I know it's late in the season. I know it's gun season. I know the deer I hunt....that are usually "lightly" pressured....are receiving more and more, now.

My hunting area looks like this.




Along the road on the top of the aerial......I hunt from the road to about 400-500yds in. About now....with leaf drop....the woods are VERY "open". What used to be great travel routes.....are seeing WAY fewer (almost NONE) deer, now.

Do you think the absence of leaves on the trees.....and the hish visibility in these areas....is pushing the deer to take less visible travel routes?

Also....I've NEVER known what their late season food source is. No crops still in the fields......mast crops have been picked over pretty good. WHAT could they be feeding on?

Jeff buddy whats the question?


EDIT:OOPS see it now

Yes and with gun hunters around you already applying pressure probably hitting thickest stuff they can find.
Are you allowed to hunt down by that creek (Way South)? If so put your stand up with your backagainst it..

Yes, I have found that hunting the thickest nastiest cover you can findbetween food sources and bedding areas to be very productive during the late season. I'm talking stuff that is difficult to even navigate through. Late season pressured deer will seek out the thickest cover they can find to travel through.

If this is the case......they're safe from me. I can't go where they "are". Wouldn't it still stand to reason that they'd have to come out of those areas to feed? That's my only hope ANY time of the year....as I don't have access to them in their bedding areas.

Still running that feeder?? [:-]

Fill that sucker up with Buzz corn. Wait for a nice weather front to move in or out. Pop the Double Bull up about 10 yards away take the long bowand have some fun.

Yes they do need to come out to feed. Do you have access to any late season food source, such a corn, beans or winter wheat? However, if there isn't any thick cover around your food source you still may be hard up to find any deer.

My bet is on night time activity for feeding with the pressure around. I have the same thing at my moms 59 acres. Do not see the deer but when you wake up the next morning you see the tracks everywhere (We have 5 inches of snow). They are bedding in some thick stuff right over the ridge from her that is private and nobody hunting it.

My feeder was stolen a few months ago....along with a stand I had set up about 200yds from it. I feed them 12 mos. a year.....or, at least, I did. I haven't hunted near the thing in a long time (two seasons)....but I still liked being able to feed them. If I knew of a feeder system that was pretty much theft-proof.....I'd buy it.

You can see the feeder out past my mineral lick......The OLD feeder...lol[:@]

What kind of mineral are you using? Its not legal by me but up in Northern Wi it is and I would like to set something up this spring.