Friday, May 1st, 2026

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Friday, May 1st, 2026

Breaking News for

Sportsmen Since 1968

Don’t let the ‘October lull’ win this year: Tips to staying on whitetails when they all seem nocturnal

One great way to keep hunting during the lull is to target does. Even if you think a mature buck is a lost cause, does won’t be. A freezer-filling mission can keep you in the game and actively hunting, which will show you the deer are still out there doing their thing. (Contributed Photo)

Few topics in the deer space divide hunters into opposing factions quite like the October lull does. Many hunters believe the first few weeks of October are so slow that it’s not worth even hunting. They argue that it’s better to stay out of the woods and keep things calm before they start to hunt hard during the pre-rut.
Hunters on the other side of the aisle make the case that the lull, just like moon phase, certain weather events, and a host of other factors, might influence deer, but they don’t take you out of the game. They reason that it’s better to keep hunting and to try to figure out where the deer went, instead of giving up. This latter group is largely right, but that doesn’t make the task easy.

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