Oak Duke

Myth or reality? Each and every whitetail archery season during October, bowhunters report a lull, or slow time when activity and deer, mainly buck sightings, drop off.
Some bowhunters even quit hunting, saying, “I’ll wait ‘til the rut.” Others second-guess themselves, thinking, “Must be doing something wrong. Just don’t see the deer now.” Others beat the pulpit in the press and on social media, proclaiming with fervor that the October Lull of legend is just another myth.

Few marks in the deer woods trip a hunter’s trigger like a smokin’ hot buck rub. White scars in the woods.
But in the last few years, one particular type of buck rub has become my key big buck sign. No real mystery here…it’s the signpost rub. I just wish that I had focused on signpost rubs sooner in my deer-hunting career, both bow and gun.

I was fortunate to enjoy two successful deer hunts during the 2023 season in New York. The first was during the archery season, and the second at the tail end of the regular firearms season in the Southern Zone.
Here are some notes to share on two very different hunts.