Whitetail Rut-cation Journal 10/26/2018

2018 Whitetail Rut-cation Journal

This journal will chronicle my Rut-cation and review tactics, based on weather and timing, to hunt NE Ohio whitetail deer. I look forward to sharing this ongoing story with you.

Good Luck Everyone and – Stay Afflicted with Whitetail OCD

10/26/2018
(Decided to hunt some October Pre-Rut this year. Will be out through 10/29 in this October phase)

Weather

Pressure 30.14
East winds 5 to 10 MPH
Rain in the forecast
Temperature
- Morning Low 36 degrees
- Afternoon highs in the upper 40’s
Moon
- Waning Gibbous
- Rise: 8:07 PM
- Set: 9:37 AM

Strategy today:

DO NOT HUNT
1. The Location I can hunt today the wind is absolutely wrong for an AM sit and evenings scare me here because deer tend to get up early
2. Refuse to get busted by over sitting or hunting a wind that is 100% in the bucks favor
HANG NEW SET
1. Hoping the rain will wash away my scent before the deer are alerted too much
2. Afternoon the east wind kept my scent from blowing into bedding

Results:

I still bumped two deer on the way out who were feeding in the field at 3:00 PM. More and more, I am getting the feeling that this location is a morning access stand because the deer are out early in the afternoon and evening hours. It has to be very close to bedding due to the early movement of the herd. I am looking forward to sitting on North (preferred) and North West winds, North to North North East will carry my scent into the hayfield and are perfect for morning to all day sits. The North West wind blows my scent back into the timber and is good for catching deer on their way back to bed, but will get me busted once they enter the bedroom.

I hung the new set in the tree during mid-afternoon before the rain set in. It is common practice to hang stands just prior to or during rain events to help reduce and even eliminate the human scent profile left behind. My only concern is that the ladder stand could not be positioned perfectly for a right-hand shooter. I am just off to the left of the opening so I need to plan ahead how to take the shot without moving too much. In all, I am happy with the setup.

Tomorrow finds the wind still blowing from the East with a light rain. Because of this, I will be avoiding the new stand location. It is going to be a good thing to let the stand site rest a day or two anyway. I may roll the dice and hunt another stand on the other side of the property. The wind is still blowing into the timber but not into bedding cover. The East winds will be blowing in my face and deer like to use this woodlot for feeding and travel back to bed. Most times, the deer travel diagonally right to left in front of the stand into bedding cover. This movement pattern should keep the deer upwind of my location and offer an opportunity for a shot.

More to come!

Stay Afflicted with Whitetail OCD!

Please feel free to comment below! - We would love to hear from you!