Early October Hunting Strategies
Early October Hunting Strategies
It is October and what is not to love? The temperature is right, the sky has an extra tone of blue that we all know indicates the changing of the season, and deer season has now officially kicked off! All in all, things are good.
A lot of ink has been spilled on the topic of early season deer hunting tips and tactics. Ideas from hunting evenings only, focusing on food, and chasing cold fronts normally dominate the airways of early season deer hunting advice. While that advice should not be taken lightly, I believe there are some other notions to take heed of as you get into the throes of what could be a quick (with some early success) or a rigorous 2025 deer season.
Don’t Give Up on the Mornings
Assuming that you are a frequent reader of this publication then there is no doubt that you are attacking the early season with an arsenal of information that you have gleaned over the summer. Likely, your preseason scouting has been done, targets have been acquired and a plan has been put together to approach this season with great lethality.
With all of this information in hand I would implore you to consider hunting these targets with the plan that you have made. Why on Earth would you spend all the time and resources to hunt to cut your hunting time in half by only taking advantage of evening sits? Granted, I understand the philosophy and idea behind hunting evenings only during the early season as not wanting to spook things early while they are on feed to bedding patterns. There is great wisdom there. However, I would say make strategic advances on certain early mornings.
The strategy that you would utilize should look like this: check the temperature, check the wind and check the entry and exit strategy.
Scenario: you have done the work and realize that a really nice buck is utilizing a certain food source and is likely coming back to bed from a certain direction in the mornings.
My strategy in this scenario would be the exact strategy that I used during the 2022 archery season. I had identified that a really great buck was using either a standing bean field to the south or a CRP field to the East to do his evening duties. For several days before the opening day I had watched this buck enter and exit the timber on several occasions from a very similar spot. That led me to hypothesize that he would likely be returning to that particular location to go back to his bed in the morning.
With that information in mind, and before ever hunting or even hanging a stand, I evaluated my entry and exit strategy. This scenario can only be played out if there is incredible access. I determined that between the topography and the standing crops, along with a thick fence line, I could make a very clean entry to the top of a hillside without being detected. Once positioned on the top of the hill I would be able to see the wily buck’s approach from either East or Southeast.
Hunt The Wind
The next thing one would need to keep in mind would be wind direction. Most know to hunt with the wind in such a way that would keep it from wafting in the direction of the assumed approach of the buck. However, assume you miss the mark of where the buck would cross your path. You would also want to consider the direction where you project he will go.
In my above stated scenario, without ever stepping foot on the hunting ground, I had established an entry strategy and determined that for this particular morning scenario that only a wind from the North would work. If either of these two things would be compromised then the hunt just would not work! The great thing about this was it only took a couple of minutes from utilizing online maps to make these summaries.
Pay Attention to Cold Fronts
The last thing I needed was the weather: a cold front. Cold fronts in October and November/December can look wildly different. When I look for a cold front in the early part of October I do not look for driving snows and gusty northerly winds so much as a 10-15 degree drop in normal temperatures from the last three plus days. For Instance, if high and low temperatures have been in the 75/60 range and there is a predicted drop to the 65/50 range then I would consider that a significant October temperature drop.
It has been my experience that deer will tend to linger in their evening activities and come back to bed just a bit later than normal on those first days of those cool snaps. With their tardiness two things are provided: cleaner entry for the hunter without fear of spooking early returning deer and daylight opportunities for bucks who would likely already be back to bed in the cover of darkness otherwise.
That was exactly what I got during the early season of 2022: a cold front. To boot, with the cold front came the northerly wind that I needed to hunt my target buck for 2022. Therefore, with a plan in place, I took to the field via the route that had already been predetermined. Under the cover of darkness I slipped into the stand and within 15 minutes of the first moments of daylight my target buck appeared. While I did not arrow that deer on that day due to a poorly trimmed shooting lane (shame on me) I did learn that morning sits could work in the early season. For the curious minds, I ended up harvesting that buck during the second gun season of that very year utilizing a late season strategy of getting into areas where other hunters are overlooking.
Take Care to Not Overdo It
We’ve waited all year for this: open season. The temptation to jump right in and begin hunting daily can be overwhelming. Although we have established that hunting strategic mornings is fruitful we still need to work smarter and not harder during this season. I would dare say, though, that showing just a touch of patience and reserve can be far more beneficial than diving right in at every evening convenience. Until the 25th of the month or so I would recommend being very mindful of shifting weather fronts.
I have had wonderful luck hunting the first North wind after a several days period of southerly winds and visa versa. 2019 was a perfect example of this. I knew of the whereabouts of a big buck. Trail cameras indicated that he was entering a field 30 minutes to an hour after the cover of darkness in the evenings. As bad as I wanted to hunt him I waited until we had a shift in the wind. This was a scenario where hunting with a North wind would hurt the hunt so patience persevered and I waited until a cold front was leaving. Believe it or not, it worked. The change in the wind from North to South got that buck out of his bed early on October 14 and I was able to slide an arrow into him.
I suppose the moral of the story within the first two points of this article is to exercise patience and work your strategy.
Don’t Hunt a Buck That Isn’t There
I cannot begin to tell you how often I have gotten so excited over a buck that I have frequent summer trail camera pictures of only to be disappointed near the end of September when I can only assume he is no longer using the farm. In my early years of hunting these big Iowa bucks I would find myself holding steadfast to the notion that the bruiser I had on my heart in July would come waltzing by my stand in October. While that is the case in some instances I have found that it often can be less than reality.
Bucks will disperse from their Summering grounds to their Fall ranges about the time they lose their velvet. Sometimes, those ranges overlap and you can have a homebody of a buck. Other times, they can vary greatly. It has been noted that a buck might come back during the rut to explore his Summer range but I would not always count on a Houdini buck appearing during October if he has disappeared. Therefore, hunt what you have or find somewhere else to hunt.
Stay Sharp
Shoot your bow. My friend Josh Sparks made a comment this past summer during one of the weekly reports from the show Midwest Whitetail that goes something like this: “Why on Earth would we spend all of the time and effort to kill a big buck only to neglect the one thing that actually causes the act of death?” (paraphrase)
He’s right. I cannot emphasize continually staying sharp with your hunting equipment. Often times a hunter will be zealous in practicing with archery tackle during the late summer and get themselves very proficient. However, I can say from experience that I have not always been the best at maintaining that efficiency. When season hits it can be easy to jump in the truck and take off with tackle in hand at the very instant that you have a free moment.
We owe it to the animal, though, to be deadly with our weapon. Good enough is not good enough when it comes to taking the life of an animal. There is always room for improvement. Likewise, as seasons change our gear changes. I encourage the proficient hunter to practice in the clothing that they will likely be wearing at the time of the shot on an animal. Work out any maladies that might interfere with a lethal shot. Strive for great instead of good enough when it comes to marksmanship.
Early Muzzleloader Season for the Win
A last note that I have on the early deer season in Iowa has nothing to do with archery gear although that is where my mind instantly wanders at the notion. My friend Kent Boucher has made himself quite adept at hunting the very unique early muzzleloader season here in Iowa and has made me a believer. I have taken note (while archery hunting of course) of the opportunities at mature bucks that I could have taken advantage of by using a muzzleloader over archery tackle over the years and am quite surprised. Sure, it can be very difficult if the weather is crummy. However, it can be magical if things align well for you.
One thing to consider when identifying whether or not to hunt the early muzzleloader season is what your late season prospects look like. I have found myself needing to travel for the Christmas holidays into the New Year for the past several years so it would have been logical to take advantage of the early season. It is an often underutilized season in our state that I believe can pay huge dividends to the wily hunter.
There you have it. While we might not have your typical early season strategy essay I can assure you that all of the topics discussed above have been utilized personally for success. While every instance might not work every time there are some ideas to employ that maybe were less thought of or caused intimidation to try. Here’s the thing: try new stuff. Hunting is just that; trying to outsmart a critter. Take what you already know, mix it in with a little advice here and there and watch how things unfold.
Happy Early Season! Let’s rejoice because it’s deer season in Iowa!
By Noel Gandy
October 2025
Check out these early season whitetail ideas that could help you out.
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