What days or week to take off?

[maros91]

What days or week are you taking off to hunt the rut? I have the three days off prior to firearms opener. What days are you guys taking off?

[HunterLee]

Off the Oct 22- Nov 12. But if I only had 3 days it would be Tues-Thurs before rifle, Monday you just got done with rifle hunters messing around and Friday everyone seems to be messing around in the woods to get ready, or driving around looking.

Also the bucks I have shot all seem to come on Wed or Thurs before rifle, not sure why, just the way it has went.

[Lunker]

My days off are OCT 24th-NOV 25th

But with more restrictive dates I would say last few days of Oct through first week in November November. That should cover some good cruising and chasing.

[MattL]

I took off work Nov 4-7. Depending on how things unfold with the rut and work, I will likely try to take the last couple Fridays off in Nov also.

[frogtosser]

I'm in the woods all day Nov 1st-3rd

[minky]

Oct. 31st has always been good to me.

[nbadger23]

It's so hard to determine how to plan that. I have seen years where Halloween to Nov 5 is hot and then the next year I don't see any action until a week later. With a year like this, with gun opener later than normal I would agree with what Hunter Lee said. I am playing it by ear as far as weather and conditions around my area but that type of planning rarely works out. The best buck on my wall is from a morning hunt on Nov 12 where I had worn myself out the previous 14 days and simply went to the closest stand possible that morning out of sheer exhaustion. Simply getting myself into a stand made that hunt successful so the only advice I have is to hunt as hard and as much as you can from late October on. Good luck.

[BLACKJACK]

I think anytime you can be in the stand between Halloween and Thanksgiving is good. Twice I've seen bucks chasing does on Turkey day, one was one of the biggest ones I've ever saw, I still regret not going after him, he had a doe corraled in some CRP - but I had a turkey to cook

In the past when we had the 2 day and 4 day gun season I always thought the week in-between was good but now it seems like the added gun pressure does affect buck movement.

This year I'll be off Oct. 30-31, Nov. 6-7, with more Fridays thrown in if necessary.