MOTOWNHONKEY

The "lull" is three weeks of hunting pressure.

dstubb

I hunted this place 6 times since the opener on Sep 27th. 3 times were at this feeder spot and i have not once been busted and i am a freak about scent control. I find it hard to believe that they are overly pressured right now. They are still bedding everywhere within 300 yards of this spot. My understanding of the lull is that feeding habits change and hunters have to readjust there tactics to re-pattern the deer. Just because i am seeing activity elsewhere does not disprove the lull. It's not like they go underground and hide for a few weeks.

NavyDeerHunter

I don't know about Ohio, but here in MD it's still hot...unseasonably so. We had a great Acorn crop this year and they are all over the place. I believe that those two things combined are keeping the deer from moving a lot. They prefer the acorns over just about anything else and they don't have to do much more than get up from their bedding area to find them. It's hot out so they are not wondering far from that bedding area in order to eat and once they are done they lay back down.

GMMAT

Which ones were there a month ago? Which ones are falling, now? What's on the property beside you? Anyone hunting over there?

Explain to me what deer do during their "lull"? Do they forego eating?

TreednNC

the lull for me= 2wks not hunting....waiting for 'the right time' to get back at it...i only have 60ac so im trying to play my cards right.

dstubb

Here is how bowhunting world magazine explains the lull:

The lull begins when buck sightings dry up on the food sources and runs until around october 25. The lull phase is the toughest. Between falling leaves, mast crops peaking, and hunting pressure, mature bucks tend to shift to a nocturnal lifestyle.

dstubb

The remark was made that the deer are not hitting the corn feeder because they prefer acorns over corn. As i said, they were tearing up the corn all year long up until the end of Sep and during that time the acorns were there for them to eat at anytime. The deer on this property are used to human activity, the property sides along side a really busy junk yard and there are homes in pretty much every direction. I am the only person hunting the property unless there are people trespassing.

virginiashadow

Call me a believer, but deer seem to really "tighten" up during the middle two weeks of October. It is a combination of factors, the biggest one being hunting pressure and shifting food sources. For me, I hunt around no crop fields most of the time, so I have to find the hottest food around...and that is white oaks. It can be difficult to pinpoint the changing food sources. I see less deer during the middle two weeks of October than any time else, and have so for the last 8-9 years while hunting during bow season.

GMMAT

I just asked WHICH acorns were falling....and which ones are falling, now. We've got a LOT of whites falling, now....and the reds preceeded them, here. It's crazy how many are falling in the woods, right now....and I have begun to pick stands based on what's falling NOW.

Funny thing is....I first noticed this in my yard.

burniegoeasily

They are just moving at night, or have changed their feeding routs. You could be in the start of the pre rut, which would change their feeding cycle.