Is October Better than November? | Bowhunting Whitetails w/ Bill Winke
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- Опубликовано: 31 июл 2022
- I never would have considered this debate ten years ago, but recently I have shot several very good bucks in October, as have many of my friends. It is a legitimate question: is October really better? I do think that if your goal is to kill a specific buck, then October may very well be better than November. I have the hunts to prove it. Also, I go back to my farm to rescue a soybean plot that the deer have all but wiped out.
Last 2 weeks in October have been good to me as well here in Upstate NY . Shot my best Bow killed buck the last week of October a couple years ago. Thanks for covering this and I enjoy your videos.
Thanks Mark. I am really looking forward to this October!
It's great to have Bill providing regular content again. I keep waiting for him to close out the episode by habit..."I appreciate you joining me this week, and I'll see you right back here again next week for another episode of Midwest Whitetails. And remember to always dream big!"? I know that is what my ears expect to hear after years of watching his content. 🙂
Thanks for the support. I have to stop myself each time to think so I don't say Midwest Whitetail at the end!
Another great video bill. Thanks for sharing.
Really enjoying these new videos that your doing Bill! Great to see you in front of the camera again. Learned a lot from what you do and we are starting to see the results!
Thanks for the note and the support Carter. I really appreciate it. Have a great weekend.
My favorite channel right now! So glad I came across your page.
Thanks Derek. I appreciate it. Have a great day.
Great video Bill, excited to continue learning about your refreshed thoughts and opinions, October has to be my favorite month! Little glimpses of farm look very nice!
October is a great month and we now own a gorgeous farm. I look forward to hunting it when the leaves are turning even if there is not a shooter buck within miles! I will be there on a ridge with the wind in my face! Good luck.
Love your videos Bill thanks for sharing your knowledge
Thanks Steve. I appreciate the support.
I LOVE your channel bill great videos I've been hunting 45 years, and I'm still obsessed with hunting ,but November has been the best for me on the Canadian eastcoast, saying that I have shot some beautiful big bucks in October, Great job and family keep making videos I stop watching most hunting shows years ago because most just show off and staged ,Thanks for your originality,
Fred, thanks for the support. I really appreciate it. Have a great day and good luck this fall.
So very glad that you are doing videos again. You look great, happy and ready to go!!! Good luck and welcome back
Thanks for the comment. I appreciate it. Looking forward to deer season already! Good luck to you too.
Thank you bill for another great episode! So glad your back!!!!!
Thanks Adam. I appreciate the comment and the support.
Love how you illustrated the picture for us. Where your blind was where you thought he was bedding how he approached. Helped make it all make sense for me
Thanks Braden. I appreciate the support and the comment. Hope you have a great day.
Glad your back with the content, enjoyed Midwest Whitetail when you were part of it.
Thanks for the support Jordan. Much appreciated.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge with others. Glad you have continue to teach others, especially is younger guys, the things you have learned through the years! Thanks for helping us be better hunters! Curious to learn more another your October successes!
Thanks George. I appreciate the support. I will discuss more about those hunts and why they worked as we get closer to the magic time! Have a great day.
@@bill-winke Just wondered if you were doing a giveaway. I had received an alert that I had won. Making sure its not a scam. Thanks!
Channel is coming along quickly! So happy for you!
Thanks Bryan. I appreciate it. Have a great day.
Thanks for taking us along Bill…Being in the West, don’t really get to do the food plot stuff, so always enjoy seeing that! 👊🏻🏹
Thanks for the support. I really appreciate it.
Appreciate you giving us your time thanks bill until next week
Thanks for your support Richard. Have a great week.
The whitetail godfather! What other praises could you say lol. It’s always the ones who forget more than the most of will ever learn who you can learn the most from. Bill is simply the type I speak of. Can’t wait to learn more from him every week
Thanks for the support and kind words Nick. I really appreciate it.
I really enjoy these videos bill. Hope to continue to see them and hope for some deer hunting videos too
Thanks BeachBum. I will keep producing these style and need to come up with a way to do updates during the season. I really don't want to have a cameraman in the tree with me any more. Not that I didn't like the guys, it just makes the hunting so much harder and less enjoyable.
@@bill-winke hey my friend, these new format vids are awesome! I haven’t missed one! I’m curious, what is the most un-enjoyable part for you about having a cameraman?
One of my favorite episodes you ever did was when you talked about how you purchased your land originally. I'm just starting that process
Good luck. It is a great journey. Dream Big!
That’s some good insight. Thanks for sharing some of your knowledge. 👍🏼👍🏼
Thanks for the support Redline. I appreciate it.
Great video Bill! Good luck with the food plot.
Thanks Eric. I appreciate it. The brassicas have started to germinate so one more rain and then I fertilize and hopefully it takes off.
Much appreciated on addressing this subject even though you pretty well monikered 'Chasing November'.... I miss watching you on Midwest Whitetail but happy that you're doing your own gig. Quality insightful content, keep it coming.
Thanks James. November is still a great month to hunt. It is just that October has much to offer too - we shouldn't overlook it. I appreciate the support. Have a great day.
Thank goodness you are back producing content Bill…you are the only RUclips/Social Media Hunting content i consume anymore, because of your down to earth no BS way of sharing information. Midwest Whitetail is unwatchable since you left and the other social media hunters clearly have no idea what they are talking about. Thank you for always producing quality no nonsense bowhunting whitetails episodes. 👍🏻
Thanks for the comment and support JG. I really appreciate both.
Really liked this episode, miss to late October is a great time to be in the woods.
October is the best month of the year to be outside. If we can figure out how to also make it the best whitetail hunting month we will be all set. Good luck.
Loving these videos bill. Constantly dreaming big.
Thanks Jake. I really appreciate it. Yes, Always Dream Big!
Great video! My biggest bucks have always came between Oct 21st to Oct 28th. I love that time if the year!!
Thanks. I appreciate it and thanks for the input. It seems that many viewers echo your timeframe.
I hunt Pa and love hunting November, but the majority of my buck tags have been filled in October. Good luck this season Bill. Looking forward to watching your successes!
Thanks for the support. Yes, I have hunted just about every day of every November since 1990, but still more than half of my biggest bucks were shot in October despite the fact that I haven't hunted it much. That is about to change. Good luck to you.
@@bill-winke good luck to you as well. Stay safe and shoot straight!
I've noticed the last several years that late October has been in a lot of ways better than early-mid November for me in SW WI. Last year scouting on the 23rd of October we bumped into several shooters on foot late morning/early afternoon. Year prior shot a nice 8 on the 30th mid-morning. I will definitely be putting in more time from mid-October on. BTW, it's so great to have you back Bill! I've missed your insight the last couple of years!0
Thanks Wil, I really appreciate it. Yes, I am going to focus more on having a great October game plan this year too, rather than just treat it as an intro to November. Good luck.
October can be great on public land as well as most hunters save their vacation for November. Enjoying the videos Bill, looking forward to the next ones.
Agree 100%. I think I even used that exact same sentence when I answered another viewer. I will hunt a bit of public this year because it is so pretty in the area I hunt. I will do it in October just to have the woods more to myself.
Good episode. Really enjoying the content! We were just having this very same conversation about October verses November on scheduling vacation. Even though there is those great hunts that we all have had in November they are far and few between in my opinion. I’ve spent my whole vacation hunting a deer that was more than likely locked down with a doe or a neighboring farm with 2-300 acres of late standing corn that totally changes the game. 👍🏻
Jason, I think there are usually three or four really good days in November. It is hard to know exactly when they will occur, but they will be dynamite. Usually means a hot doe is nearby. We think November is wall to wall action, but that is not true. I still love hunting it, but October has a bit more consistency to it. Thanks for the insights.
Great video and I look forward to the upcoming videos as well. My biggest buck to date was killed on October 17th. He was with a doe. Mid October until the first week of November is my favorite time to hunt. Seems that the older bucks are way more active in daylight in some of the areas I hunt.
Congrats Matt and thanks for the support. It is interesting seeing how many viewers have shot their biggest bucks in October. Have a great day.
Bill, I've noticed the biggest buck in the area is out from the 20th-24th of October in daylight looking for does every year it seems. I think October is very overlooked. Thanks for the great topics and videos!
Agreed. Also, if you are a public hunter, it is the best time to hunt because most guys wait until November to take their vacations. Good luck.
Loving the content! Agree with you about the October weather being the best..only been hunting seriously for about 5 years now but I can say the first couple years I sat a lot in October because I had the itch just to get out but never really had much luck. I think those years I got burnt out by the time rut was happening, last few years have waited til late October cold fronts and have had much better success
Patrick, thanks for the support. Yes, you have to pick your punches in October. You can't just hunt all your best stands the way you do in November, but if you are careful, the October hunting can be good and more predictable than November. You need one of these three things before you decide to hunt: 1. a buck that is showing up on camera in daylight. 2. An approaching cold front (hunt the day it passes and the next one or two days. 3. The last week of the month (approaching rut). All three are green lights for October. Good luck.
Funny that your discussing this, We(my dad and I) just had this conversation a couple weeks ago. We came up with October 20th - November 4th....to us these are the best 14 days to hunt especially if your after a target buck. We have been seeing better daylight activity in the pre-rut than full-rut the past couple years!! Don't know about you but It seems the bucks are more active on does even in early October than they were 10-15 years ago??? Great info again Bill, my vote is October!
I hear that from others too. I am not sure about the biology, but it seems to be happening. If there is a cold front they will definitely respond and move more and we have had a few back to back really good Octobers with a lot of passing cold fronts. That really helps.
The rut happens the same time every year, same as 10-15 years ago.
What state are you hunting in? I’m from VA and want to know when I need to prioritize time in the stand?
@@drumandball I’m from Wisconsin!!
@@paradisevalleyoutdoors7328 thanks! Not sure how similar/different they will play out
Thanks for sharing Bill. I'm jealous that you can plant a food plot in late July, early August!
David, we usually get decent rains in August so the general rule of thumb in the Midwest is to plant turnips on July 25, rain or shine. We shall see, but the seeds have germinated and started to grow a bit. So far, so good. Have a great day.
@@bill-winke did you spray the same day you over seeded? What tyoe of spray?
@@dp5430 Yes. I sprayed with glyphosate (generic RoundUp). As soon as it dries you can spread your seeds. It only kills the plants it contacts directly. I am not sure it would kill the seed if it got on the seed, but not taking any chances - just wait a few minutes and then broadcast the seed.
Glad to see you make vid again!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Matt. I appreciate the input.
Really good info! I am on pins and needles following along.
That is awesome Tim. I appreciate the support.
Thanks for recreating the best part of Midwest whitetail..
Thanks for the support. Have a great day.
This made my day. Thank you sir!
I appreciate the support. Have a great day.
Our corn/soy gets pulled (locally) late October some years. It makes a huge difference at our place-. Food plots start to focus activity , and pressure can be low when we manage access 👍
Yes. I have found that anything green in October is really a magnet for whitetails. Clover, brassicas, alfalfa and even late planted beans. Good luck.
Here in NE Oklahoma it's usually warm or hot in October, that being said by Halloween I usually start seeing the big bucks more. From my long hunting career in my opinion the best hunting is from around Halloween to the first couple of weeks of November. Yes the rut you can see big bucks anywhere but not with any predictable patterns or places. I also like hunting December and January because here it's usually cold and the weekend warriors are pretty much done because they don't like being cold and want to watch football 😉 these are just my opinions. Good video 👍
The last 2 yrs here in NC from October 26th-31st I have had more daylight activity and bucks cruising. Counted 11 differant bucks last year in that time frame 3 shooters, Killed one of them October 28th and the other 2 vanished after October 31st until the end of the season. I have been going back and forth with myself about when should I take my RUT-cation this year. Great video Bill, glad you touched on this!! Good Luck from NC!!
Josh, it is super hard to know the best dates each year as weather conditions always play a big role. I still think that early November is better for most people in the Midwest, but for those who have a specific buck picked out late October is golden. Also, if the weather is cool in late October, it is even better.
@@bill-winke that is what I'm afraid of last year the weather was cold and the bucks were running around crazy during daylight hours. But in 2019 November 11-18 was on fire so I have notice like you said that weather plays a HUGE roll getting them Bucks on their feet. Again thanks for the info and good luck to you and Jordon this year!!
I'm having the same issue with beans. 8 acre field the beans grew to about 5-8 inches and seemed to have stopped. Some are starting to flower out, I just got in Big N Beasty to broadcast through out the field to fill the wholes in.
Wes, that will work. I have done it many times. Once it starts to germinate, be sure to hit it with a dose of nitrogen fertilizer to really kick it into gear. Good luck.
@@bill-winke copy, I have a half pallet of urea left over from spring Christmas tree fertilizing so I'm ready with the nitrogen!
Subscribed! I live over an hour from the property I hunt, and what Cuddelinks have taught me is that every situation is different so try to figure out what your situation is. Right now I have a big buck crossing a very doable ambush point near a river heading back and forth / food to bedding, last year and the year before he was daylight there a lot in late September and early October, so that’s where I’ll be this year! Prior to that I would’ve been stuck in the late Oct through November rut mindset.
Me too. I got very much "in a rut" with my thinking regarding whitetail hunting. I am looking forward to continuing to learn how to hunt October better. I love the weather that month. It is my favorite month to be outside. Good luck.
I agree 100% Shot my best buck in October and had some really good encounters especially with the older bigger Buck. You definitely have to be much closer to their bedding in October I believe.
Yes, getting in closer is the key and that is where the cameras come in, to help us figure out where they are living so we don't bump them out. Good luck.
Thank you so much
My pleasure. Thanks for the support.
My favorite time is from Oct 18 or so to first week of Nov here in PA .Seems like cold fronts coming through from mid October gets them active .Two years ago I took my biggest (13 point) on Oct 24 and have seen lots of activity,just like you say the bucks are still closer to home and when November kicks in they are all over the place .
Agreed and congrats on the buck. Thanks for the input.
Keep it coming, Bill!
Will do. Thanks for the support Chad.
Ive been saying mid-late Oct is the time to get after it for years....It seems that here in the north east that the bucks start getting after it around the second to third week in Oct.....As usual great content and discussion
Thanks Scott. I am looking forward to focusing on October this year too. Good luck.
100 actual. Is that 2 bags or 4 bags of 46-0-0? Man it's good to have you back. Thanks Bill.
Blue... - 100 pounds actual would be roughly 4 bags per acre. Each bag is 50 pounds with roughly half (46%) being actual nitrogen. So that gives us roughly 25 pounds actual per bag. I may do it in two stages. First stage soon (they have germinated) right before the next rain. The second stage in early September. Good luck.
@@bill-winke Thank you...
Thank you for sharing with us, Bill. Could you discuss what purpose the soybeans serve in your food plots if they are to be superseded by brassicas in the fall?
Thanks Andy. Ideally the beans do well too. But adding the brassicas just fills in between the rows and adds more forage to an already useful plot. Deer do love beans in the fall/winter but if they wipe them out in the summer, then the spot goes dead (obviously). Overseeding just gives you another layer of food and some insurance that the plot will have something to attract deer even if the beans get wiped out early. By rights, I would be smart to overseed the other plot that is doing well just to add more forage to that one. Good luck.
Last 2 weeks in October are by far the best for me. Seems as if the more mature bucks are locked down and or just very weary in November. 2 years in a row I’ve been successful in the last week of October in specific.
I am starting to think that the last week of October is the absolute best week of the season.
I’ll be interested to hear how the brassicas grew in with the beans. Curious if Fridged Forage makes a Winter Rye product. I’ve had good success with Winter Rye in less than ideal soils. Also easy to grow at this time of year, good tonnage and great for turning back into the soil the next spring for nitrogen. Although, it would need to be cultipacked and I guess that wouldn’t have been very favorable to the beans that were still there. Hope you get rain and it all works for you this Fall!
Steven, they have germinated, but I haven't been to the farm for about a week. I am sure they will be needing another shot of rain about now. I think Frigid Forage makes a product called Autumn Quick plot that has some cereal grains in it (along with some brassicas). I have drilled winter rye into the beans before without hurting the beans too much, but you are right, cultipacking would be much harder on them. Have a great day.
looks like you need some rain Bill , Good luck this fall!
Definitely need a bit of rain. Thanks and good luck to you too.
I think the October and November debate relates to what kind of properties you hunt as well . I dont have big parcels of land to hunt . I hunt small private parcels and I focus my hunt around not just the rut but when my particular does in my area are popping in . I focus on pinch points and bottlenecks in those times because I dont have bedding areas to hunt around . I do see how October can be more productive hunting a particular buck in his core before he s rut driven .
Agreed. October is still fun, but less useful if you don't have at least one buck you would shoot living on your immediate property. With the rut, he can be living somewhere else most of the year and still come through your place. In that way, November for sure would be better. Good luck.
I like October as well. Maryland has more timber to ag so there is a difference in where you hunt but every year I get pics of daylight mature deer from October 20ish to about Halloween. Seems like new bucks show up daily on our place which was void of bucks 2 weeks prior. Seems like its always mornings as well when I get that first pic
Interesting. I had not seen the connection with mornings. I do think that it makes sense to start hunting mornings around Oct. 25. At least that is when I have started in recent years.
Awesome. Hope you get that rain and get a good food up there.
When I was there last, I saw that many of the seeds had germinated. Now I need to try to get the fertilizer out right before the next rain.
@@bill-winke nice. Awesome video series. This is the kind of thing I enjoy watching. Always nice seeing everything come together to enhance a property or get a nice deer down.
For me personally I have always had the best luck the last two weeks of October. I don't have your track record though! Great video.
I think you are on the right track. I know I will be hunting October much more purposefully in the future and not just looking past it for November.
I live in Wisconsin and love October for bow and even late September. for my land they are on food coming out of summer and I have shot my last 3 bucks during those months. November still remains hit or miss for my property.
November is hit and miss everywhere, I think. It is just that the best days are really, really good, but there are some very slow days in November too when the bucks are locked up with does. You don't have that in October.
Great to see you with your new start with farm and Jordan. I have question what bow is Jordan shooting for poundage. I shoot Hoyt 50#. But when it's getting colder more on to keep warm it's hard to get the bow back. I'm 82 now and don't want to give it up yet.😂
Thanks Robert. Much appreciated. No, don't give it up! She has that Hoyt Eclipse at around 40 pounds. I am sure that will be enough as long as the shot angle is controlled. That will work for you too. Good luck.
be careful with that nitrogen....the dutch and the canucks will come knock on your door as a planetary 'bad boy' 🤣GL Bill
Yes, I guess growing crops is a bad thing now. What a mess.
@@bill-winke no fertilizer, no pesticide, just small withered plants that feed the insects they wan't us to consume versus the deer and the beef we eat now 😩
My favorite stand is 25 of the road where I park, ground box stand so I don’t have to climbing to trees in case I want to have a few brews, stand looks down a trail where a lot of crossing routes. Sprinkle a little corn just to slow the deer down when they’re crossing. I don’t worry about wind, I can pee right behind it, I can make a little noise like opening a beer.
But I wish I was this dedicated
May not be the way I would do it, but at least you are hunting. Good for you and good luck.
100% agree, I see specific home-range deer cruising their core in late October. Finding him in his core range in November can be tricky.
Yes, October keeps getting better as we figure out how to hunt it. Good luck and thanks for the note Paul.
I love October! I’ve got 3 big deer on my wall and the biggest was taken October 14. I feel like a BKS is out now (old school reference).
Thanks for the note. I think more people will obviously hunt harder in October after we let out this "secret" but my viewership isn't so but that it will transform hunting! Seriously, October is a great month. My favorite month to be outdoors.
I believe the older bucks do get out a bit more towards the end of October. Atleast from what I've seen here in WV. I think they know what about to happen and they want to fuel up and get out check does so you end up seeing them at odd times but like you said they're moving, getting a bite and moving on and seeing what's around.
It is a great pattern as long as you don't over hunt it. You can hunt them close to their core areas a few times (every cold front for sure) and then again the last week of October. It is a great formula for a specific buck when you know where he lives.
Burning out stands has been a problem of mine for years . I hunt 2 sits and move to different stand on a rotation. My rut in Florida is spardic
Yes, it is one of the biggest problems most people have. We always think we can get away with more than we actually can. Good luck this fall.
Thx brother
Thanks for your support Terry.
At 6:10ish when you were talking about lefty and it being 70 degrees that evening, i know it seems contradictory to everything any of us have ever been told but i see more movement evening and afternoon sits during warm fronts than I do cold fronts. Especially in the rut but it also applies to october. My theory is that they spend most of the cooler nights doing as much running around as they want and then they come sleep all morning. By midday, theyve been in their bed for 8+ hours and really want to get up and stretch their legs. If you're close to where theyre living it hasnt been uncommon for me to have bucks on their feet hours before dark on really hot days
Zach, I won't say I have seen that, but maybe I am not hunting in the right places on those days. In my experience, when it is really hot you get some early morning movement but little evening movement. However, I don't often hunt deep in the timber in the evenings. That would likely make a difference. I have, however, had really good hunting during a warm front in late season after a long period of really cold temperatures.
@@bill-winke yep, same on late season. Warm days in the 40s are my favorite days to be out. The ground I hunt is in big timber and hills in central missouri, with not nearly as much open ground so that might have something to do with it
Have you tried the product Plot Boost? It may give the beans A little extra nutrition to grow faster.
I have used it in the past, but didn't have on this plot. Thanks for the comment and input. Have a great day.
Bill, I feel like the big mature bucks spend most of their time during daylight in a place that has great escape routes in all directions. Seems like basic knowledge I know but maybe overlooked to a degree. I followed a lot of your harvests and have paid close attention to where your bucks came from according to your maps you show. The DG3 buck seemed to love that ridge where he came from the night you harvested him (or so you've said his core was really small anyway) and that seems like a perfect area to hunker down being as remote as it is. We hunt very similar terrain in IL where it is about 70-30 woods to field. I would like to hear your opinion on why a buck chooses a specific spot for his core area (outside of peak rut). Seems like there is always a "buffer" between them and a house or road. Glad to see you are getting active again on here!
Scott, I think it is more random than that. On the farm I sold I found really good deer all over the place, even in spots you would never expect them. When they are young, I think that core gets set, probably shortly after their mother boots them from family group prior to their second rut (their first rut was when they were fawns). For example, the biggest buck I have ever hunted even to this date, lived more or less in our yard. I saw him at least as often from the back window of the house as I did from my stands. He was a giant 225 inch gross 6 X 5 at just 4 years of age. He was there as a 2 and 3 year old also. In fact, my wife missed him 2 times one evening from a stand 40 yards from the edge of our lawn. I hit him from that same stand when he was 4 (he dropped and I hit him very high). He was fine six days later (no sign of the hit), but the neighbors found him dead that winter about a half mile away. I really don't think my arrow killed him. Anyway, my point is that the biggest buck I ever hunted lived right out the back door. I don't know if there is any rhyme or reason to where they call home.
@@bill-winke seems like there was more what I would call “big country” around your old farm so it’s not surprising that a mature buck would live close to your house like that. The area I hunt mostly has more residents and roads I think. The increased traffic and human activity( including hunting pressure) tends to push the bucks core areas to secluded ridges in the most remote areas and bigger blocks of timber. But like what you’re saying, in certain situations a big mature buck can live close to humans and even in and around subdivisions and small neighborhoods. I think the deer are more afraid of the hunting intrusion than the everyday activities of people at their homes. It’s probably not hard for them to distinguish the two. Thanks for your insight bill.
In N.W Illinois the biggest bucks I have taken and seen has been from Oct 26-Nov 3, I hunt this window very hard with a lot of success.
I think that will be my new mode of operation too. I really like the weather at that time too.
@@bill-winke I put about 160hrs a year in the stand and that window just appears to give me the most success each year. Keep up the great work and sharing your knowledge with the hunting community. Even though your not always fortunate enough to share in our success be proud that many hunters no matter the size of the deer are successful as a result of what you share with us. The best of luck this season. Jay
I shot my best buck to date on October 5th, also find they are still in bachelor groups early October. Ontario Canada
Congrats. That is really late for bachelor groups. I see some bucks still traveling together in October, but by around September 5, most bachelor groups are breaking up in the areas I have hunted.
Last week Oct. I have always said is the best!!!
Agreed. Give me a late October cold front and I would trade you that many days in November any time.
If you have a mature deer in an area I believe Oct. 27th-31st is the best time frame to get him. He’s amped up and knows that first mature estrous doe is very soon and their looking and hitting scrapes pretty hard before they get locked down. I’ve shot my best bucks on the 28th, 30th and 31st and would have had a big public land buck had I not changed my mind on where to put the stand that morning on the 28th. Best week in my mind.
I agree. I killed and messed up my biggest deer of the season the past two years on October 29. That is now my new favorite date - well, maybe not. I am still partial to November 7. Good luck.
@@bill-winke Just a funny but I started my current job 11 years ago this Nov 7th and I remember it being torture cause it was a cold blue bird day and I remember thinking, “Great, starting a job on Bill Winke’s favorite day to hunt and I can’t be in a treestand!”😂
I’ve killed my two biggest bucks on October 30th and October 31st. I’ve always thought at the end of October it is the best time to hunt bucks you know are on/around your property because they will be the most active that they will be all season without straying way too far away from their core area. Especially for a small acreage hunter like myself, once November hits, I feel I have a much smaller chance at succeeding connecting with my target buck because at that point he’s probably 3 properties away on a doe.
Agreed and congrats on the bucks. I am starting to love October! Good luck.
Regarding your soybeans being browsed so quickly, I have seen many many times where deer will tend to go back and forth to one good summer food source and wipe out one field at a time. Consulting with hunting clubs and landowners over the years, I have recommended to plant soybeans if you have large open acreage due to the beans not resprouting when nipped off to early. If only smaller and fewer plots are available for planting I think mungbeans or cowpeas are much better. They will continue to sprout during heavy browsing and do well in poorer soils. But very commonly deer will tend to go to one field at a time until the food source is diminished.
Interesting. They sure are hammering this one. I will find out for sure what is happening when I start to put out cameras in early September. Thanks for the input. I appreciate it.
@@bill-winke Probably has a lot to do with not only optimum high protein summer food source but optimizing energy output under a fur coat.
When do you start really going over your cameras and tracking the bucks carefully? Is it all year, when the hunting season starts, or when the rut is around the corner? Thanks for the great videos.
I really start my trail camera work around September 10 (or so). I wait until the bucks break up their bachelor groups and spread out from their summer ranges into their fall ranges. This happens about the same time they shed their velvet, which is usually early September in most areas. Good luck.
Bill- great video. Obviously you are posting this video on 8/1, but when did you actually spray and overseed? Just trying to better understand your timing. Thanks as always. Great stuff.
As far as the big n beasty he was spreading..now is the time in the midwest anyways. I’ve even spread big n beasty in late July with good results.
Late July is always good for brassicas in the Midwest. Anytime in the first half of August will still work, but getting a jump start in July (if the rains come) will really help the plants produce maximum forage by the time the first hard frost shuts them down.
Always great. Like Mr. OCTOBER! Bring on Reggie! Ha!
Thanks David. I appreciate it. I hope you have a great day.
My advice is that if you’re a public land hunter and you got a big buck that you’re after.. you gotta hunt him hard in October! Because in November he may not be there no more either got kicked out by another buck or out after a doe.. and one thing about public land is that in November there’s the gun season and a lot of folks hunt gun. We Bow hunters got the first lick so make sure you drop that buck before gun opener.
Agreed. I think October is prime time for public land hunting. Good luck.
Interesting to see you in the corn field hunting and shot the one buck while the other ones were deep in the woods next to bedding. Why to you pick each?
Depends on where (and when) the bucks are showing up on camera. Also, that cornfield was just picked a day or two before that hunt. Deer love freshly picked cornfields so that also weighed into my decision. If you are getting photos of a nice buck but after dark in the evenings and he is usually coming from the same direction, chances are very good he is bedded in that direction and hunting deeper in the timber (carefully) in that direction will pay off.
What herbicide do you use? I recently planted and the grass is coming in thick. I killed everything off before I planted.
I just used glyphosate (generic RoundUp), but if you get grass in your broadleaf plants (brassicas and beans) you can kill just the grass with any herbicide with the active ingredient of Clethodim. You can even order that stuff online. Good luck.
I always have the best luck in September.
Unfortunately, we have to wait for October in many states (including Iowa where I hunt).
I would love to hear how to keep on a buck after spooking him.
I did that last year and was never able to get back on him. It seemed like I would pick him up on random trail cameras where I never got pictures of him before, after spooking him.
What you do next depends on how badly they are spooked. Sometimes they forget about it right away, sometimes they remember it for weeks. I will go into it in a future episode. Good luck.
I think your trail camera were the key, I would guess Bills situation had to do with topo more than anything on shooting that buck from the same stand. Now I do believe age plays into this to and each buck is uniquely different. But 90% of the time they don’t leave, they write off some section of that area where the encounter happened. So you have to figure out what that buck is doing to avoid whatever he carved off in his head.
@@robertmyers7542 I think you’re correct. And thanks for the reply Bill! I still look forward to that episode. The buck stayed on the property and the surrounding properties. He is still alive as I got pictures of him in Jan/Feb and now this summer again using his usual patterns. Also he is another year older! But he did not (to the best of my knowledge) of course you never know for sure…. But he did not go back that ridge to bed after I spooked him. And I noticed all my pics of him after that were not daylight.
I pushed it a little to hard and was literally two sticks up when he popped up out of his bed roughly 30 yards from the tree I was setting up in. Wind was in my favor, but he did spot me. I literally froze to the tree standing my second stick as I was getting ready to attach the 3rd stick…. I did go back about a week after with the same wind and weather conditions but he never showed.
My Property here in Southern Wisconsin I can plan for an opportunity at a target buck from October 25th to the 28th year after year.
Mike
That fits what a lot of people are saying. Maybe October 26-29 is becoming a definite go-to timeframe.
Well October 29 and beyond is essential November in the way that deer start to act in my opinion. I don’t treat Oct. 1-25th the same way I treat October 26 - November 15.
Agreed. Earlier in October you have to focus on finding daylight active bucks and/or just hunting cold fronts. After October 25, they increasingly act rutty but I do think that the week leading up to the first hot doe is prime time (late October).
8:06 I see corn pile on camera thought it was illegal to bait after season open in iowa??
It is legal to put corn in front of your trail cameras, you just can't hunt over corn or trails leading to it. Just use a really small pile and within two days after they have cleaned it up, they aren't going there anymore. You can see it on the trail cam photos. Once the corn is gone, the deer completely stop coming. Stop running the corn well before you start hunting and avoid those spots just to be safe. Call the local game warden to make sure you are doing it legally.
You ever put rye wheat over those beans? I am so drought out in north east mi I am going to broadcast rye and wheat everywhere this weekend and possibly labor day weekend.
I would wait till sept for grains
@@patrickanderson5727 I usually get frost between sept 15 to sept 25
I would still cheat it towards the end of the month. But good luck either way.
@@patrickanderson5727 Northwoods whitetail has a sandy soil blend buckwheat rye oats. Thats whats going in this weekend with clover brassica. Hopefully I can get something going
Yes, I have planted annual rye a fair bit (not ryegrass). With larger seeds like that, it is harder to get them to germinate just by broadcasting. Ideally, you can drill them into the ground without tilling and take advantage of any soil moisture to get germination. Good luck.
On the disturbingly highly managed properties you hunt well both as they are fish in a barrel. Esp if you get out of your blinds to hunt where they are or just wait till it gets cold.
The idea is to be successful. If there are ways to be more successful, I will go that route as long as it is not illegal of unethical.
It won’t be long until we are Chasing October.
I thought about that. Wouldn't that be funny! Start another series!
October seems best for resident deer once good front(s) come in.
November/true rut better for long distance cruisers from other areas
Good points Joey. Thanks for the input.
I thought I heard you say you were not planning on filming your hunts anymore. Is that true? Also I thought you said you were going to try & create content that sponsor’s will get behind. I’ll be curious to see what the level of interest will be by sponsor’s. I really enjoy all your content. However if back when everyone loved watching Michael Jordan be the master that he was he stopped playing ball & just wanted to educate Im not sure the level of interest would have been as intense. Everyone loves watching you be the calm cool professional that you are & taking everyone along for the journey & telling the story the way you do then harvesting those mature bucks & doing it so professionally. I rewatch a lot of your previous hunts I would love to see some new hunts in this next chapter for you.
We'll see Kevin. I really don't like hunting with a cameraman. It is four times harder to kill a buck, more stressful and just takes a good bit of the simple freedom and joy out of hunting. There has to another way. I will figure it out. I think Hoyt will climb on board. Not sure about others yet. Thanks for the support.
What happened to the Kubota Bill?? Seems like a place for a nice big tractor :)
Agreed. When I handed off Midwest Whitetail I had to give back a lot of the equipment I was using. I am using some equipment from a great farmer who stores his stuff in one of my pole buildings. Eventually, I will have to either bite the bullet and bring on an equipment sponsor or buy equipment. Everyone thinks sponsors would be awesome, but there is no such thing as a free lunch. When you get something, the giver expects something in return. Not yet ready to re-enter that world.
@@bill-winke RE: Sponsorships. Been there, done that (unrelated industry). I much prefer free agency these days. My (Your) time is worth much more to us than them!
Doe’s this information goes for South Carolina to
No probably not. I am not much at hunting the south. I have hunted in GA, AL and LA a few times and TX a few times, but the rut dates are way different there. I think what I talked about only applies to the northern 3/4 of the US and into Canada.
@@bill-winke thanks for reaching back out, do u know of anyone in the south to follow for good deer knowledge
Don't get me wrong I've killed smart good bucks in November, but I've killed the majority of my big bucks in the pre rut October 20th through the 30th .
Adam. I added it up and I think I have killed as many really big deer in October as in November despite the fact that I only hunt a few days in October and every single day of November. There are times in November when the woods are completely dead. Past about November 9, if you don't have a hot doe nearby, it can be pretty dead. Good luck.
If you know the core buck bedding location.... OCT > NOV! Past 3 years... target bucks killed Oct 20-31st
For sure. Seems a lot of the viewers agree with this conclusion. Thanks for the input.
I’ve always found October better then November in the south
October is a great month to be outdoors. Thanks for the input.
Halloween best day of the season! killed several nice deer on that date. put the customs and pumpkin buckets away get in the tree!
I have heard that many times too. I remember I started hearing that back 25 years ago, but I never took it seriously. I had a one track mind - you had to focus on November.
What about December?
December can be good in the deep south but it is tough with a bow in most other areas. You need a concentrated, high quality food source and deer that haven't been pressured really hard. That formula can be hard to find.
@@bill-winke yeah best to hunt whenever you can and try to hunt as much in November as you can. I really like November for hunting that’s my personal favorite time, October’s just pretty hard for me because I usually always have a lot of other things going on and I usually have plans every weekend in October like hiking and stuff and chasing fall colors and other fall activities that there’s really no time for hunting.
the bigger dominant bucks will be bigger in october,,,probably 20 to 40 lbs heavier for sure
Absolutely. Experts say a buck will run off 15% of his body weight during the rut.
@@bill-winke THANK YOU FOR THE WONDERFULL GIFT