RE: late season good or bad
Late season is a great time to hunt. I'm a bit north of you but it should be pretty much the same only warmer where you are. The toughest thing about late season in Maine is staying warm enough that you can still draw your bow when the deer arrive.
I tip for hunting the second esterous. Use you fawn bleat to call bucks. The "second rut" is primarily made up of does that wern't breed durring the rut and yearlings that are just comming into esterous for the first time. The fawn bleat can be a lethal weapon for those bucks that are crusing looking for the last few deer to breed for the year. Give it a try and good luck.