UPO Live On Air Ep. 85- The October Lull: What Science Says About Deer Movement

So what exactly is the October lull? Let's start with that obvious question.

Generally speaking, when hunters talk about the October lull, they're describing a period somewhere around the middle of October when deer sightings seem to fall off considerably.

And it's particularly noticeable with mature bucks.

Early in the season, hunters are seeing deer fairly consistently.

They've got summer trail camera pictures.

They've watched bachelor groups feeding in fields.

They've identified certain travel routes, food sources, and patterns that appear pretty predictable.

And then seemingly overnight, everything changes.

The bucks disappear, the daylight pictures stop, and suddenly everybody starts talking about waiting until November.

Now here's where things get interesting.

The October lull isn't necessarily something that occurs at the exact same time everywhere.

Um, In fact, the entire concept is heavily influenced by traditional deer hunting calendar in the northern and northeastern United States.

And that's why it's important because deer don't operate on the same breeding schedule everywhere.

A hunter in Pennsylvania and a hunter in South Florida can both be sitting in a tree stand in October, October 18th, but those deer may be in a completely different stage of their annual reproductive cycle.

And we'll come back to that later.

But for now, let's talk about why hunters believe this lull happens.

There are several common explanations.

One is that bucks have transitioned out of their summer feeding patterns.

Another is that hunting pressure has pushed them into thicker cover.

And some hunters believe that increasing testosterone levels and changes in social behavior causes bucks to become less active.

And then there's the theory that warm October temperatures simply keep deer bedded down until after dark.

Now, here's my problem with some of these explanations.

They're often presented as though they're describing the same thing, but they're not.

A buck changing food sources isn't necessarily moving less.

A buck spending more time traveling through thick cover instead of crossing an open field isn't necessarily moving less.

So what exactly is the October lull? Let's start with that obvious question.

Generally speaking, when hunters talk about the October lull, they're describing a period somewhere around the middle of October when deer sightings seem to fall off considerably.

And it's particularly noticeable with mature bucks.

Early in the season, hunters are seeing deer fairly consistently.

They've got summer trail camera pictures.

They've watched bachelor groups feeding in fields.

They've identified certain travel routes, food sources, and patterns that appear pretty predictable.

And then seemingly overnight, everything changes.

The bucks disappear, the daylight pictures stop, and suddenly everybody starts talking about waiting until November.

Now here's where things get interesting.

The October lull isn't necessarily something that occurs at the exact same time everywhere.

Um, In fact, the entire concept is heavily influenced by traditional deer hunting calendar in the northern and northeastern United States.

And that's why it's important because deer don't operate on the same breeding schedule everywhere.

A hunter in Pennsylvania and a hunter in South Florida can both be sitting in a tree stand in October, October 18th, but those deer may be in a completely different stage of their annual reproductive cycle.

And we'll come back to that later.

But for now, let's talk about why hunters believe this lull happens.

There are several common explanations.

One is that bucks have transitioned out of their summer feeding patterns.

Another is that hunting pressure has pushed them into thicker cover.

And some hunters believe that increasing testosterone levels and changes in social behavior causes bucks to become less active.

And then there's the theory that warm October temperatures simply keep deer bedded down until after dark.

Now, here's my problem with some of these explanations.

They're often presented as though they're describing the same thing, but they're not.

A buck changing food sources isn't necessarily moving less.

A buck spending more time traveling through thick cover instead of crossing an open field isn't necessarily moving less.