With the cooler weather over the weekend, the bucks in our area have been a little more active during daylight hours.
Lip Ripper tagged along with me on Sat. evening and we sat together in the same tree where I shot the wide one last year (shown in my avatar). We saw a doe very early on and then about 6pm, we saw a 2.5 year old buck running down through the tall grass about 100 yards away. He had something hanging from his rack that looked like a corn stalk or a vine. We were both wondering why this buck was running and soon got the answer. Another buck was hot on his tail and chasing him out of the area. He was a 10 pointer about 17 inches wide and we guessed him in the mid 130’s. I got the buck to stop with a grunt call and he eventually changed directions heading towards us. He closed the distance to within 70 yards but soon lost interest and headed back up the ridge where he had come from. He was a borderline shooter but most likely I would have passed on him. It was nice to finally see some bucks moving so early in the evening and it was also good to see the aggressive behavior.
As we made our way out to the field, I popped my head over the damn and spotted 10 deer out in the hay about 75 yards away. Right away I could tell one was a mature buck! 
Even though it was pretty dark, I could see his long main beam along with some tall tines and he looked pretty impressive. I slowly backed out and gave Lip Ripper my binoculars so he could see him. With no hesitation Rob said that he was definitely a shooter! 
Since it was too dark to do anything, we just enjoyed the show. Eventually a doe winded us and then all the deer trotted off into the cornfield. I wanted to return the next night and set up on that buck, but the wind was blowing in the wrong direction 
so I decided to leave the area alone.
We got up Sunday morning and we were in our stands by 5:45am. We ended up having two very close encounters with two small bucks (one at 6:30am and another at 8am). Each buck walked directly underneath us. Rob got some good video of one of them so maybe he will post it! 
We also checked our trail cameras and got some pictures of two bucks sparring with one another (two different times). I believe they were the same bucks but I can’t tell for sure. It’s great to see that they are now breaking up from the bachelor groups and are starting to show their aggression towards one another.
All in all it was a good one day trip! 
We got to see 5 bucks (including one shooter) and a few does and fawns. I spent some time introducing Rob to some of the locals there and we stopped in and saw Kirk Peterson who own Peterson’s Taxidermy. As we pulled into his driveway we were amazed to see a 615 lb. black bear hanging from a skidsteer. It was absolutely huge! 
It was the first black bear to be harvested in Pepin Cty, WI. The fortunate hunter used a crossbow and claimed he had over $300 worth of cookies into that bear! 
We then made our way into Durand and were able to shoot some video archery over at Ryan’s Sportshop. 
This is a great way to anticipate deer movements and shot opportunities while getting the blood pumpin for your next hunt! 
The leaves are starting to change color and it will soon be October. Many hunters consider this to be a slow time of the year, but there are some things that one can do to mix it up. The bucks will start to make more rubs and scrapes marking their territory. Carefully check for sign and once you locate it, try to figure out what this buck is doing and where he’s most likely bedding down for the day.
October is the time for me when I will start sitting in stands just downwind of their core bedding areas. This is a delicate balance because one does not want to be detected and you certainly don’t want to push any bucks out of the area. However, if you are patient and wait for the right wind and carefully map out your entry/exit routes, you can get set up just outside of their bedding area.
I will also start to hunt more in the mornings. During September, I typically do not hunt a lot of mornings due to the reason that I believe most bucks are already bedded down by daylight and I do not want to push deer off the fields walking towards my stands in the mornings. However, October means cooler mornings and shorter days which will hopefully means more deer movement during the early hours.
October is also a time to try using some mock scrape set ups. Try to trick another buck that you are in his area competing against him for the upcoming rut. Last year, I had some success doing this and got the wide one on camera over a mock scrape set up which helped me pattern him. I shot him 75 yards away from where I had my mock scrape set up.
If you are seeing a buck in an open field or on a neighboring piece of property or if you are having difficulty patterning him because he’s entering the field in multiple locations, consider using a buck decoy to try and lure him into your shooting area. October is a great time to do this (along with rattling sequences) as bucks are showing their dominance over one another.
In my eyes, there is no such thing as “The October Lull”. A hunter simply needs to hunt differently than he did in September. Odds are you can’t sit in the same stands along field edges as you did earlier in the year and expect results. Usually by this time, the bucks know they are being hunted and certainly will be a little more careful entering that food source before dark. Mix it up a little and experiment. Sit in a stand that you normally would not sit in or target an area that has not been touched. Get a topo map of your area and highlight things such as bedding areas, food sources, rubs/scrapes, travel routes, funnels, inside corners etc… Or don’t hunt one night and instead scout your area from afar with a spotting scope or a pair of good binoculars trying to locate a big buck. Always ask yourself what you could be doing differently. No two bucks are the same and therefore don’t assume just because it’s October that all bucks move at dark. If that was the case, I would not have killed the wide one on Oct. 25th of last year. Get a game plan for October and execute it. It should be different than the one you already hunted in September and unlike the one you’ll be trying in November during the prerut/rut. Think outside the box and I guarantee you will either cross paths with a shooter or you will learn more about how you are going to hunt him in November. Good luck and I can’t wait to see a picture of you and your trophy!
A few more pictures of another little buck that walked underneath us, the valley we saw the shooter in and some more fighting going on.
Great read Brad and great pictures! I take it Rob was there to videotape? Did you get any footage of those bucks?
Great report Brad and some great tips. We are heading out Thursday for a 4 day hunt in Wi to some property we got for the first time…Push the “Wide Ones’s” brother a little just a little north and give me a shot at em
… hopefully we will see a shotter or two and maybe get a crack at one…new land is always exciting….Jay
Nice pictures Brad, good luck again this year.
Some guys have all the fun! Sounds like a great time and it will only be getting better. Looking forward to upcomming reports from WI. Some very large racked deer on your piece. You set the bar rather high last year, good hunting!
Great read Brad! I agree, I don’t believe in a lull so to speak.
Thanks again Brad for letting me tag a long. It was a blast!
That shooter would look good on the wall looking down at “The Wide One”. 
I agree that there is no “lull” also. I believe the lull is created by Hunters in my opinion. The deer feel the pressure of being hunted and people in their woods. At the same time the deer’s food sources and needs change. So for both of these reasons they change their routine and have different travel routes then they did in late Summer and September. Meanwhile most people are still hunting those same places they were in September and probably every deer in the area knows there is a hunter there. I feel way to many people burn up their stands by using them day after day after day. Try to spread it out and use stands sparingly. We have stands that we do not hunt until late October, thus keeping them fresh and the deer at ease in these areas until the Pre Rut.
In September and early October, I believe the bigger bucks are usually bedded down by or before day light. In my opinion the best chance to harvest a buck early in the season (Early October or September) is by hunting the afternoon/evenings. In September I would start out on the field edges and then work my way back off the field to about 50 -100 yards back and find the staging areas these bucks are using. Another way is if you know where a buck is bedding and if you can time a wind change right, these bucks will get on their feet during the day with a wind change and move to a new bed that favors the new wind. Find a intersecting point between the two bedding areas when this happens and if you will be rewarded. Once October hits I start looking and hunting oak plots. If you find some oak trees and acrons, you will mostl likely find some deer. If these oaks are located near a bucks bedding area, you can sometimes set up in the morning way before light and sometimes catch a buck on his feet during daylight trying to catch a snack before he beds down for the day. This is where scouting the land and knowing the diffrent bedding areas help.
** CLICK HERE to watch the small buck encoutner Brad and I had on Sunday morning.**
Great information – I am always proud to read the information you share and the passion with which you write and share your knowledge. Brad not only approaches hunting and fishing this way, it is in all aspects of life. He is a true role model personally and professionally. I feel very fortunate to be able to share his passion and participate in the fishing and hunting adventures with him. I always say relationships are built on shared experiences. That is with friends, families and our Partners in life. So when I am asked why I get up early to turkey hunt or sit in the pouring rain walleye fishing, I tell them it is about building those memories
(Okay I do call it quits when I see lightning 
)
great read brad i agree no lull i also got my avatar buck on oct 25 and have got many more oct 20th – 30th those 10 days can be awesome and of course halloween is a definate day to be in the woods my vac is oct 27 thru nov 9 but with my job and hunting close to home i can and do hunt almost every day
Great read Brad
I think you should have Blush in the tree with you and not Lip, least you would have something to look at in the down time.
Yeah I agree Gman…..
Next time Tina is sitting with me! 
Couldn’t say it better myself…
Hope we can all get together sometime soon!
Without a doubt Brad & Rob are very fortunate to have gals that share and support their outdoor passions! Thumbs up to you girls!
Believe me Dean. We are the lucky ones!
Right Brad!
Nice read Brad. I disagree with the Lull however. I have noticed a definite Lull over the years but it varies on where I am hunting. When the Lull actually happens and the length it lasts changes by the year. I have noticed major changes in movement and deer sightings after the leaves are gone. This year the leaves are hanging on very late and have not noticed an effect. However, there are many factors that go into what is percieved as a Lull by bowhunters. Certainly the amount of food available in the woods is going to be a huge factor when it comes to whether a mature buck has to show himself or can get from bed to feed without being seen. In addition, the amount of wooded cover makes a big difference. If you hunt down South, you won’t notice much of a Lull because deer have less cover to hide in. If you hunt up in Northern MN or heavily wooded/swampy areas, you will notice the Lull more once the leaves are gone. To many places hide and feed without having to show themselves. Anyone that hunts the big woods knows that the two weeks following the leaves being gone is tough. That doesn’t mean I don’t hunt this period, I just know it gets tough. However, I know Halloween is right around the corner and the buck activity is increasing by the day, pretty exciting stuff.
nice report brad…great read!