Send us Fan Mail

https://a.co/d/0iEbgSXd

A blacktail season can feel random until you start stacking the odds. We’re Aaron and Dave, and this week’s Five Factors Weather Report for October 19 through 26 focuses on what actually moves deer: meaningful temperature changes, light rain that creates short feeding windows, and a barometric pressure jump that can flip the switch from bedded down to on their feet. If you’re heading into Washington modern firearm season, or you’re already grinding in Oregon or California general season, we lay out where the best opportunities are shaping up and why morning hunts deserve extra attention this week.

We also get into the rut without the hype. Bucks are not fully in the heart of it yet, but the sparring, pushing, and inventory-taking is happening, and that changes how we call and rattle. We break down timing and intensity for rattling sequences, then clear up one of the biggest misunderstandings in deer hunting: estrus is not the same as standing estrus. That 72-hour window is the reason bucks throw caution to the wind, lock down does, and show up where you can finally kill them.

Then we talk scent strategy as a complete story. Bedding pheromone to signal safety, dominant buck urine to trigger competition, doe estrus to suggest the right time of year, and why we generally wait until late October to bring in standing estrus. We answer a listener question about whether a daylighting buck will “lose interest” if you can’t hunt for a few days, and we share practical tips for using drippers correctly so the illusion keeps working while you’re gone.

If this helps you plan your sits, share it with a hunting buddy, subscribe so you don’t miss next week’s update, and leave us a review so more blacktail hunters can find the show.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

The calendar says mid-October, but the woods say “things are starting to happen.” We lay out our five-factor weather report for October 12 through 18 and explain how we’d hunt it across blacktail country in Washington, Oregon, and California. If you’re trying to turn random sits into a real strategy, this is the kind of weekly forecast that helps you choose days with higher odds of deer movement, not just nicer weather.

We talk through the red moon timing and why afternoon and early evening movement can line up especially well this week, then bring it back to the simplest location truth we know: blacktail love edges. Field edges, swamp edges, clearcut edges, and the transition zones between bedding and feeding are where movement becomes predictable. We also flag the week’s weather fronts and get blunt about rain. A steady drizzle can shut things down, while the best action often pops right after the rain stops, even if the break is short.

From there we dig into temperature windows, layering for long sits, and why barometric pressure trends matter so much. When pressure rises after a front, we’re paying attention. We also answer listener questions on what calls we like (including fawn in distress, doe bleats, and grunt calls), how to time synthetic scents through Washington modern season, and what it means when your trail cameras show does and young bucks but not the mature buck you’re hoping for. We wrap with a trail-cam story about finding a buck’s core area and why it can feel like cheating when you finally get it right.

If this helped you think clearer about your next sit, subscribe, share it with a hunting buddy, and leave a quick review so more blacktail hunters can find the show.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Get The Deliberate Pursuit of Trophy Blacktail by Dave Riley

https://a.co/d/08y7xFCr

You can feel it in early October: bucks are getting ruddy, does are syncing cycles, and blacktail are sliding out of summer patterns into thicker, safer cover. That’s exactly when most hunters start second-guessing their sits. We don’t guess. We build a weekly plan using the Five Factors that drive deer movement in the Pacific Northwest: rut phase, moon timing, temperature drops, barometric pressure, and weather fronts.

We also get practical about what to do on stand right now. After comparing notes with trusted voices like Tom Ryle and trail camera expert John Nicholson, we break down a simple, repeatable pre-rut calling approach. The big theme is curiosity over aggression: let the woods settle for 30 to 45 minutes, mix soft doe bleats with light antler tinkling, and give a buck time to commit. We also talk fawn distress calling, why it works even when you make mistakes, and why you should be ready for unexpected visitors like bears.

Then we answer a question every busy hunter feels in their bones: if you only have 6 to 10 total days for Oregon general season, where do you start? We share a high-percentage strategy built around bedding proximity when you’ve scouted, and edge-focused run-and-gun tactics when you haven’t. Finally, we shift into tree stands and saddle hunting, covering stand height, shot angle, scent control tools like nose jammer and Ozonics, and the underrated rule that what’s behind you matters more than what’s in front of you.

Subscribe for the weekly Five Factors forecast, share this with a hunting buddy, and leave a review that tells us what topic you want next. What’s your biggest challenge right now: finding bedding, calling confidence, or picking the right day to hunt?

Tom Ryle: www.pnwbowhunting.com

Support the show