It is time to find your favorite treestand, because this weekend will bring you some of the best early season hunting conditions for mature bucks, that you can find!
You certainly don't want to miss the incredible opportunity that you have this weekend, but at the same time these are the same conditions that you should be using to predict your hunts from now through the end of the rut. The great thing about these early season conditions is that if you learn why this weekend is prime time, you are all set to plan the entire month of October, as well as the rut.
*If you like reading about mature buck hunting strategies, make sure that you check out my 1st book, "Whitetail Success By Design".
Check out both the setup and the variables, that will be contributing to a lot of mature bucks hitting the ground this weekend!
*Although these are the conditions for the forecast in my personal SW WI location, this will be a similar forecast for much of the Upper Midwest, as the front moves Easterly. For a more complete guide for my weather prediction tactics, check out "Cold Front Hunting Strategies".
The Best Early Season Hunting Conditions Possible!
Incredible cold front hunting conditions follow the same pattern, including: Set up, Drop and Calm. It doesn't matter if you are on an early season hunting trip, taking a stand for an October Lull giant or a sitting all day for a Peak Rut monster, here are the conditions to look for:
The Set Up
Without the actual set up for the best days to be in the woods, there would not actually be any best day to predict.
Warm weather, stormy weather, and any set of consistently poor conditions all serve to set up an incredible day to be in the woods. The longer the set up, the better. In the above forecast 4 straight days in the 80s, followed by heavy rain and storms during the day of the temperature drop; equals 5 straight days of a high powered set up!
The Drop
Folks, it doesn't matter if it is September, October or November; a 19 degree total temperature drop is about as good as it gets!
Although I really start to take notice of at least a 5 degree temp drop, I prefer 10 degrees or more. But 19 degrees? I make sure that I am sitting in a treestand on the first calm and cold day after the cold front, if humanly possible!
*During the temp drop the winds can reach extreme conditions; should you hunt in the wind or not? Check out these windy weather strategies by reading "How To Hunt Whitetails In The Wind".
The Calm
The first high pressure cool and clear day that you can recognize following the front, make sure to hit the woods!
In my own personal forecast, I will spend a long morning and evening treestand sit on Saturday, September 19th. The 19th is about the closest thing to a can't miss early season hunting opportunity, that you will ever find! With high pressure and cool winds ushering out the poor days of the set up conditions, it will be a day that many giants will sure fall.
Conclusion
By learning to apply these proven cold front techniques to your early season hunting efforts, you will be well prepared for the big buck periods of the entire whitetail rut! But most importantly, make sure that you do not miss out on the immediate conditions that you have before you, that will greatly increase your odds for a reclusive early season monarch.