There’s nothing more frustrating than hunting nocturnal bucks so I wanted to talk about it. Hunting nocturnal bucks can be pretty dang difficult and buck seem to be most nocturnal during the month of October. This is the month when they’re typically moving just at night, are really close to shooting hours or staying in their bed a lot. It can be really hard because if you have trail cameras out, you might only be getting pictures of these bucks at night and it can be challenging.
There’s two main tips I have for hunting nocturnal bucks. The first one is to get as close to where they bed as possible. If you’ve done scouting and spraying, or if you have an idea where deer are bedding or where certain bucks are bedding, try to get in as close as you can. Odds are that deer aren’t going to be moving very far in the daylight hours. And if you’re getting pictures of them in the middle of the night, you might be a ways off from their bed. I would strongly suggest pushing in closer to where they are bedding as that can pay huge dividends during your hunt. However, it can also be risky as you could bump them out of there, so if it’s the only buck you have to hunt it could be a little risky.
My next tip is to really focus on cold fronts. A cold snap in October can really get a deer on its feet. If a deer you know is in an area you don’t want to burn out, while the weather’s pretty warm, don’t hunt as much. If you have got a good cold front that is going to come through, that’s your time to strike. The cold front is the time that the deer is going to be on its feet and that’s the time you need to be in a tree stand.
Get More Deer Hunting Tips
At the Ranch – Whitetail: Benefits of October Cold Front
At the Ranch – Whitetail: End of October Can Be the Best Time of Year
