Late Season Tacs

[Joe Brandon]

Hey whats up guys! Two buddies and myself lease a 150 acre farm in Nth Canton right off 20. It is hardwoods, open fields, a large pond, and streams. I am in grad school and extremely busy this Fall, that is until Dec 1 when I am out until mid Jan. What are some late season tactics you all can suggest. Our secondary rut hits around first into second week of Dec. Last year I used the bow all season and just pulled out a rifle to take a doe late Dec. Any late season tacs yall would use to take a buck either right at secondary rut or after all rut activity into late sleepy deadwoods season? Thanks in advance!

 

[shdw633]

I usually hunt behind any stand that has set out for the season or I will take a ground blind and go halfway down foodplots and set just off of them in the woods to catch deer that have grown weary of stands in the area. I have set across foodplots and watch deer come to the edge of one and just stare at a box stand or ladder until they are sure no one is in it before stepping out. I have also caught deer slipping behind stands just to get around them. You don't even need a blind, just go sit on the ground as they are not expecting anyone to be in those areas and therefore are not looking for them as long as the wind is right.

 

[Joe Brandon]

I usually hunt behind any stand that has set out for the season or I will take a ground blind and go halfway down foodplots and set just off of them in the woods to catch deer that have grown weary of stands in the area. I have set across foodplots and watch deer come to the edge of one and just stare at a box stand or ladder until they are sure no one is in it before stepping out. I have also caught deer slipping behind stands just to get around them. You don't even need a blind, just go sit on the ground as they are not expecting anyone to be in those areas and therefore are not looking for them as long as the wind is right.

Hey thanks I appreciate that very sound advice. I too have had them travel behind a stand, had both deer and bear do so. I will try out those suggestions!

 

[Son]

Hunting with a club with a small group. I pay attention to where the others like to hunt regularly. Then I hunt where they don't.

 

[rstallings1979]

Hey whats up guys! Two buddies and myself lease a 150 acre farm in Nth Canton right off 20. It is hardwoods, open fields, a large pond, and streams. I am in grad school and extremely busy this Fall, that is until Dec 1 when I am out until mid Jan. What are some late season tactics you all can suggest. Our secondary rut hits around first into second week of Dec. Last year I used the bow all season and just pulled out a rifle to take a doe late Dec. Any late season tacs yall would use to take a buck either right at secondary rut or after all rut activity into late sleepy deadwoods season? Thanks in advance!

Hopefully you don't mess the other guys up but I would find a spot on the land that no one else has stepped foot on. Then I would look for fresh rubs that are above avg in size and setup there. By Dec 1st your buddies have pushed the mature bucks to areas that haven't been contaminated with human presence. Maybe one or two has found a quiet bedding spot still on the property or just on the edge.

This past year my son and I were desperate to get on a mature buck after I missed a nice buck in late October. We decided to walk a creek that runs through our property and flows down the edge of our property in the very back. We found some fresh rubs and put up a ground blind where we could see down into the bottom 100 or so yards. I took a nice 10 point on the second hunt on the morning of Dec 6th. He was obviously just hanging in that general 15 acre area and still looking for does. Big Fresh Rubs were everywhere. There were enough acorns in the creek bottoms to come out of his bedding area to get a bite. He may have been coming out to the fields at night but I had no pictures of him at all in the fields since late September. I really feel like we pressured him down in to that creek bottom early in the season and he basically set up shop. We never set foot in there until after November and he was in there marking it up as his area and breeding whatever does came through the area. He was likely 5.5 years old. His rack was pretty good for our area.

I am starting to think most old mature bucks are kind of like us 40 plus year old men. We are really too old to chase around the opposite sex but if it walks through our house and its willing we will not turn it down. A 2.5 or 3.5 year old buck on the other hand is like a 20 something year old. They will stay up until the sun comes up, bounce from place to place.... constantly looking for someone to say yes.

 

[phillips david 123]

It's been my experience that after the November rut the does and bucks hit the food sources hard. The does are preparing for healthy fawns that they will have the following June and the bucks are putting back what they lost from chasing the ladies. If you have a high doe to buck ratio then their will be a few does that still hasn't been bred on in to January and the bucks will be checking these food sources looking for that last doe to breed. If you want to see deer in late season hunt protein feeders, corn feeders and food plots. Food is the key. Good luck.