Weird late season in the Upper Midwest?

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Denisboyko22
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Re: Weird late season in the Upper Midwest?

Unread postby Denisboyko22 » Fri Jan 10, 2020 2:59 am

greenhorndave wrote:
Denisboyko22 wrote:
greenhorndave wrote:I hunted and scouted in cold and nasty at the end of the late season last year. What I thought what I saw then was going to be valuable for this late season, but the weather is radically different this year. It's more like a typical November from a temperature and snow standpoint in Southern WI.

I'm about to go on a last-ditch push to tag out and I'm wondering what people are seeing. I know of bedding areas, but they were used with significant snow on the ground and brutal temps, but we don't have either right now.

Are you seeing the usual late-season (January) bedding and feeding areas being used, or is it something different? If so, like what? Are they've still utilizing the real wet areas?

In any case, I'm simply not seeing many deer period right now. Nothing in the fields, not many crossing the roads. Bizarre year.

Have you tried shining at all? I got some very valuable Intel after I hunted by driving and shining fields right after dark and I knew immediately where the deer were late season from that

I have in some areas, but the prime area I have been hunting is not conducive to shining. Terrain does not cooperate nor does the trees, etc.

This might be alittle bit of a stretch but I was having trouble this late season but I got the job done my last hunt for the year , for some reason everytime where the weather looked perfect for deer to be moving the deer were hunkered down and wouldn't move and they would move during the snow storms and on warm days but not the cold days the past few weeks I found that very odd I was onto the deer but you cant do anything if they wont get up until after dark and I hunted the warmest day and they were up and moving maybe look at the weather alittle or try even setting up a trail camera by the food or a main trail a few hundred yards from the bedding and leaving it sit for only a few days might get you the Intel you need , you might not have any mature buck show his face on it but the smaller deer will and he shouldn't be to far behind maybe avoiding the camera as long as you know the bedding area


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greenhorndave
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Re: Weird late season in the Upper Midwest?

Unread postby greenhorndave » Fri Jan 10, 2020 3:14 am

Denisboyko22 wrote:
greenhorndave wrote:
Denisboyko22 wrote:
greenhorndave wrote:I hunted and scouted in cold and nasty at the end of the late season last year. What I thought what I saw then was going to be valuable for this late season, but the weather is radically different this year. It's more like a typical November from a temperature and snow standpoint in Southern WI.

I'm about to go on a last-ditch push to tag out and I'm wondering what people are seeing. I know of bedding areas, but they were used with significant snow on the ground and brutal temps, but we don't have either right now.

Are you seeing the usual late-season (January) bedding and feeding areas being used, or is it something different? If so, like what? Are they've still utilizing the real wet areas?

In any case, I'm simply not seeing many deer period right now. Nothing in the fields, not many crossing the roads. Bizarre year.

Have you tried shining at all? I got some very valuable Intel after I hunted by driving and shining fields right after dark and I knew immediately where the deer were late season from that

I have in some areas, but the prime area I have been hunting is not conducive to shining. Terrain does not cooperate nor does the trees, etc.

This might be alittle bit of a stretch but I was having trouble this late season but I got the job done my last hunt for the year , for some reason everytime where the weather looked perfect for deer to be moving the deer were hunkered down and wouldn't move and they would move during the snow storms and on warm days but not the cold days the past few weeks I found that very odd I was onto the deer but you cant do anything if they wont get up until after dark and I hunted the warmest day and they were up and moving maybe look at the weather alittle or try even setting up a trail camera by the food or a main trail a few hundred yards from the bedding and leaving it sit for only a few days might get you the Intel you need , you might not have any mature buck show his face on it but the smaller deer will and he shouldn't be to far behind maybe avoiding the camera as long as you know the bedding area

Very good observations. We might have some weird weather hitting in the next few days. I'm going to throw some stuff at the wall and hopefully something gets stuck. ;)
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Denisboyko22
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Re: Weird late season in the Upper Midwest?

Unread postby Denisboyko22 » Fri Jan 10, 2020 3:20 am

greenhorndave wrote:
Denisboyko22 wrote:
greenhorndave wrote:
Denisboyko22 wrote:
greenhorndave wrote:I hunted and scouted in cold and nasty at the end of the late season last year. What I thought what I saw then was going to be valuable for this late season, but the weather is radically different this year. It's more like a typical November from a temperature and snow standpoint in Southern WI.

I'm about to go on a last-ditch push to tag out and I'm wondering what people are seeing. I know of bedding areas, but they were used with significant snow on the ground and brutal temps, but we don't have either right now.

Are you seeing the usual late-season (January) bedding and feeding areas being used, or is it something different? If so, like what? Are they've still utilizing the real wet areas?

In any case, I'm simply not seeing many deer period right now. Nothing in the fields, not many crossing the roads. Bizarre year.

Have you tried shining at all? I got some very valuable Intel after I hunted by driving and shining fields right after dark and I knew immediately where the deer were late season from that

I have in some areas, but the prime area I have been hunting is not conducive to shining. Terrain does not cooperate nor does the trees, etc.

This might be alittle bit of a stretch but I was having trouble this late season but I got the job done my last hunt for the year , for some reason everytime where the weather looked perfect for deer to be moving the deer were hunkered down and wouldn't move and they would move during the snow storms and on warm days but not the cold days the past few weeks I found that very odd I was onto the deer but you cant do anything if they wont get up until after dark and I hunted the warmest day and they were up and moving maybe look at the weather alittle or try even setting up a trail camera by the food or a main trail a few hundred yards from the bedding and leaving it sit for only a few days might get you the Intel you need , you might not have any mature buck show his face on it but the smaller deer will and he shouldn't be to far behind maybe avoiding the camera as long as you know the bedding area

Very good observations. We might have some weird weather hitting in the next few days. I'm going to throw some stuff at the wall and hopefully something gets stuck. ;)

Yup I wish you luck ! That's what I've noticed and I've been hunting Washington/sheboygan/and fund du lac county for the past month and I've been hunting all the perfect days where the weather looks best and I didnt see a single deer and barely any shining and I decided to hunt 1 snowy day and 1 hot day and I seen deer those 2 days only so if you hunt anywhere near those areas that might work out for you!
mauser06
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Re: Weird late season in the Upper Midwest?

Unread postby mauser06 » Fri Jan 10, 2020 5:49 am

One late season tactic that seems to be solid for just DEER hunting is the bump and dump. Sneak around till you find them feeding. They'll typically be right back there the next day in my experience.


I say for DEER hunting because I see weird stuff in the late season. I see lone bucks. I see bachelor groups of bucks. I see bucks with groups of deer.


I do a lot of still hunting in the late season. It's pretty consistent to find deer in an area one day and bump them and go back the next day or next hunt and they are right there again.


A lot of times I don't have a buck tag and I am doe hunting...my deer do tend to group up and I typically hunt bigger woods and no agriculture. Example would be Monday. I walked nearly a mile in fresh snow and didn't cut deer tracks. The last couple hundred yards I had planned and time for, I saw more than I could count. Of course the only one that gave me a shot had a nice rack on his head and I didn't have a buck tag. Lol. Tuesday I went back in plans to actually sit where I saw many of them....I felt the wind shift on my face. Then I heard commotion. Yep. They were there and caught my wind when it shifted lol.


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