Late season theory

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Wlog
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Late season theory

Unread postby Wlog » Thu Oct 15, 2015 11:20 am

It's kind of universally accepted that late season is the most difficult time of the season to kill a mature buck. I was doing some thinking on this and wanted to see what others had to say. Due to the lack of foliage and months of heavy pressure a deer's bedding options are more limited than any other time of year. Food sources are also less plentiful. As the season gets colder and closer to the end the majority of hunters are burnt out. Especially the fair weather hunter. All of these factors in theory should make them easier to find, pattern and kill.

I've listed the pros now here are the cons. The property you have access to May not have sufficient cover or food at that time of year. The deer are on high alert and we know it's much harder to be quiet enough to get close enough for daylight activity without spooking them.

What are your thoughts on the subject? Do you still have the drive to keep hunting in January? Lastly, what are your favorite late season tactics?

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Re: Late season theory

Unread postby Bucky » Thu Oct 15, 2015 12:05 pm

Late season can be the Easiest time of year to kill a giant! You need limited pressure... snow... cold... and soybeans!

Deer in farmland move miles in the winter to good wintering spots = high stem count bedding with sun exposure... food... and limited pressure.

Public land that has been pounded with no food can be completely barron... you walk it after fresh snow and NOT a track!

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Re: Late season theory

Unread postby Lockdown » Thu Oct 15, 2015 12:20 pm

I have grown to love the late season. It is a world apart from early season and rut, but IMHO they are more patternable in late December than any other time (excluding July)... I haven't seen any giants, but have seen nice shooter 3.5 yr olds out in broad daylight on multiple occasions.

The more snow the better, and the colder the better.

I've only hunted one season using Beast tactics, but generally my biggest issue is getting past that many noses. Especially if your hunting food, a pop blind can be a huge help. You'll have to brush it in like crazy for a same day set. I'm not sure if a true giant would let you by with it or not.

The main reason I like the ground blind is because when you seal up your back side it contains your scent. I've had multiple deer go downwind in bow range and not bust. No pixie dust involved, wearing my dirty work bibs.

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Re: Late season theory

Unread postby JoeRE » Thu Oct 15, 2015 2:20 pm

Late season is hard because bucks have had several months to find the places they can be safe, the ones that don't are dead.

Just like any other time of year....you have to hunt where the big bucks are. This is the hardest to do late season. You gotta find them!

I do love late season. I cover a ton of ground looking for the bucks, thousands of acres of public and private, all of it has been hunted by both bow and gun, most of it swept repeatedly by big deer drives...by the way you are more likely to get permission on private land late season after the landowner is done hunting than any other time of the year. I pray for bitter cold and deep snow, blizzards, more the better! That's the only time of year I hunt very much private, because its easy to get access and there is nobody else out there. If I put in the miles to locate the bucks I have pretty consistent success because like you say its easier to cut tracks in snow and see them from a distance than any other time of year. Then its just figuring out a way to get to them....stand hunting, spot and stalk, still hunting, tracking, small nudges, all effective depending on the situation. I think I have filled tags using all those methods late season, can't say that for any other time of year. The other big game changer for me is using a muzzle loader accurate out to well beyond 200 yards instead of my bow, that seems to help a lot :D

The other way a person can have great success late season is keep everyone else off a fair size chunk of land all fall, load it with food plots, and sit on your but in your redneck box blind complaining about how tough the conditions are to the video camera :lol:
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Re: Late season theory

Unread postby James » Thu Oct 15, 2015 3:53 pm

In 2011 I killed a mature buck on Dec 4. Here in MN that is a pretty tough time, but our property had alfalfa, it hasn't snowed yet and we had a bean field that was picked and tilled but still had a lot of waste grain. Every neighboring property was tilled black. It was a fun hunt but it did not take much intelligence to kill that buck.

Fast forward to last year and that same property did not have a deer on it because there was a standing bean field a couple properties to the north. I bet I counted close to 50 deer in that field on one evening.

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Re: Late season theory

Unread postby Southern Man » Fri Oct 16, 2015 12:13 am

I agree with Bucky.

I have seen more big / mature deer in late season, standing stupid in a field than I do during peak breeding. Bedding is more concentrated, food availability is less than any other time in the season, there is zero pressure here, and bucks are searching. 4 - 5 weeks after peak breeding in November they are moving.
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Re: Late season theory

Unread postby Hodag Hunter » Fri Oct 16, 2015 12:26 am

I have shot most of my archery big bucks second bow season here in WI.

Easiest time of the year to find a buck. A little more difficult to kill him with stick and string vs the rut or early season but the positives far out weigh the negatives.

If you have snow, tracks don't lie and deer can't fly.

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Re: Late season theory

Unread postby olivertractor » Fri Oct 16, 2015 1:21 am

Hodag Hunter wrote:I have shot most of my archery big bucks second bow season here in WI.

Easiest time of the year to find a buck. A little more difficult to kill him with stick and string vs the rut or early season but the positives far out weigh the negatives.

If you have snow, tracks don't lie and deer can't fly.

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I agree, by far my most successful time of year is late season, when weather dictates survival instincts, mature bucks let their guard down especially since they've been pressured all season

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Re: Late season theory

Unread postby Wlog » Fri Oct 16, 2015 2:16 am

In the late season I usually find no deer or all the deer, nothing in between. You have to have limited pressure though. Bitter cold is your best friend because it keeps the hunter numbers down and the deer moving. We can hunt here until the end of January. Last year during the late January gun season I hunted some private property that I have sole permission on. I hadn't stepped foot on the place since mid November and I ended up seeing five 2.5 y/o bucks from the same bedding area.

I think guys like the ones who follow this site actually have an advantage because we already have the mindset to seek out overlooked spots which is exactly what the deer are doing.

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Re: Late season theory

Unread postby Stanley » Fri Oct 16, 2015 3:28 am

Late season is all about the food source. No food source = no deer. If the guy down the road has food sources and you don't guess where the deer will be?
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Late season theory

Unread postby Lockdown » Fri Oct 16, 2015 3:47 pm

Here is a pic of a bruiser from 2010. We got out of work early that day due to the weather so I hopped in the truck and went scouting. Found this big guy in a local cemetery at 1:00 in the afternoon during heavy snowfall and high wind. That is a headstone at the bottom of the picture.

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I scouted this area hard all year long and never saw a deer even close to this size. The weather had him on his feet. I believe the picture was taken Dec. 30th.

Does anyone have any tips/tricks for staying quiet in crunchy snow (other than go insanely slow)? That is always my biggest obstacle.
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Re: Late season theory

Unread postby Findian » Fri Oct 16, 2015 4:58 pm

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Re: Late season theory

Unread postby dan » Sat Oct 17, 2015 4:35 am

I think late season is one of the easiest times to kill a big buck... They are more patternable late season, they move well in daylight, and can be easily observed from a distance.
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Re: Late season theory

Unread postby Zap » Sat Oct 17, 2015 4:41 am

Late season presents some good opportunities.

The only time of year I really do not like hunting is when its over 65° or so for a high temp.

Here in Kansas even 65° with full sun and no wind can be too warm for me.
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Re: Late season theory

Unread postby Rubline » Sat Oct 17, 2015 6:15 am

Late season is hard to hunt, but provides great opportunities for the bigger bucks.
Keep your access routes in mind to your setup as it is much easier to get busted
leaving your stand. It's human natural after that sun goes down and your freezing
to say the heck with it and make a bee line to the truck. I will pull a small sled behind
me for hauling gear and also will use a customized decoy bag to haul gear.
By gear I mean a folding seat and some of those therma seats. With the limited cover
in the late season, have a way thought out to get your bow drawn back without detection.
Get out early for evening hunts as yearlings and does will move early going to feed.

As said above. Soybeans trump corn in the late season. Turnips are great as well.

For the crunchy snow question: use a 4 wheeler to make a path to your setup.
Do this in the middle of the day so deer will forget about your intrusion later.
Obviously you don't want to do this super close to the bedding area...


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