Don't worry. I'm not going to tell you that the deer hunting on Halloween is going to be scary-good. And I won't say one word about ghost bucks appearing or monsters lurking. But it does seem to me a little spooky (sorry) how consistently productive the last day of October tends to be when it comes to tagging whitetail bucks.
I took my first bow buck on Halloween. He strode out into the hay field in front of me, well before daylight, spotted my buck decoy, marched in on a line, puffed up, lowered his headgear, and rammed the thing—sending plastic legs and ears and antlers flying. While he stared at the wreckage, I somehow managed to stop my knees knocking long enough to put an arrow through him.
That encounter actually says a lot about why we picked this Friday as one of the Best Days of the 2025 Whitetail Rut—and about what you can expect to see lurking and prowling in the deer woods this Halloween.
Related: The Best Days of the 2025 Whitetail Rut
Rut Phase: Early Seeking
During the past week or so, bucks in most of whitetail range have been busy with a flurry of sign-making, sorting out who's boss, and some largely preliminary doe-badgering. But as October comes to a close, there's a much better chance that a handful of does has now come into estrous. And that should kick bucks into a new gear.
They'll still be working rubs and checking scrapes within their core areas, but now, instead of the precursory, half-hearted nosing of does, expect to see bucks starting to seek mates in earnest. They'll spend a little less time putting down sign and a little more time swinging past doe bedding areas in the morning and checking does in evening feeding areas. This is a great time to be in the woods. Bucks know the main event is close and are actively responding to the sights, sounds, and smells of other deer. This makes them vulnerable to the whole bag of tricks, from rattling and calling to decoying and drag rags.
October 31 Morning Hunt Plan: Try a One-Two Punch
Where to hunt on Halloween morning should depend somewhat on what you're observing. Rut timing isn't the same everywhere, of course, and I've gotten reports of some unusually early full-blown rut activity, with mature bucks already chasing does and banging heads with bad intent. So, if you are seeing lots of daytime buck cruising, it may not be too early to stake out a doe bedding area in the morning.
Generally speaking, though, the best bet right now is a transition area between a major food source that's attracting does and a known thick-cover buck bedding area where you've seen plenty of fresh sign. Even if a buck is swinging through doe bedding areas early in the a.m., it's still apt to wind up in a core area lair before the morning is out. The first blow in this one-two-punch hunt is to get in early and run a drag rag upwind of your stand and then hang the scent rag in your best shooting lane. The second, once you are in your stand or blind and hunting, is to make some noise.
Up to this point, blind calling and rattling is pretty hit or miss. But bucks have reached a point now where they are fired up and eager to respond to any opening or provocation. The sound of other bucks fighting stands a good chance of pulling your target buck—or other bucks—in to investigate, and the scent of a hot doe can put him right in bow range.
October 31 Evening Hunt Plan: Stake a Fake in the Feed
That first buck I arrowed over a decoy was not the last, and while it hasn't always been Halloween when I've watched bristled-up bucks circle my fake, it has usually been late October. This is the perfect time to try this tactic, for a couple reasons. First, bucks are hitting doe feeding areas in the evenings now to badger potential mates, most of which are not ready to breed. And if a buck hyped up on testosterone can't get what he really wants, he'll often settle for a fight.
Second, when you have multiple deer entering a certain part of a field, or congregating in one general area, which is ofen the case, setting up in the thick of them is risky. You've got multiple sets of eyes and ears, ready to bust you if the wind so much as swirls or if you reach too fast to scratch an itch. Now, to be clear, if you have the perfect setup that allows you to sit on the X and get in and out undetected, great. Go for it. But as often as not, the better play is to back off a bit.
Set up on the edge of the field where the conditions are perfect for you—and lure your buck in with a decoy. You want a steady wind that blows out of the field and where you can easily slip out undetected if your ruse doesn't work. Unless you're targeting a real giant, your best bet is a subdominant buck decoy. Face it roughly in the direction you expect a buck to show, so that it seems to exude a challenging stare.
Although lots of bowhunters will stake a decoy 15 or so yards away, for an easy chip shot, I usually put mine more like 25. Why? Because while bucks will occasionally approach a decoy head-on, much more often they'll circle downwind first and approach from behind. If you put a decoy too close, you often won't have a shot your buck approaches, because he'll end up right under your stand. Staking the fake out a little farther puts a circling buck between you and decoy, where you'll usually get a better shot. And if he does come in head on, without circling, 25 yards is still a pretty easy shot.
Read Next: 50 Expert Tips for Hunting the Whitetail Rut
Hot Tip: Try Snort-Wheezing to Seal the Deal
If a buck sees your decoy but doesn't seem interested, up the ante with some snort-wheezing. The last buck I killed with a decoy, just a couple seasons ago, didn't come in until I'd snort-wheezed at him at least a dozen times. He looked over at my decoy with each call, then went back to feeding. But eventually, he couldn't take it any more; he looked up one last time, then closed the 200 yards or so between us, and circled my fake before I shot him.
A snort-wheeze can startle a buck at close range in the woods, but when a buck is a ways away in an open field or plot, the worst reaction bucks are apt have is to ignore it—and the best is that they'll march right in looking a fight. And you'll get a treat for Halloween before you and the kiddos even hit the neighborhood.
