Late season hunting
 

I either suck at It or the bucks are somewhere else catching up on what they didn't eat during the rut. Late season mature buck hunting In my woods has always been tough. In 15 years of serious mature buck hunting I haven't saw one mature buck In my woods from December 15th to the end of our season December 31st. We get snow most of the time so tracks would be there If they'd be there one would think. I've went through one end of the woods to the next In recent years after the season Is closed and hardly ever do I find a decent track of a good buck. Early season they are there, during the rut- sometimes, sometimes not (that's the rut for ya). Nothing much this year though during the rut. The doe's and fawns are still In my woods but the big bucks seem to move somewhere else late In the year. I know for a fact allot of them head west across the road from the woods I hunt (200 acre hay field and another 200 acres of river bottom). That hay field Is there every year and I believe that's my Achilles heel In the late season. After the deer season Is closed my brother has permission to trap this 400 acres for coyotes and on a couple different occasions I've went with him and we've bumped P&Y bucks when checking traps. We've seen as many as 6 P&Y bucks In a group of 20 deer. I don't think there's much I can do about It unless I would leave 50 acres of corn standing on our land. The guy who rents our ag land won't go for that I'm thinking.

Anyone else have a similar problem? What's a person do? Punt?[8D]

RE: Late season hunting
 

I say stick a doe and get ready for next year[8D]

RE: Late season hunting
 

I have yet to see a deer since Thanksgiving.

RE: Late season hunting
 

Here's what you do. Get a bag of corn and........ wait a minute, wrong crowd.;)

I have my best luck setting up on cut fields and honesuckle in the late season. Seems like this time of year, you don't see just one, you see 10 or more.

RE: Late season hunting
 

I know what your saying Steve. I think you are spot on. Those bucks are in their winter pattern now. Eithor you are where they are or your sol. I think rifle season kind of pushes them to these areas and they tend to stay there. Feed is the key this time of year. I would ask your farmer if there is a way to leave some standing corn.

RE: Late season hunting
 

I'm going to make a big push for this next year. Might cost me a few dollars and a bottle of whiskey.;)

RE: Late season hunting
 

Hunt the food..cold will make them eat.

RE: Late season hunting
 

Money well spent!If I were you I'd go visit your dad;)
If I had a minn. bow tag I'd come over there and drag you north for a few days.

RE: Late season hunting
 

Now that would be a blast!! I don't know now If I can make the trip to dads. Some other BS came up again. Figures hah!![:@]

RE: Late season hunting
 

Some of the best big buck hunting can be had in the last two weeks of December. In the past I've had good success at finding deer where they weren't earlier because of less pressure and better food. Less hunters in the woods also usually at this time equals good opportunities IF you have access to areas that were hunted light earlier in the season. After this weather gets better and I get over this dang cold I'll be at it again.

RE: Late season hunting
 

We don't have the winters you have there.....here....but you DO have yarding, yes/no? Is it too early for that?

Ask the farmer/lease holder how much he'd charge you to leave (_____) acres standing....and don't be shocked when you get that number.;) Corn is expensive to grow.

This brings to mind another question.....RE: "size of the pile", also (and I'm not passing judgement ONE BIT!). If it's legal....you'll hear nothing derogatory from me.

Deer burn a LOT of energy just staying warm. They have to feed....and feed more often to keep their body temps up.

Smart(above quote).....and I'd just ask if you know what they're eating right now.....and do you even have access to them "there"? I've been saing for years now....that even the deer I hunt don't "winter" where they "summer". They bed nearer their food source no matter what time of year it is. For me....this doesn't (hasn't in the past) bode well for me in the early season. Late season.....I'm golden.

If you don't have access to where they're feeding.....do you have access to where they're bedding (now)? That's another option.....if you know where that is.

RE: Late season hunting
 

GMMAT- You are half right- Deer burn a lot of energy staying warm but they do not stay warm by moving and feeding like you would think. I've stated this in several posts about cold weather hunting; deer move less because this conserves energy. They stay bedded more, move less and not as far. This keeps their metabolism down, burns less energy and they don't use up the stored nutrients in their fat reserves. Think about it, the more they move and feed the more energy they will burn, and they need all they can get right now.

Which brings me to where you are right. Like I said, they do not want to nor will they move very far to get to food sources. So deer are going to be closer to these food sources and setting up closer to the bedding area will prove to be successful.

Remember, deer move less when it is cold, however, they will move earlier in the day. Actually mid-winter warm ups spark deer movement just as early season cold snaps do. Does become more playful, bucks actually rejoin summer bachelor groups, let their guard down a bit, spar with other bucks and just appear to be more relaxed. When the cold weather returns, they return to their dormant behavior.

RE: Late season hunting
 

Interesting take, rockin.....but I'd task everyone with recalling when they observe more deer movement (warm weather v. cold weather) and try to put a reason on that.

Rest more to conserve energy? Sounds plausible, also.

RE: Late season hunting
 

The thing i like to do is something out of the blue. I like to sometimes to go to an area i havent been in all year. Like a really thick creek bottom i avoided during the early season, cause it was way to thick to shoot. Now its open. I also like to hunt edges where i havent sat all year. I find a lot of the deer are nocturnal by now in areas with any kind of pressure. I like to hunt new growth or creeks or edges where food might be near by. I use a climber a lot and move around, the deer seem to get confused in my area by this. I also, have found on cold nights it better to wait till mid day to go in. One place i have hunted for years, when it gets cold i watch deer going to bed right at light, then its over, they dont move. But if i am on stand at noon, i catch the deer going from one bedding area to another mid day eating browe on there way there. The best thing i do in the late season is mix it up, I change stand sites all the time. I have seen and shot some of my best bucks in last weeks of December doing this.

RE: Late season hunting
 

Id have to go with Rockinchair on this one. Have observed this in the past.

RE: Late season hunting
 

They yard up here (not In my woods but across the road). I expect It to happen anytime now being we've got a few Inches of snow on the ground. It's actually happening already I believe (yarding up).

Our corn and bean fields that were here are now plowed under and spread with liquid manure. The deer haven't hardly touched the fields since the manure went on. When they tried knifing the manure in the ground the ground was already pretty froze so not much went Into the ground, most of it stayed on top and froze. We've got oaks around but there not doing much feeding there, I would see pawing In the ground If they were. I think most of the deer that are still In my woods are just browsing on whatever Is around and venturing on to the neighbors land and doing the same.

There bedding Is pretty much the same spot as It always Is. Like I said I've got doe's and fawns around but the bigger tracks that one should be seeing usually disappear come December and head out. The mature bucks that were doing some chasing are going to be much more run down then the doe's and fawns and they know It so there going to go where the better food sources are better and It's no where close to my woods.

RE: Late season hunting
 

I'm not agreeing with you Rock, at least not here In the northern states where It gets down right cold compared to the south. Deer will move all day In the yards up here In the winter If the food Is there.

RE: Late season hunting
 

I feel for ya Schultzy. Late season is tough. Ill admitt it, im not a good hunter late season :DIm still seeing Deer but i cant get a pattern on there food source. We have fields and for the likes of cant figure out why we hardly see deer in them, even via spotlight in the late hours. evidently my deer have something else they prefer,in the woods, problem is my woods are hugh and whatever it is, im sure its spread out. If you ever find the holy grail, be sure and share it with your buddy :D<<<<< ME

RE: Late season hunting
 

I think 'moving' is being refered to more so as feeding vs the aimless wandering that seems to happen sometimes....atleast around here. Cant think for the life of me why I see tracks in some of the places I do....and not straight line, just meandering.....when there's plenty of food. vs winter end of season and right after when they seem to be tired, and just wanna eat and rest.

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RE: Late season hunting
 

The reason I mentioned bedding areas is......if you know where they're bedding (and you say it hasn't changed).....that's as good as it gets IMO.

You've got the "where" narrowed down. If I were hunting "A" buck....and knew where he was bedding....i'd concentrate on the evenings, right now......and go there.