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hbg1

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About yesterday, (halloween). a friend stays on the road for work and he saw 10 good bucks yesterday between 11am and 5pm. Anyone study or keep data on meteorological conditions and deer movement? As hunters if we can pin point what made yesterday special we can certainly improve Our chances of being there at the right time.
 
hbg1 said:
Anyone study or keep data on meteorological conditions and deer movement? As hunters if we can pin point what made yesterday special we can certainly improve Our chances of being there at the right time.
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Like the cold trailingest beagle dog you ever saw! And with about as good of results 😂

IMO, yesterday's movement likely had a whole lot more to do with photo period and specific estrous dates than it did weather. Bucks' testosterone should be getting about peak, and does begin giving signals via behavior and scent that they are about ready to start playing. Although I do pay close attention to meteorological data, I've come to notice rut activity generally happens same time every year in a given spot.

Also, Halloween has always been a significant day for buck hunters. As long as I can remember, I've heard hunters claim its their favorite day of the season because it's either when they see or kill the most bucks.
 
I wasn't in state yesterday but weather underground shows in Coffee County it was unseasonably warm, near 80, and very windy from the north. North winds usually mean cool temps, not warm. So if that weather record is accurate, it very well could have spurred movement. Weather outliers and fronts like that are what I watch for. I'm on stand this morning so I'll grab some camera cards and see if there was anything out of the norm for movement here yesterday.
 
If you're really interested in reading up on data and graphs of buck movement, search posts and threads from BSK. He's the king of deer nerds 🤓 Will be awhile reading it all but I promise it's well worth your time this is a topic you're interested in. He keeps super detailed historical data and organizes it in graphs with timelines and other markers. You'll glean something useful from it for sure.
 
Ski said:
Also, Halloween has always been a significant day for buck hunters. As long as I can remember, I've heard hunters claim its their favorite day of the season because it's either when they see or kill the most bucks.
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What part of the State? SW TN still several weeks out and we are typically in archery season or juvenile hunt (historically speaking), so not that many "good bucks" killed in our parts. Halloween buck hunting reminds me of archery hunting in the Midwest.
 
Andy S. said:
What part of the State? SW TN still several weeks out and we are typically in archery season or juvenile hunt (historically speaking), so not that many "good bucks" killed in our parts. Halloween buck hunting reminds me of archery hunting in the Midwest.
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I'm in middle TN, and grew up in the Midwest. Rut probably happens a bit sooner than sw TN???
 
Andy S. said:
What part of the State? SW TN still several weeks out and we are typically in archery season or juvenile hunt (historically speaking), so not that many "good bucks" killed in our parts. Halloween buck hunting reminds me of archery hunting in the Midwest.
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Wayne county, I'd say it had nothing to do with estrous or rut. In this area that doesn't happen until about December.
 
Weather conditions yesterday were post front with overcast skies and 5-10 wsw wind, temps in 60's
 
hbg1 said:
About yesterday, (halloween). a friend stays on the road for work and he saw 10 good bucks yesterday between 11am and 5pm. Anyone study or keep data on meteorological conditions and deer movement? As hunters if we can pin point what made yesterday special we can certainly improve Our chances of being there at the right time.
Click to expand...
I have more data on weather and deer behavior than you can imagine. And what I've learned is, with a few exceptions, the rut overpowers everything. In essence, calendar date is a more powerful player than weather. That doesn't mean weather doesn't have an influence. It does, but it is not as "sure of a thing" as calendar date. Cooler weather tends in increase daylight movement while warmer weather suppresses daylight movement. Stronger winds tend to suppress daylight movement while calmer winds tend to increase it. But when it comes to weather, it's all about trends and not absolutes.
 
BSK said:
I have more data on weather and deer behavior than you can imagine. And what I've learned is, with a few exceptions, the rut overpowers everything. In essence, calendar date is a more powerful player than weather. That doesn't mean weather doesn't have an influence. It does, but it is not as "sure of a thing" as calendar date. Cooler weather tends in increase daylight movement while warmer weather suppresses daylight movement. Stronger winds tend to suppress daylight movement while calmer winds tend to increase it. But when it comes to weather, it's all about trends and not absolutes.
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The weather was warm and the rut is a good month away in my area, that's what confuses me.
 
I always feel like halloween provides some interesting deer movement. Last night I was out and only saw 4 does, but they popped out to feed at 3 pm as I was getting set up! That's about 2 hours before I expected any movement due to how warm and balmy it was. one doe caught my movement and that was that.
 
My metal knee, natural knee, and ears noticed the barometric dip and climb yesterday afternoon. Quite often when I am hurting the deer are active.

After I grunted, had a decent 8 point come straight into the wind on two wicks, 1 buck, 1 doe. Ended up no shot but he is definitely interested in "perfume"...
 

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