In the Red Zone!

OK, ok, so it's been awhile since I posted... I was busy hanging tree stands and feverishly wrapping up some last minute scouting! And it's a good thing too, because we are in the Red Zone for Iowa's Archery Season for Deer which begins October 1st!

The forecast for the first day of  bow season is a perfect one for chasing big deer. A large area of Canadian high pressure will be moving in overhead and that will create wonderful hunting conditions with lows in the upper 30s and lower 40s and highs in the 60s and 70s. Did I mention light winds? This will be the 4th major cool high pressure system to charge the Midwest in as many weeks, and it has the deer on their hooves. I noticed a pretty substantial spike in buck movement on several of these cool morning's and it helps that we've had the moon on the rise in the morning. For whatever reason, it seems the moon is a beacon for good animal activity under my tree stands. But that's the celestial and I'm just a weather nerd, so back to the meteorological!

High pressure really stirs up activity among deer, especially in the early season! It is a harbinger of the winter months and causes an instinctual reaction to browse for more food. Also, each cold surge is sparking more and more pre-rut behavior. You can see it too if you take a quick walk around the woods. I have found several fresh scrapes and even my first rub just one week into September. Pictured above is a dominant 3 1/2 year old buck showing a handsome 2 1/2 year old deer who's boss. Notice the date, temperature and moon phase. It's the middle of September on a cool crisp high pressure night and the moon is big at waxing gibbous. These factors and the repeated surges of cool fall air have got the game on the move, and you should be too. We're less than a week away from season, and the start is looking great!