Penn State Deer-Forest Study

This and other questions were discussed by Duane and Brian Grossman on the Deer Season 365 Podcast hosted by the National Deer Association. This podcast was fun for me because we went back in time to talk about some previous research and observations that The Deer-Forest Study has been able to shed some light on the why and how of certain phenomena.

You can subscribe to the podcast on many of the popular hosting services (Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Stitcher) or click this link for this specific episode.

-Duane Diefenbach

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3 comments on “Why is there an October Lull?”

Half empty; half full. I gaze upon the moon this glorious July 6th night as I ponder the postulate: October Lull. My background in Wildlife, perhaps interpreted as a woke- organismal life external to domestication. scientist who studies life… Leads me to a abysmal conclusion based upon mere extrapolation- based upon hours of biased data collection through visual, olfactory and other non-correlatable data collecting resources, I PERCEIVE, (1st step in negating another’s data).. that I have observed.. (no corollary) no backing with Et al. Et al.. that there is..An October Lull.
I had a thankless position of starting and founding a branch of the quality deer management association in the godless land of Southern New York Sullivan and Orange counties. My training in wildlife Management never prepared me for what I had to face in public judgment. You must realize that I am torn between a simple man that is an archer/hunter of deer., And that of a trained person of the wildlife sciences. I am not a doubter of data collection, I am merely a person who perceives the woods through experience. I know that you and Janine have said that there is no October lull. You have backed this up with beautiful GPS data laden home range estimates and tracks that show deer movement season after season., I step away from this and look at it from an Archer’s standpoint.

Gregg Taylor says:

July 6, 2022 at 9:12 pm

I started bow hunting many many moons ago, back in the days when New York State opened their archery season on October 15th. An ambiguous date that somehow must have affected the breeding success of all of the whitetail deer. Regardless I have hunted them then and I hunt now. I have seen breeding behavior outside the limits of all the norms. I have heard from environmental conservation police and biologists about the fawns that are born outside the curve.(Anecdotal) The ones that don’t make sense, according to the extrapolated rut dates. I have always been a person that believed – based upon observation that there is a very very small part of the doe population that comes into heat “early” based upon peak physical condition and the abundance of available nutrients. (fetal measurements from roadkill does-unborn fetuses deducing conception.dates).. I digress.
I see fewer deer per hour spent in variable stand sites – I don’t reuse the same location within 10 days of initial sit.
Activated Carbon plus a freakishly long routine in scent control (J.Eberhart et Al, 1985-2022) during the “October Lull” @ October 15th and days prior and after.
I suppose that I am not going to jump on the grant – bandwagon. I must merely be a tag holder that has a thorn in his side. No. Just an insatiable predator that needs to understand it all.
You -Keep up the good work and keep a guy thinking fireside about the quarry that he contemplates in dim light. May we never lose the love, deer best haunt us.

Probably the pattern that is changing at that time causes this. Movement is still present but not as much as when they first cycle in October, I would think (I am sure the studies might prove me wrong). Combine that with changing food sources and roaming males harassing doe could possibly throw the pattern we are use to off causing the perception of low movement. Probably still moving just not in the area you are located, especially if you have some young bucks harassing the doe.

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