racer965

Hey guys i plan on hunting the late archery season here in western pa. I missed the big one in the first archery season not sure if he made it through the gun season. Well anyway im trying to figure out what the best location for a stand would be to get a buck. I heard food sources are good for late seasons but i dunno which food source i should turn too. The area i hunt have white oaks but i dont think they harvested this year. Also we have crab apples i think that is the only food sources we have around except for the mineral sites we have created over the years. So where do u guys think i should put my stand please help me i want a buck so bad.

livbucks

Hope for a nice snow soon. Get out there and scout the tracks in fresh snow to see just where old Mr. Big is hanging out. I gotta tell you though that any mature buck alive now will pretty much be nocturnal for the most part, so hunting him is gonna be tough. Find the thickest bedding areas you can find on South facing slopes. Get in there super early and sit all day and tell us how it goes.

racer965

thanks livbucks why does it need to be a south facing slope and also what about the food sources???

racer965

anyone else wanna help me out???

livbucks

When it gets cold and deer want to bed all day, they like the sun on them the same as your cat or dog like to lay in the sun on a cold day. Southern exposure means sun. South facing slopes hold vegetation growth later in the year because of that sun also. In the winter, a South facing side of a hill will attract deer like a magnet, provided they have the right cover to feel safe. If it is very windy and cloudy, hunt the creekbottom trails. These depressions tend to shield them from the wind and they like that too. Food sources will be hit or miss because any nice buck will tend to still be wary from gun season, and probably won't travel far or become exposed during daylight. The rut is over as well and they have no want or reason to expose themselves anymore. Late season bucks seem to find the thickest place to bed during the day and will move around in that cover to browse during the day. After dark they will travel out and hit the edges for food. I don't know how they do it but they just seem to disappear and then reappear around March. Late season is tough, but fun nonetheless.