Picking dates within your season?

[Bearcat06]

I am currently prepping for my central Idaho mule deer hunt and am trying to decide what factors I should be thinking about when choosing my exact hunting dates. I plan to take 10 days to 2 weeks within the sept 15 - oct 31 season. What are some considerations you all use when choosing your dates? Hunting pressure and deer movement are the big and obvious ones but also unsure how to "calculate" what that will look like too.
TIA

 

[littlebigtine]

Be there opening day if you have scouted a target buck during the summer. Otherwise last 10 days of that season would be your best chance of finding deer.

September in Idaho can be just as tough as the beginning of October for turning up bucks because of the heat. The benefit to the end of October is that it typically aligns with migration timelines as well as colder temps. Add the smell of does in the air and bucks are on their feet moving more than in September. I wouldn’t worry about pressure in those units. If your not seeing deer your probably not in the right spot and if your seeing people you are either on a road or where the deer typically are.

 

[Bearcat06]

Be there opening day if you have scouted a target buck during the summer. Otherwise last 10 days of that season would be your best chance of finding deer.

Ok, that makes sense. I will only be able to get boots on the ground once during the summer if at all. So I don’t expect to have a ton of info going into season.

Are there other considerations you account for? Weather and things of that nature? I’m not suggesting that would make my decision for me but hey, if you can be more comfortable and accomplish the same goal .. why not?

 

[Marble]

It's hard to answer the question. If you have high country you can glass in semi open faces, I would want to be there on opener. I have a much better chance at finding and killing a big buck when I glass them up, watch them bed and then go kill them.

If weather comes in, then they head to the woods and it's a crap shoot.

Late October doesn’t sound bad. But I like hunting them in their summer patterns.

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[Bearcat06]

It's hard to answer the question. If you have high country you can glass in semi open faces, I would want to be there on opener. I have a much better chance at finding and killing a big buck when I glass them up, watch them bed and then go kill them.

If weather comes in, then they head to the woods and it's a crap shoot.

Late October doesn’t sound bad. But I like hunting them in their summer patterns.

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Very helpful! That was my vision for how I wanted to hunt was glassing large faces. Is elevation bands a consideration you use when choosing a time too? Like “if I go at x date I’ll target x elevation and y date would lead me to want to target y elevation?

 

[ID7mm]

So Marble and littlebigtime are both correct 100 percent.

Hunting muleys is a blast! If you can get out a day or 2 before opener and get a buck tracked down and patterned get him opener day. There's always more bucks in the woods on opener day than any other day of season lol. Opening day can get BUSY, plus you will most likely over lap with elk hunters which will typically hurt you. It's a lot more people out there.

If you want a hunt with less people and are willing to hike "off trail" then late season is a sweet spot. Middle of the week on a cold front is my happy place! I like the last 2 weeks of your timeframe. Has a chance of a light snow so I can easily glass one up and move on one. I enjoy tracking them to, deer tracks always lead to a deer! They will be close to the does and waiting for one to come in.

I wish there was a magical formula that said the altitude they were at. My best luck has been off Northern edges of clear cuts near a ridge. Mature bucks in my experience haven't left their home range till does come in.they eat and lay down till the does are ready.

Because of all that I would choose October 15 to 31.

 

[Marble]

Very helpful! That was my vision for how I wanted to hunt was glassing large faces. Is elevation bands a consideration you use when choosing a time too? Like “if I go at x date I’ll target x elevation and y date would lead me to want to target y elevation?

Yes, because the earlier in the aeason, the more likely I mtheyvwill be in their summer patterns. But I'm using my CO experience, 20+ years, comparing to ID (which what where i think we are talking about). The elevevation reference is difference. I'm looking at 11k and above primarily, in CO. They will stay there until pressure or weather moves them. The larger bucks will stay higher longer and only come down when forced to by weather or pressure or when the rut is imminent.

If I have a buck tag and I'm elk hunting through timber, I'll run in to random bucks and normally fill the tag. But I prefer watching them go in to a small stand of timber up high, or a bush, getting with shooting range and waiting.

The rut in CO isn't really in full swing until after 2nd season. That's not to say you'll see bucks starting to follow groups of does around starting in late Oct.

Knowing the area you are going to hunt is valuable. If you know the area, then you can predict with much better accuracy what the bigger bucks will do.

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