to appear literally everywhere. This increase in testosterone and bodily changes pushes a majority of their movement to the cover of darkness. Secondly, their diet also shifts due to the food available to them as the green high protein leaves of the ag beans are all dried out and the corn and bean grains are getting harvested. As a result most bucks head to the timber where their diet begins to consist mainly of acorns and other natural forage. This increased movement into the timber decreases daylight movement sightings and trail cam pictures.
- Secondly, you may be asking yourself, how could I possibly cause the Lull? Well the answer is simple. Hunting Pressure is unarguably the number one biggest factor in reduced mature buck sightings and movement. If you try and argue it, you have already lost the game. Opening weekend thousands of bowhunters hit the woods. Invading the mature buck's habitat that hasn't been disturbed for sometimes months puts a huge strain on their daytime movement. Just because you didn't see or hear them bust out of a field or crash through the timber edge as you climbed into your stand doesn't mean they haven't sensed your presence into their core area. This is exactly why we stress minimally intrusive footless entry and exit points to and from your stand. It takes nothing for your wind to blow into that big bucks bedding area as you walk to your stand for an evening sit. Or him to cut your track from where you had walked in and out that very evening for your hunt. This increased activity will guaranteed push their movement later and later into the night.
How Can You Beat The Lull?
So with all of that said, is it possible to still harvest a mature buck between October 8th and the 24th? Of course it is, but the odds are stacked against you. Only hunting the most supreme of situations will not only limit your hunting pressure into the big bucks core area, but it will also provide you with the opportunity at the mature buck you have been after. What constitutes as a supreme situation? October Cold Fronts. If you already have your weekend plans locked in to hunt your favorite food plot stand because you saw a shooter there open weekend, you have already lost the game. This is a time where weekend warriors are at a disadvantage. If your only time to hunt is on the weekend and there is not a cold front, you are better off staying home, on the couch, watching football. This is where I have personally failed to practice self restraint. If possible, holding off for that perfect day will improve your sit opportunities as well as the remainder of your season. So what constitutes as a cold front? Typically any drop in temperature from the average greater than 10 degrees is what we are looking for. Take a look at the below forecast for this week (Wunderground.com). Highlighted in red is a substantial cold front that will be sweeping through the midwest mid week. If possible staying off your property until Wednesday evening or Thursday evening will provide you with the most optimal of sits possible. The temps are forecasted to drop from a high of 75 degrees on Tuesday all the way down to a high of 57 degrees on Thursday. The pressure will also be rising from a low of 29.9 on Wednesday morning to a high of nearly 3.35 on Thursday morning. This is a huge change in barometric pressure!! As an avid bowhunter, this weather change gets me pretty excited and it would be an ideal time to harvest a mature buck during the dreaded October Lull. On the flip side, Saturday and Sunday, the days where most weekend warriors hit the woods will return to normal temps of mid 70s. We can expect mature buck movement to be at a minimum during daylight hours.
So what information or experiences do I have to support my claims? Talk to any highly successful bowhunter and they will cite the same thing. Also years of trail cam data, and not to mention our own personal accomplishments. One to mention happened on Friday October 9th 2015. As you can see below, on Friday October 9th of 2015 (data provided by Wunderground.com) a large cold front hit the midwest. Average temps were in the mid 70s all week but on Friday they were forecasted to drop down to a high of 60 degrees. A 15 degree temperature drop!!! Consequently barometric pressure rose from 29.9 to 30.3. The graph displays this increase very well. That night my father was hunting a pinch point in-between standing corn and a water source and was able to harvest the below 155" Iowa buck.
Was it simply luck that this buck moved an hour before daylight during the Lull? Maybe. But I would rather base my planned hunts off of, personal experience, trail cam data, and not to mention the repeated advice preached by several of the industry's leading experts on my whitetail success. Will you?
