Late season on the horizon

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Hawthorne
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Re: Late season on the horizon

Unread postby Hawthorne » Thu Dec 12, 2019 12:00 pm

I’ve still got a tag and they extended bow season till January 31 in 3 counties. Never hunted any of them and all are within an hour of me. Will be checking out some areas


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Re: Late season on the horizon

Unread postby RobbieC2124 » Thu Dec 12, 2019 12:15 pm

Involuntarily left it late this season myself. Can't lie, Excited for those cold mornings and evenings. What sort of food source/bedding do ya'll focus on in December? Asking from Michigan but interested in all corners.
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Re: Late season on the horizon

Unread postby tundra@1 » Thu Dec 12, 2019 9:55 pm

I love late season. I have found it for me to be better than the rut, at times. first off, less pressure if any... also I change my tactics. last year, for my own reasons I held off,, and missed my best buck of the season on Jan 12th, a few days before a polar vortex, that really got cold.......... First thing I do, is have a winter bow, or turn your bow weight down, and adjust for cold weather. Wearing different clothing, I want to pull back easy, and smooth.......

as far as going in at 430am etc, why? when it gets cold, in my area, them bucks, are not going anywhere. I still find my best times to be mid day. I do hunt swamps, and they are now frozen, and I can get into them. However, noise is an issue of course, and can prevent a lot of good set ups..... some soft snow, just a little can make all the difference........

I just got back from my place in the UP. snows are heavy, and the deer are migrating, that is for sure. plus they have to live with the predators... but here in SE Wis, late season can be very very good..........

its not easy, but it can be an excellent time. I also adjust my tactics, and hunt a lot on the ground, setting up in blow downs etc. I also have a HBS, which has been a game changer for me. boots are critical, you have to find what works for you, not too heavy but they have to keep your feet warm. I use plastic bread bags and support socks, that make boot entry easy, for my feet. I do not like pop up blinds because they are too noisy, unless you have an original DB.

Noise is the enemy now, and one click, will sound a lot louder, and carry a lot farther in the colder weather. Lots of corn is still left uncut, and I still spend a lot of time, sneaking and peaking, in them corn rows. frozen creek and river systems, make great entry and exit routes now, and I always have creepers for my boots in my small day pack. late season is the only time I use a day pack to bring along some needed items.

I also at times use my guile suit, which I spray painted, white and black, easy to do, and have used several types of sprays over the year, but like the Christmas tree flock stuff, works pretty good. snow camo I made myself, using a simple light white parka with hood, that I put on over my warm clothes at times. some majic markers etc, and you can break up the outline pretty good...

water is a must, both for myself and the deer. I have one spot, where there is a spring. that can be a hot spot in late season. deer need water, and eating snow is not it, from what I have found. I have one place I can hunt, where I have gone it, thru the years, used an ice auger, and kept a large area of water open. I know that sounds over the top, but for this place it worked well. kept deer in the area.

lots of stuff I could go on about,,,,, but you get the idea........ with the clothes available today, hunting cold weather can be quite comfortable. I always believed, that its not so much how you hunt, but where you hunt. and them bucks are close to feed in my area, so you can eliminate a lot of spots...... I do nor care about the second rut, or rubs etc at this time. I care about good security cover, close to a good food source, and the ability to get into the spot.

nothing about late season is easy, but I can assure you, you will have most spots to yourself,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, good luck to everyone
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Huntress13
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Re: Late season on the horizon

Unread postby Huntress13 » Fri Dec 13, 2019 6:23 am

buffalojay83 wrote:Back at ya Dan! I'll be out there tomorrow and Friday for with frozen bow in hand for late bow/Muzzleloader here in the People's Socialist Republic of NY.


I haven't been able to get myself back out in the cold. And if I do, it might be with the smoke pole.
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greenhorndave
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Re: Late season on the horizon

Unread postby greenhorndave » Fri Dec 13, 2019 6:27 am

Good stuff Tundra. Appreciate the tips!
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Re: Late season on the horizon

Unread postby Marsh Rat » Fri Dec 13, 2019 7:07 am

Seems like at least in SE WI there are way more crops still in the fields than in years past. This could make for some fun hunts for people like me who normally don't have a hot food source to hunt over.
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greenhorndave
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Re: Late season on the horizon

Unread postby greenhorndave » Fri Dec 13, 2019 8:27 am

Marsh Rat wrote:Seems like at least in SE WI there are way more crops still in the fields than in years past. This could make for some fun hunts for people like me who normally don't have a hot food source to hunt over.

Yeah, I'm seeing a lot of standing corn and beans too. Not where I can hunt necessarily, but they're still up. Wacky fall.
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Dewey
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Re: Late season on the horizon

Unread postby Dewey » Fri Dec 13, 2019 9:06 am

Most of the corn I can hunt near has been harvested the last few weeks. Figures. :doh:

I was actually starting to look at all the still standing corn as a huge positive for the late season. Still have some to monitor but not in ideal places near great bedding. That makes a huge difference but bucks will travel a LONG distance from super secure primary bedding to feed in the fields at night. Don’t see them bedding much right in the corn anymore this late in the season. A lot of guys make the mistake of hunting right on the edge of the fields and rarely see good bucks. Backtrack the big tracks and figure out where they are coming from. You might be surprised how far they travel. As always you gotta be close to catch daylight movement but never more important than the late season after they have been pressured so heavily in recent weeks.
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Re: Late season on the horizon

Unread postby tundra@1 » Fri Dec 13, 2019 12:44 pm

saw a really nice buck this afternoon, actually about just at the end of shooting light,,,, of course its doe only, but it was not only nice to see him, he had no idea, as I was down in my pit blind................ next week maybe
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tgreeno
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Re: Late season on the horizon

Unread postby tgreeno » Fri Dec 13, 2019 3:02 pm

Dewey wrote:Most of the corn I can hunt near has been harvested the last few weeks. Figures. :doh:

I was actually starting to look at all the still standing corn as a huge positive for the late season. Still have some to monitor but not in ideal places near great bedding. That makes a huge difference but bucks will travel a LONG distance from super secure primary bedding to feed in the fields at night. Don’t see them bedding much right in the corn anymore this late in the season. A lot of guys make the mistake of hunting right on the edge of the fields and rarely see good bucks. Backtrack the big tracks and figure out where they are coming from. You might be surprised how far they travel. As always you gotta be close to catch daylight movement but never more important than the late season after they have been pressured so heavily in recent weeks.


Great advice! Backtrack from the fields closer to the bedding.
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Mschmeiske
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Re: Late season on the horizon

Unread postby Mschmeiske » Sat Dec 14, 2019 12:24 am

I’ve got Saturday, Sunday and Monday to try and make it happen. I hurt my knee earlier in the week so it’s been a bummer going up and down hills. It’s been real quiet when I’ve been out... I’ve saw does, but no bucks and now the snow is pretty much gone around here making it even more challenging :doh:
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Re: Late season on the horizon

Unread postby ThePreBanMan » Sat Dec 14, 2019 1:31 am

As long as I don't fall through ice, balls deep into a frozen marsh, I'll be out there.
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Re: Late season on the horizon

Unread postby Rich M » Sat Dec 14, 2019 1:37 am

I've got 2 weekends planned for whitetails over the holidays. Looking forward to it.

Hoping for a reasonable buck, but also hoping the 4 folks (2 per weekend) I'm taking each get a deer.
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Re: Late season on the horizon

Unread postby Antler Assassin » Sat Dec 14, 2019 12:00 pm

If you can brave the elements, late season is a great time to get a deer on the ground. That cold, cold weather can level the playing field. The best time of year to see the most deer numbers wise.


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