Peak Daylight Movement For Oldest Age Class Bucks

[@ROBSwank-pm1vd]

Dude 12 years of collecting data on these bug bucks !! Congrats n Great great job ! Provides serious feedback..for us Thank you very much !! Continued Success Great video n info 😎🇺🇸

[@northernforestwhitetail]

Hey thanks I appreciate that- take care and good luck hunting!

[@Machetehandy]

Love your channel. There's really nobody in the white tail media that talks about the unique hunting setup of MN especially northern MN big woods/swamps. Everyone is always talking about hunting in relation to AG and they also aren't dealing with wolves. Totally different in northern MN. Low deer density but I really love our deer.

[@northernforestwhitetail]

Hey thanks for the note. I agree. Really nothing like it. We are lucky up here!

[@mattmaxey8604]

Same here in PA. My prime time to get out for archery is the last week of October and the first week of November, skewed more toward the last few days of October and first few of November. That's when my cameras show the uptick in chase activity and when I capture more bucks during shooting hours.

[@danielthompson8306]

Great "Reduction" of what goes on with older bucks during the Rut...especially around the 45 to 50 degree parallel here in Michigan. I have for a while now, adopted Nov 1 to Nov 10th as "my spot" on the calendar to be in the woods seeking the oldest buck in my area. Great work! I believe that this data is a reflection of "Testosterone Flow" ( and estrus) and herd dynamics...animal husbandry, if you will... as it pertains to ( local) Photoperiodism. Love your stuff!!!

[@northernforestwhitetail]

@@danielthompson8306 hey thanks! Good luck this fall

[@Summitoutdoorproductions]

Huge uptick in activity this week here in western NY. Big boys are moving broad daylight. I agree that this is the time to be hunting. Thanks for the info and great pics. Dave

[@trailcamerasinnewengland0112]

Enjoyed learning about this interesting data! Thanks 👍 👍

[@northernforestwhitetail]

You bet glad you enjoyed it

[@kurzhaarguy]

Nice job. Coming from an old guy from northern Wisconsin, and what I’ve learned from older guys, you’re spot on. Find the University of Michigan study on their herd in northern Michigan. It dovetails with your assumptions. What I was taught six decades ago, “never miss Halloween.”

[@northernforestwhitetail]

Hey thanks that means a lot to hear that coming from someone with experience like you. Thanks for sharing- and ditto on Halloween 👍

[@frankpiacentino9236]

Very good, you put in a lot of time and energy into to this video. It really is the same thing I see in Colorado . Thanks

[@northernforestwhitetail]

You bet thanks for sharing and good luck

[@AnthonyXiong]

Great work. A lot of time and dedication put into this. I can agree though, that last week of October kind of starting around 21st there is an increase in daylight movement. I hunt Western Wisconsin.

[@northernforestwhitetail]

@@AnthonyXiong thanks- good luck this fall!

[@justinohlin6603]

This data set matches what we see here in southern nh! Thanks for the video

[@northernforestwhitetail]

You bet thanks for watching!

[@jonread5961]

Excellent information. Appreciate the work.

[@northernforestwhitetail]

You bet thanks for watching

[@josesoto5148]

I checked one of my trail cams 11-15-2024 and found a nice 8 point buck traveling my trail at 9:45 am on the 12th of November. I live in Upstate North central NY on 17 acres of private property. I laid down a long trail of estrus doe pee and will be hunting all day tomorrow.

[@daveguttormson6315]

Good stuff. I'm beginning to like last week of October . The older I get, the less I like sitting in cold temp. I'm hunting 2 older bucks now and they have been cruising in the daylight lately.

[@northernforestwhitetail]

Good luck I hope you get one

[@Alianderfarm]

Thank you for sharing your data. Very generous of you.

[@northernforestwhitetail]

You bet thanks for watching

[@michaelpennell6344]

Very interesting data. It confirms what I see here in Maine. After the majority of does are bred the big boys go on the move again.

[@RS-ms1bz]

I know this to be true also here in WV. Our peak rut is between November 10-15, and slows down drastically by the 22nd. Right around December 1, new rubs pop up and the most mature and biggest bucks are on their feet during the day and covering a lot of ground. It happens every year, and when I take my biggest bucks.

[@shanelizotte6318]

I’m from the northernmost part of Maine and I see the same patterns as well. It’s very interesting to see the same thing happening in Northern Minnesota, although I’m not super surprised as it’s big woods public land much like it is here.

[@northernforestwhitetail]

Yep same here good luck this fall

[@tomchaperon1081]

It's interesting that you don't bait in Minnesota I was wondering what else you do to bring the bucks in?

[@WHITETAIL215]

​@tomchaperon1081 I don't bait here in PA you just sit where the sign is and just hope they come lol

[@charliewesser3271]

Great analysis of the data. Like you said - its hard to discount too many dates - pre-rut to peak. One thing that may skew the data (at least something to consider) is the placement of the cameras on more routine trails. John Eberhart's experience (per his recent podcast on Deer and Deer Hunting) is that he shoots most of his bucks in pre-rut (Oct 20 - Nov 5) when the buck's routine is more predictable. Once peak rut hits they no longer have predictable routines (i.e., moving on predictable trails or to predictable doe bed locations) but rather it is much more unpredictable, more chaotic.

[@northernforestwhitetail]

@@charliewesser3271 yeah- you bring up a good point. A lot of variables at play here.

[@MySelfReliance]

Thanks for making these videos, it’s helpful to see content from a similar landscape to mine.

[@northernforestwhitetail]

You bet thanks for watching

[@whitetailwarriorsdeercamp88]

Awesome video!! Same as the U.P they are few and far between. Nice intel appreciate it

[@northernforestwhitetail]

@@whitetailwarriorsdeercamp88 you bet thanks for watching. Our rifle camp up in NE Minnesota is almost completely void of bucks this year. Really sad deal. Damn wolves aren’t being controlled. Good luck up at your camp this year I hope you guys have a good season

[@BobleeBBQandOutdoors]

Got a ton of apple trees with cages around them. Gonna have to try this browse blocker this year as we are putting in a bunch more apple/plum/persimmon trees this season.

[@northernforestwhitetail]

Hey that sounds great I think you will like them.

[@TimVanLoan]

Definitely seen a similar trend highlighting the days around Halloween as being one of my best picture days. With cameras in 3 or more states it can make it difficult to decide which state to hunt during those few available days.

[@northernforestwhitetail]

I bet!

[@lukeu6672]

Great video, lots of good data. You should layer a line graph of the nighttime data on top of the daytime data just to see if there are any differences or similarities.

[@northernforestwhitetail]

Good idea I might try that

[@fishtraphunter5607]

Thank you for this information. I appreciate your efforts.

[@northernforestwhitetail]

@@fishtraphunter5607 you bet I appreciate you watching. Good luck this fall!

[@pinch1loaf]

Looks like your peak rut takes place between end Oct to mid Nov. where I'm at in Canada, northern AB our rut is shifted a couple weeks but the similar patterns are visible and I have the numbers to form some real shape on the data. I see 4 distinct spikes in activity. Usually 2-3 days of movement followed by 2-3 days of drop-off, then movement for 3 days, none for 2-3 days... This repeats about 4 times. For me the second spike in movement corresponds with overall peak deer movement. I reckon the drop-offs are mini lockdowns where most the bucks have found a doe to breed. I can kind of see the distinct sections in your data but you do need more data points to form a better picture. 1-st Spike: Oct 26-29 (Ramping up) 2nd Spike: Nov 2-5 (Probably your peak deer movement (period) 3rd Spike: Nov8-9 (ramping down) 4th Spike: Nov 12-14 (final push) That late Nov activity mirrors what I see into mid December, some bucks do kick around possibly cleaning up does who weren't bred in the primary rut coming into heat again.

[@northernforestwhitetail]

Wow good work thanks for sharing

[@robshulist2400]

That late November is our muzzleloader season, control hunts or bow in other WMUs in Ontario. I say repeat does or fawns are coming into esterous. I have seen a large percentage of my monster bucks then. Heavy cover and food are the magnetics. Less hunters also here.

[@ROBSwank-pm1vd]

Makes sense gets colder b4 rut they are seeking then flat lines as they hook up n then again when most does are bred n chasing the end of rut !! Lovve to see the graph adding in the nighttime pics with this data set !! 😎🇺🇸

[@northernforestwhitetail]

Thanks for sharing. I don’t know if I can find the time to add in the night pics! Ha

[@mattwilkie9713]

To me the most interesting thing about big buck movement is how much they move during the middle of the day. I have seen way more monsters cruising from 9-3pm than mornings or evenings

[@northernforestwhitetail]

Yeah it’s crazy the times they move. Not always what one would think

[@BooneOutdoors208]

I've noticed this in North Idaho as well. Not sure if it's partially due to less pressure from most people hunting morning and evening

[@claudest.-germain3635]

thank you to share your exerience and time and make sense thank so much 😇

[@northernforestwhitetail]

@@claudest.-germain3635 you bet good luck

[@Ranger-Al]

Great video, we hunt east central Minnesota, I agree with your analysis. Thanks for sharing. Now if there was something that could be done with the wolf population. Good luck hunting!

[@northernforestwhitetail]

@@Ranger-Al no kidding- too many wolves. Something has to change. Good luck to you guys!

[@Ranger-Al]

@@duanehamdorf2228 Is this the Duane Hamdorf from Rabbit Lake Township?

[@Ranger-Al]

@@duanehamdorf2228 I have been asking your brother Larry about you. I know where you are living now. Would like to drive up for a visit sometime if you’re up to it. Take care!

[@freetired]

Awesome real world data!❤

[@northernforestwhitetail]

@@freetired glad you enjoyed it good luck this fall

[@sunseeker6088]

******** 4 PART SERIES*********. We need one more video. What time of the day do these old buck move???? A lot of us hunters have been told that the oldest of bucks move more in the 10am-1:00 timeframe as opposed to early morning. What does the data set tell us. Inquiring minds would like to know. Keep up the great work.

[@northernforestwhitetail]

@@sunseeker6088 oh boy… I’m trying to find time to hunt thru all this 😁. I might be able to make that happen though- stay tuned- good idea for a video though

[@tomgrams2333]

My cameras show, and I can corroborate from the stand time, 10 thru 2 like the 3rd week in Oct thru Nov 23rd-ish. Northwestern Wi. Alot of breeding after what is called peak- Nov 10th - by the DNR.

[@stainmasterboy]

😮 Im convinced the older deer and know when season starts. Bucks on cam! Bear coming into bait. Season starts and now ya see only little ones.

[@andrewkirkpatrick626]

It changes every year I'm in the northeast in western Massachusetts but it's been really slow season for me so far hopefully morning will be better plus I'm off most of next week, 13 th 14 th 15 th and 16th I'll b in the woods and I'm hoping for good action please play in my book anytime in the month of November are you going to be in the woods be there the rock hits differently throughout the country and every buck and doe is different I've seen bucks chasing those during the gun season in December Port Huron Massachusetts we have a crazy acorn crop most I've seen in years not to mention all the warm temperatures I think the best activity is still to come hopefully in this coming week

[@bradm4493]

From what I’ve pieced together, it doesn’t matter what the date is, if it’s above the mid 40s, not seeing much movement at all during the day. High of 77 where I hunt in northern WI tomorrow 😂. But typically see first heavy chasing activity on Halloween +/- a couple of days and seemingly like clock work the absolute most activity is Nov 7th, 8th and/or 9th.

[@northernforestwhitetail]

Good luck!

[@cadelelon]

5:37 I'm assuming the slowdown early October is due to them locking down does very early in the rut, then coming back for another round before it ends. Curious about a 3rd axis showing daily morning/evening temperatures for each of the years data was collected

[@cadelelon]

NVM you surmised the exact same thing at the end!

[@northernforestwhitetail]

That’s a good idea

[@normankaster917]

Thanks for the data, now are you hunting all day sits in the core areas "same stand", or hunting all day but moving around the area trying not to blow out the core areas like hunting the fringe/ transitions.

[@northernforestwhitetail]

A lot of my rut funnels have clean access in and out (for the most part). So I regularly hunt them multiple times. Over time I’m sure does and bucks smell my walking trail scent and the quality of these spots decline. But the season goes fast so I have no problem doing 2-4 long sits in each stand.

[@scottbailey8158]

Good data, one trick I use once breeding starts is hunt the does. Be in there bedding area a good hour before daylight. Iv been successful alot doing that. It's a time when u don't have a buck yet and u are going for broke.

[@northernforestwhitetail]

I use basically that same strategy

[@Braveheartman1]

I wonder if the states collect any data at the deer checking stations. Just asking what time of day and the date of the kill can provide a LOT of data

[@user-je9yb6je4o]

Did you consider moon phase over the years and whether or not that made an impact in your findings?

[@northernforestwhitetail]

@@user-je9yb6je4o no I didn’t consider that

[@southerniowaboys]

Love your dedication and hard work to this. The bar graph is cool as well! Great work

[@northernforestwhitetail]

I appreciate that- thanks for sharing and good luck hunting!

[@mountainman3645]

I've shot most of my big bucks the week before or the week after Halloween here in Pennsylvania

[@northernforestwhitetail]

Good work I love it

[@stevedenoyer5956]

I think it’s right on the money, shot my deer last year on 10/30. Was a3.5 year old but that’s the majority of our highest age class where I am in northern lower Michigan

[@northernforestwhitetail]

@@stevedenoyer5956 good work!

[@MikeRoot-es7cm]

I hunt Kalkaska,Are you in an apr county? If so how do you think the aprs are working? If we shoot a 3yr old they have zero fat on them.we think it’s too much competition from younger bucks.just curious what you think.

[@stevedenoyer5956]

@@MikeRoot-es7cm I’m in Grand Traverse County, down by Buckley. I think APRs has done wonders.i target 3.5 year olds and have shot one just about every year for the last 5-6 years. I do a lot of habitat work too to help draw them in. I haven’t noticed any less fat than on a 2 year old that I can remember. I think most lose all during rut. . APRs imho have made all the difference in buck size and age class. Good luck this year. I have not gotten one in bow season yet. Have several 3 year olds and 1 r year old around, just haven’t laid eyes on them while hunting.

[@MikeRoot-es7cm]

@ maybe it’s just a nutrition thing.No crops near us. I have a 10 acre camp with state on 2 sides,mostly hardwood.thanks for your input.Good luck to you too!

[@stevedenoyer5956]

@@MikeRoot-es7cm quite possibly, I have quite a bit of Ag near me.

[@duckaneer1]

Maryland, best time to see upper class bucks in my experience is Oct 15-20 and Nov 3-10.

[@rainsong7327]

I hunt western NY . Going to try first week of December. Think they will be moving? There is corn nearby.

[@northernforestwhitetail]

@@rainsong7327 yes I do- there is actually a second rut that takes place 28 days after the primary rut. Any remaining does that didn’t get bred in the main rut (mid November) come back into estrus 28 days later and we see another smaller ramp up in buck activity in the first 10 days of December

[@rainsong7327]

@@northernforestwhitetail Hey thank you .

[@billyd.6411]

How does human activity effect older buck movements during the rut

[@northernforestwhitetail]

@@billyd.6411 it affects it a lot if you aren’t careful. Need to think about your access route to your stands (I.e. perpendicular access to deer movement). Then set your trail cameras early and leave them alone all fall (cell cams are great for this). Keep human intrusion to absolute minimum

[@larsonhomeinspection9932]

Thanks for this!

[@northernforestwhitetail]

@@larsonhomeinspection9932 you bet thanks for watching

[@bobhe1584]

How’s the weather with all those photos. Wind , temp, basically the weather pattern. All weather data. I’d love it you compare it to the data that you have.

[@northernforestwhitetail]

I might take that on but not sure when I’ll find time! Maybe after the hunting season

[@rogerramjet7567]

I see the same thing happening in Michigan. Not many older class bucks here. 2 1/2 years is an average bigger buck. A three and a half is an old one. 😢

[@northernforestwhitetail]

That’s tough… I wish you guys grinding away in Michigan had older deer. Make a trip over to MN!

[@Sonjaorleans]

Too many hunters in Michigan killing does and small bucks

[@aubreythompson1801]

How do these sightings relate to the moon phase

[@northernforestwhitetail]

I don’t check moon phase at all. I don’t believe there is a correlation. Just my approach to it-

[@michaelJ415]

Noon -gun season , spanked a few over the yrs 11:30am -2:00pm ish 👍🏻 they old ones will pattern you, if you let them,good luck this season people

[@northernforestwhitetail]

@@michaelJ415 good luck to you as well

[@Filling_tags]

Should include nighttime pictures

[@northernforestwhitetail]

I think you are right

[@jarrodlambert3914]

Nice

[@briangregory6692]

2nd,thanks for the videos

[@northernforestwhitetail]

Looks like your comment is first! You bet and good luck

[@loganzoromski6126]

Been watching your videos for a couple years now and you always give great insight and information. Question for you. When you are getting almost entirely all nighttime pictures of bucks on a heavily used trail, what would be your plan of action to find them during the daylight? Would you try to get more aggressive into their bedding areas? My thinking is that the deer have to be somewhere during daylight, they don't just disappear when the sun comes up. But how do you figure out where that is?

[@northernforestwhitetail]

It’s important to understand what your hunting scenario is. Let’s break this into three scenarios; Scenario 1) heavily hunted public land. In this scenario, I frequently get nocturnal movement in high human traffic areas (edges of ag fields, near access points, easy to access areas). I don’t hunt these areas due to the fact that the mature bucks don’t show themselves in daylight. Instead, in this scenario, you need to move back into deeper cover. Examples of this are swamp islands, crossing a wet swamp with hip boots to get away from other hunters, and distance from the nearest access point. If you find these areas on heavily hunted public land, you will find daylight mature bucks. Scenario 2) big-woods public land with light or very little hunting pressure. In this scenario, photos of mature bucks at night are not an issue. It’s just luck of the draw they came thru your rut funnel at night. Keep hunting that mock scrape or rut funnel if you are getting nighttime bucks using it- one day it will be a daylight encounter. In this scenario the hunting pressure is not causing the night photos. Scenario 3) private land with food plots or ag fields. This last scenario is more complicated. Are you over-hunting the food plot and educating does? Are you walking thru the center of the property and flushing out the cover frequently? These are both activities that will destroy the property and cause nighttime usage of mature bucks. In this case you need to make sure your own actions aren’t causing your problems. If they are not, then there is some other issue going on I.e. low quality good, small parcel with no contiguous block of security cover, etc. hope this helps- let me know what scenario is closest to yours. Thanks.

[@bullgiraffe]

The data is too sparse. It does surprise me that the last week of October has as much activity as it does because I haven't experienced that. But if you squint your eyes when you look at it... Lol. In other words, don't look for peaks in the data, look for gaps. You have 6 from Oct 26-Oct 31. You have 5 from Nov 1 to Nov 5. And then it really thins out, with a smaller peak post rut. My top 4 bucks were killed Nov 7, Nov 9, Nov 6, and Nov 18. Checks out.

[@northernforestwhitetail]

Yep I know what you are saying thanks for sharing

[@markj8016]

Here in Missouri, (St. Louis Co.) I’m seeing pretty much what you’re saying. This week I’ll be hitting it harder, morning and afternoon hunts. Typically here 💩really hits the fan on Halloween. A big plus, our morning temps are around 43*. Good luck all.

[@northernforestwhitetail]

@@markj8016 good work and good luck!

[@Timpecoraro4414]

Two oldest and biggest bucks I have killed where on October 26th this year and November 6th about 4 years ago.

[@northernforestwhitetail]

@@Timpecoraro4414 congrats on your buck this year!

[@andrewkirkpatrick626]

I was using voice text and some of my words came out wrong in that last comment lol anyway it's November b in woods as much as u can!! Good luck to everyone

[@greenfield1944]

Have you seen the study done in New Brunswick where they took all the road killed does and looked the fetus development which shows the exact date of conception? I did a quick search and couldn't find it but this link shows a graph of the findings. It shows most of the breeding take place around Nov 23, which makes sense here in New Brunswick. The latitude is about the same as Minnesota. As you say it's a bellcurve but IMO the peak is later as the study indicates, and yes your sample size may be too small. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iGPaXp6EfpdsoZI&ab_channel=StevenCain

[@greenfield1944]

Most of my big bucks have been killed between Nov 14 and 18th when they are searching hard. Then the lockdown occurs when the big boys are in the thickets with hot does.

[@northernforestwhitetail]

I’ll check that out

[@robertbader2915]

The data is correct. I have 9 LTE cameras on 180 acres of big woods land. I'm broken up about it, but I missed a 10 point monster Thursday last week with a crossbow. Came in hot, and rubbed three trees and laid a scrape. The smaller bucks take longer to get this rutty! Smaller bucks start flying around around Nov 01 where I hunt in Ontario, Canada. I have that 10 and a three year old 8 point that call my property home. I'm starting to believe they are chasing off the smaller deer. Not a single picture of a young buck all summer.

[@northernforestwhitetail]

@@robertbader2915 sorry to hear that you missed the big one. Get back in the saddle and keep after it 🫡

[@mikesmith6838]

25 data points isn't anywhere near enough to draw good conclusions.

[@northernforestwhitetail]

@@mikesmith6838 yeah I wish I had more but that’s just the reality when you pare it back to daylight only and that age class. I agree that we need to be careful drawing conclusions from a small sample size, however, it is somewhat telling that I got the data points so spread out over the course of the entire rut. Thanks,

[@DEVILDOG1964]

IT'S THE PEAK OF RUT LAST WEEK IN OCT. FIRST WEEK OF NOVEMBER IF LIVE IN NORTHERN STATES. IT'S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE!

[@TaCtiCaL323]

Lol

[@zzz7zzz9]

Why would the northern states rut earlier than farther north in canada?

[@DEVILDOG1964]

@@zzz7zzz9 who says it does it's triggered by the amount of sunlight. Most people know that. Warm weather may effect it somewhat but then they mostly breed at night or early morning when it's cooler.

[@zzz7zzz9]

@@DEVILDOG1964 it's controlled by how long their gestation period is. They can't breed too early, or their fawns will be born too early when it's still too cold. Moon, daylight hours, temperatures, etc, those are just coiincidental factors.

[@zzz7zzz9]

@@DEVILDOG1964 and i'm in the B.C. interior, and our deer, md and wt, rut in the middle to late november.

[@shadowdawg04]

Appreciate this a lot - subscribed!

[@northernforestwhitetail]

@@shadowdawg04 thanks for the sub- I appreciate it and thanks for watching! Good luck this fall

[@season2seasonoutdoors372]

Do you have an Instagram or Facebook?

[@northernforestwhitetail]

No- only KZbin. Trying to steer clear of social media as much as I can

[@season2seasonoutdoors372]

@ probably a good idea! Be nice to talk whitetail with you sometime. I hunt around Rapids. Nice to know other guys that go hard up here.

[@northernforestwhitetail]

@@season2seasonoutdoors372 likewise- it’s a special thing hunting those big woods bucks of NE MN and only those that do it understand. I was looking at your handle- do you have a YT channel?

[@season2seasonoutdoors372]

@ yeah but it’s not much. Mostly old corny turkey hunts. My computer broke a while back, been saving lots of turkey footage but haven’t got back into the editing. Struggle to kill big deer already so I haven’t got myself to try filming deer hunts. “The Bearded Turkey Mann” is my channel now.

[@northernforestwhitetail]

@ I’ll check it out- that’s cool you are doing it though. I don’t film deer hunts either. Messed up on a big buck years ago trying to film it and wrote it off.