Well everyone, I'm looking for a little advice.. My season has progressively gotten worse over the past few weeks. First off I should explain that this is a new property my family got back in january..Its a small parcel with a pond, field and ridge that gets real thick in some places. I scouted all spring and summer and it paid off in early season with a lot of great hunts. This is my first year going at it with a bow, and I was fortunate enough to take a doe in October, but lately deer sightings have been WAY down. Since gun season opened up I've seen 3 deer, out of 9 hunts.
During early archery I was seeing deer almost every sit, sometimes 8 or 9 a sit, the rut gave me some good action, but I passed on a fork at 10 yards (which Im regretting now, would of been good 1st bow buck)... In the past Ive only shotgun hunted, so its a whole new ball game that I'm learning as far as late archery season goes, but I love to hunt with my bow so I'll continue to be out throughout December and the beginning of January. I finally have a piece of ground to call my own, so I can not give up.. I know it could be even harder but I have some questions..
-After a lot of pressure from gun season, do deer eventually go back to old travel routes?
-could they be on other food sources?..There is a lot of cut corn in the area (but im still hearing gunshots from the same ridge, across, and about 1/2 mile down)
-basically any late season tips/advice you guys could give me would be great. I really appreciate it
-Adam Bowman
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Jeremiah Johnson made his way into the mountains. Bettin' on forgettin', all the trouble that he knew.
It's tough, no 2 ways about it...if you have the drive then carry on my friend, you just never know when it will happen...if you can find out what they are eating go to it and if you can find out what a particular buck wants to eat and where he is eating, it's golden... but, that's the tough part, pressured bucks tend to move after hrs if ya know what I mean..
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The ability to get close to game remains the essence of all bowhunting today.
Well everyone, I'm looking for a little advice.. My season has progressively gotten worse over the past few weeks. First off I should explain that this is a new property my family got back in january..Its a small parcel with a pond, field and ridge that gets real thick in some places. I scouted all spring and summer and it paid off in early season with a lot of great hunts. This is my first year going at it with a bow, and I was fortunate enough to take a doe in October, but lately deer sightings have been WAY down. Since gun season opened up I've seen 3 deer, out of 9 hunts.
During early archery I was seeing deer almost every sit, sometimes 8 or 9 a sit, the rut gave me some good action, but I passed on a fork at 10 yards (which Im regretting now, would of been good 1st bow buck)... In the past Ive only shotgun hunted, so its a whole new ball game that I'm learning as far as late archery season goes, but I love to hunt with my bow so I'll continue to be out throughout December and the beginning of January. I finally have a piece of ground to call my own, so I can not give up.. I know it could be even harder but I have some questions..
-After a lot of pressure from gun season, do deer eventually go back to old travel routes?
-could they be on other food sources?..There is a lot of cut corn in the area (but im still hearing gunshots from the same ridge, across, and about 1/2 mile down)
-basically any late season tips/advice you guys could give me would be great. I really appreciate it
-Adam Bowman
The late season is not here yet and you should not assume that rutting action is over either. I love hunting around thanksgiving as this is the time of the year that many of the dominate bucks will go searching for the last remaining estrus doe's. So, my advice is to get out on some good transition zones either between different bedding areas or one that leads to a feeding area.
When rutting action ceases you will want to focus soley on food sources.
I know that it is not late season.. Im looking for advice in advance, like for mid december and january.. I have been setting up in between bedding areas with minimal sightings lately. My property is a mile or more from the closest food source (cut corn), so I'm out of luck there. I guess I will continue to try transition zones.
Vabowman and cooter- thanks
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Jeremiah Johnson made his way into the mountains. Bettin' on forgettin', all the trouble that he knew.
I know that it is not late season.. Im looking for advice in advance, like for mid december and january.. I have been setting up in between bedding areas with minimal sightings lately. My property is a mile or more from the closest food source (cut corn), so I'm out of luck there. I guess I will continue to try transition zones.
Vabowman and cooter- thanks
This has been a slowrut for me too so far but I am just going to continue what I have been doing. All it takes is one buck to turn a slow season into a great one.
The closest food source is a mile or more away......
Hot food source's for mid December and January if found in abundance, honeysuckle, ivy vines, ferns, maple, pine, sassafrassapling's, sumac, saw-brier, check red oak's and pin oak's for left overs. Some persimmon and crab apple drop verylate. Strawberry bush are common and like ice cream to deer. There are many more late season food source's I haven't named. GOOD LUCK.
I'm already looking at food sources again, even though the rut is just winding down. Some of the does have segregated themselves and are bunching up again. I'll set up on food where I find the does. There's a good chance the bucks will be making a few more rounds looking, you just have to be there.
Best of luck.
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Official Measurer of the Boone and Crockett Club
Late season advice..please
