Written by HLRBO| 10/18/2022
Fall hunting season is finally here — or almost here, depending on where you plan to hunt and what species. Most hunters look forward to the fall season all year round as it provides fresh air, beautiful landscapes, and some of the most bountiful harvests of the year. If you’re looking to take advantage of the fall hunting season, you’re in the right place. In this post, we’ll go over everything you need to know about fall hunting.
Fall Hunting Basics: The Animals
Fall hunting brings with it a variety of different species to hunt. Some of the most popular include:
Big Game: Whitetail deer, mule deer, elks, antelopes, turkeys, caribous, and moose.
Small Game: Rabbits, squirrels, and raccoons.
Game Birds: Grouse, quails, doves, and pheasants.
Waterfowl: Duck, geese, and swan.
Predators: Bears, mountain lions, coyotes, wolves, and bobcats.
Now we’ll take a deeper look into these hunting categories and what it takes for a successful hunt:
Big Game and Predators
Most hunters long to pursue some type of big game every fall. Deer and elk are the most popular species that hunters are eager to bag.
You can expect deer season to open anywhere between August and October, depending on location. The very beginning of deer season is prime for archery hunters looking to take advantage of the longer days before the sun starts setting early, mild weather conditions, and beautiful changing fall foliage.
Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho are among the most popular states for large game elk hunting. Although elk are a popular fall hunting species, deer reign king of the fall hunting landscape. You have your choice between a wide variety of deer, including mule deer (popular in Colorado, Utah, and Arizona) and whitetail deer (popular in Kansas, Nebraska, Illinois, and Canada).
A pro tip for your fall deer hunts is to set up multiple stands to beat the wind. One downfall of fall hunting, especially as the season progresses, is strong winds. You can counter this by being prepared with multiple stands. That way, if the wind starts blowing, you can quickly move stands so that you’re sitting downwind from where you’re expecting the deer to appear. Check out a few more expert fall deer hunting tips before you head to the stand:
Be sure to get rid of your smell. Deer rely heavily on scent, and you must use odor-blocking and odor-natural soaps and detergents that are designed for hunting deer. Otherwise, you risk them smelling you and hiding out.
Be quiet. Try to make as little noise as possible during your deer hunt. Park far enough away from where you’ll be hunting and tread lightly. It’s also important to change the pace of your steps as you walk, so you don’t sound too much like a human.
Hunt prepared: Arrive prepared for your hunt by ensuring you’ve taken all necessary safety courses, grabbed your license and tags, and have checked the weather. Here’s what you should bring with you on your deer hunt:
Camo and/or orange safety vest
Hunting weapon
Food and water
Cell phone
All-weather gear
Map
Flashlight
First Aid kit
Scents
Calls
Scope out the land: If you’re hunting a new piece of land, try to visit it a few days before the hunt so you can get an idea of the landscape and where you’d like to put your stands. If you are unable to do so in person, at least try to view satellite images online.
Positioning your stand: Where to place your stand(s) is a very important choice that can make or break your hunt. Consider ridges that give you a good view, corners of fields where deer typically enter, and intersections of bed-to-feed paths. If you’re going to be bowhunting, put your stand between 12-20 years from where you expect to see the deer.
Small Game and Birds
Novice hunters may prefer to get a feel for the sport with small game and bird hunting — a great choice because these species are considered easier to get started with, and there are likely more opportunities to hunt these animals because they are more widespread than large elks and deer.
Here are some pro tips to keep in mind before your next turkey hunt:
Scout fall turkeys: Before you start shooting, take some time to observe the turkeys and note exactly which trees they fly into and where they were standing on the ground before they flew up. Turkeys are creatures of habit and getting to know their habits will help you predict their behavior and increase your odds of a successful hunt.
Rise and shine: Set your alarm at least 30 minutes ahead of time to give yourself enough time to slip in super close to the roost. It’s critically important that it’s as dark as possible when you do this, so those extra 30 minutes are key. Take your time, move slowly, and be as quiet as possible.
Set up on the roost: Try to set up within gun range of the spot you saw the birds fly up. If that’s not possible, get as close as you can without bumping the roosted birds. Pro tip: do this while it’s still dark and crawl the last 10-20 yards, and you should be able to get within 50 yards of the roost!
Keep quiet: Being quiet is a cardinal rule in hunting, and fall turkey hunting is no different. The goal is to not use your turkey call until absolutely necessary. Stay as quiet as possible until the first few turkeys fly down, and you may find you won’t have to call them at all if they fly in your direction.
Call in the turkeys: If all the turkeys fly down out of gun range, it’s time to use your turkey call. Start with clucks and soft yelps. If that doesn’t bring the turkeys closer to you, escalate to kee-kee runs and yelps.
Sit still and wait: Now it’s time to wait again! Turkeys aren’t exactly in a big rush in the morning, and most tend to loiter around the roost. If this is happening, you’ll need to stay patient and call immediately. If the call causes them to fly right to you, don’t rush to shoot because watching the turkeys pitch down and assemble is a beautiful sight! Once you’ve taken in the quintessential sights and sounds of a fall turkey hunt, feel free to pull that trigger.
HLRBO Can Help
Now that you’ve got a good idea about what it takes to succeed this fall hunting season, you need a place to hunt! Lucky for you, HLRBO has thousands of hunting lease options available around the country. Browse them by state here. HLRBO provides the flexibility for land owners and businesses to set their pricing and availability based on a traditional year lease, a monthly rental, weekly rental, daily rental, and even by hunting season. This makes it easier than ever for hunters to find the hunting opportunity they are searching for while giving landowners and businesses the flexibility they desire. Contact us today to learn more and get started now.