Hill Country Deer Movement? Rut vs early/Late season.

[johndeere506]

Most everything I read about hill country buck movement is focused around rut timing and cruising. Everyone is looking for saddles and benches and draws it seems, and ridges.

In farm country, the late season movement is much different than rut movement. They dont move far, they move straight to food, and usually use the thickest brushy corridor within a somewhat straight path from bed to food. Arrival times or destination are often inconsistent as well late season.

How does all this apply to hill country late season? Are you looking for destination food sources, and guessing on bedding nearby? OR using saddles, benches, ridges that lead TO food? I realized all the topo features Im looking for are most likely for rut activity.

What do you guys find to be the best food sources in hill country late season?

[rutjunkie]

I have no experience late season hill country. From my shed hunting experience, they love to bed on south facing slopes.

[ Post made via Android ]

[Peeps22]

I dont hunt much as far as hills go, but i think farmland can somewhat apply to hills. Ive noticed that if some acorns have been missed, they can be a huge draw late season so dont overlook that. I think the hardest part about hunting late season in the hills is everything is so open and they can see ALOT and getting close is tough.

[ Post made via Android ]

[jcamp]

I am for all intents and purposes still a novice at hunting deer compared to a lot of others here but my plan for late season is to set up between beds in the thickest stuff I have found and food.

During the season I have identified some potential bedding areas, that weren't scouted, without entering them well off the beaten path. I should point out most are on South facing slopes where there are a number of food sources and water relatively close by. Terrain is typically a bench about 1/3 down from ridge top or a point. Plenty of buck sign as well with trails leading into the thick stuff. As another member in my state pointed out (thanks Zona), with the pressure the deer have seen here with firearms season ending last week and warm temps, the deer are moving very late/dark. The spots I am looking at are surrounded by oaks with recent signs of browsing through the leaf litter and forbes (honeysuckle, wild roses, etc..) that are still in leaf/tender so deer don't have to travel far from home to eat.

I plan to set up on trails out of the bedding cover in the food areas. Weather will determine what times I go in, I think. If we get a cold snap/snow I think I will go in earlier to try and sit mid day but if it stays warm I'm hunting evenings. Again there may be flaws in my thought process but at least it will be a learning experience.

[tim]

late season is geared around food. if u don't have it and your neighbors do they will have way more activity. last year I did not have any food on my place coukldnt get pics of deer to save my life. the year before I had halfacre standing corn. deer everywhere in pics. this year Im having the neighbor leave me a halfacre standing corn.deer want food in late season. I also notice the deer don't bed far from the food source late season. tricky getting into stand

[tim]

so I guess to be more specific depending on where the food source is and where your deer bed is going to be the deciding factor on where I would hunt them. my place they bed so close to the food source when I have it I have to either be very close to the food source(which I don't generally like this style of hunting) but will in late season. or a ground blind would be effective. if they aren't bedding near the food you are going to have to set up on a travel corridor to intercept them if they aren't getting there before dark.

[Bucky]

Once the cold hits (WI)... South facing slopes with a food source below or above

But overall.... food trumps bedding late season. Find the food and you will find deer/bucks

[Stanley]

Late season can be feast or famine. If the deer yard up in another area you won't see any deer period. Like Bucky said food is key.

[Peeps22]

Also not sure where the OP is from but shining this time of year (if legal of course) can tell you where the bigger concentrations of deer are feeding and then you can start creating a gameplan off of that.

[ Post made via Android ]

[johndeere506]

Everything you guys are saying makes sense and lines up with what I know about MI late season. I have LOTS of food on my plots, but I dont have any buck tags left here.

Im going to my cousins land in southern Ohio hill country for 2 late season hunts. I plan on checking some public ground while there too as I have a couple spots that look decent. Im just not seeing a concentrated food source down there, unless the deer head miles away to any type of leftover crop field.

I may deploy a bunch of trailcams and check them 10 days later to see what kind of bucks are around, and how they are moving. Only one way to really learn, just trying to understand how they use terrain this time of year.