Late October Doe Management
In Week 4, Joe Sir, Gary Hamilton, and J.D. Huitt of Hallowed Ground Outdoors start encountering some pre-rut hunting action and practice a little late October doe management . Gary is up to bat first as he takes advantage of the deer movement to fill some tags on two does. Then J.D Huitt does the same as he takes advantage of an October cold front.
While many hunters would consider the early season (first two weeks of bow season) as the best time to take does, the reality is that anytime the opportunity presents itself is the best time. When it comes to doe management, the only thing that matters is hitting the right quota. While its up to the landowner as to how many does he wishes to take, it is important for the hunters with tags in hand to meet the quota.
Many hunters take the advantage of summer patterns to set their sights on bucks during the early season and take advantage of the extreme activity of the rut as well. This leaves a big gap in mid to late October for shooting does. Deer activity is increasing but not necessarily up enough to be guaranteed an encounter with a mature buck. Hunters should take advantage of the increased movement to take as many does as their quotas allow.
This is especially important and advantageous before the rut, as less does create more competition between bucks, meaning a more intense rut. A more intense rut will lead to an improvement in calling and rattling, and overall more encounters with hit-list bucks as searching for hot does will be greater with less does.
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