Archery hunters, it’s early October and the bucks have started to mark their territory, yes the bucks have begun making their Scrapes!
Crops Are Still Standing – Where Are The Deer
Right now the corn is still standing along with many of the bean fields, so your mature bucks are staying close to these feeding areas or spending the entire day in the the corn. This leaves the smaller bucks in the woods and right now are the ones making most of these early scrapes. So your best bet for taking a nice buck early is to continue to hunt the Acorns.
Now the Pre-Rut, which I say is the best Archery time spent in the woods is just a few weeks away. In the Midwest this typically starts around Oct 18, but is dependent on the weather and getting those nice cold frosty mornings. . So plan on taking a few long weekends or a few days off work from Oct -18 to Nov 15, before the deer are in full Rut.
Articles On The Rut & Pre-Rut
Take a look at a few of my other articles on Hunting The Rut & Pre-Rut. Note, the rattle and grunt work much better in the pre-rut than the rut. Why, your dominate Bucks are already on Doe(s) so they are not concerned about another buck unless he approaches. During the Pre-Rut the weather is usually nice, so be patient, stay in your stand, and wait for the big boy to come to you.
Here are a few of my articles to brush up on before the Pre-rut begins:
Hunting the Pre-Rut
Hunting the Second Rut
Early Deer Scrapes
Hunting the Buck Rubs
Early Season Bucks
Hunting Tips
If you have corn crops near your hunting area then plan on taking a day or two off right after the corn is taken off. This is when the woods will come alive with multiple Bucks and they will still be traveling together.
If you have been out in the woods for the Archery Season you will find a lot of smaller bucks. If you focus on the food sources, especially acorns, you can improve your chances.
Deer favor the White Oak Acorns over Red Oak Acorns. If you have a good acorn drop on the edge of a soybean or corn field you need to hunt there. If you do not have corps close by look for large patches of raspberries in the woods and the closes acorns.