Is there a late October lull in deer activity at your place?

[jerp]

It seems to happen this time every year. The first couple of weeks of bow season activity at feeders is pretty good and deer just seem to be moving around quite a bit. Then about the third week in October we see little to no deer at feeders and a decrease in general as far as movement goes. Sometime in early/mid November activity picks up again as the pre-rut kicks in. I suppose it is a combination of things: acorns starting to fall, hunters in the woods which makes them more wary and an overall seasonal pattern change. Is this common in all parts of the state?

[gingib]

YES for sure! Activity dropped off alot, at all feeders after opening weekend

Acorns to blame I think

[Roy D Mercer]

Few acorns here..deer stay at the feeder until all corn is gone. Bucks finally busted up and are beginning to make scrapes.

[gmac]

Yup. Always blamed acorns timing seems to coinside

[JHarrell89]

i would think its pressure from us.

[Sleepy]

My activity gets better in mid to late October. Only time I really get much of a lull is after thanksgiving for a week or 2. Everybody is tired from running around the country side chasing, or being chased, so I think they're taking a chill pill for a bit.

[speck1]

Feeders were covered up until a week ago for us. Acorns started falling and deer spread out. I see 100 deer on my way to work every morning. Pretty easy to tell the stands of oaks that are dropping.

[Razrbk89]

It definitely happens up here. They are usually in their summer patterns until the first week of October (depending on weather). Until they really start wanting to rut in the last week or so of October, activity is still there but they become very hard to pattern in my area due to splitting bachelor groups and acorns falling. Same with bears, super predictable on feed until acorns fall. I have struggled to get on them the last couple weeks. They got weird early this year up here and the bow opener was a bit of a bust on my scouted spots. Hopefully black powder season this weekend will be good as the temps will drop by 20 degrees tomorrow.

[cpatterson]

October Lull Lullaby

[Skinny]

Acorns acorns and more acorns. Happens every year. Two weeks of good action and then it falls off. We need some rain bad to get these food pots going.

[Draco]

No acorns here. I seen 22 this evening and could have shot most of them.

[tkuehn5410]

i would think its pressure from us.

Yes, or a combination of acorns and hunters.

[gekko man]

Heck yea...at my place I won't see a buck until the rut kicks in. I am not sure what the acorn crops are doing this year.

[Skinny]

Is there a late October lull in deer activity at your place?

Also, I've noticed that hunting smaller properties, under 500 acres, that around this time guys on neighboring properties fill all their feeders for the first time since the end of deer season last year, so the critters have another option for corn/protein. And you can bet that if you're tromping through the woods the deer just might find that lonesome feeder a good safe spot to feed.