Late Season Food Sources on Public Land

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Heavy Handload
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Late Season Food Sources on Public Land

Unread postby Heavy Handload » Sat Dec 05, 2020 11:53 am

Hey guys,
I’ve just started hunting late season last year so I’m trying to learn. I hunt public land, so that means I don’t have permission to shoot into farm crop fields. I hear a lot about how bucks love soy beans and corn during the late season but there’s not a lot of that on public ground. I can try to get between their bedding on the public and the private crop fields but I don’t wanna limit myself to only that tactic in case that scenario doesn’t play out for me.
I was wondering if there are some other good food sources that you guys have had success on that I might be able to look for in the woods?

Any input is really appreciated


ODH
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Re: Late Season Food Sources on Public Land

Unread postby ODH » Sat Dec 05, 2020 12:41 pm

See if you can find any freshly fallen hardwoods whether natural or tops from logging, in my area they eat what’s left of the leaves and ends pretty heavily this time of year. And hemlock if you have that.
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Re: Late Season Food Sources on Public Land

Unread postby Heavy Handload » Sat Dec 05, 2020 1:13 pm

No kidding, thanks for the tip
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Re: Late Season Food Sources on Public Land

Unread postby utica19 » Sat Dec 05, 2020 1:29 pm

If you can find some red oaks that have dropped this year, they tend to become good food sources in the late season. The white oaks are preferred in the earlier season. The tanen wears off of the reds (or something like that) and they become more palatable for late season...
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Grizzlyadam
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Re: Late Season Food Sources on Public Land

Unread postby Grizzlyadam » Sat Dec 05, 2020 2:34 pm

Acorns!
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may21581
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Re: Late Season Food Sources on Public Land

Unread postby may21581 » Sat Dec 05, 2020 3:08 pm

Acorns, hickory nuts, any green vegetation, Greenbriar, leaves. Scout around and see what they are feeding on. Sign dont lie.
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Re: Late Season Food Sources on Public Land

Unread postby Evanszach7 » Sat Dec 05, 2020 11:57 pm

may21581 wrote:Acorns, hickory nuts, any green vegetation, Greenbriar, leaves. Scout around and see what they are feeding on. Sign dont lie.


+locust pods
Heavy Handload
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Re: Late Season Food Sources on Public Land

Unread postby Heavy Handload » Sun Dec 06, 2020 1:17 am

John Eberhart and Andrae D’aquisto talk about those locust pods. Interesting.

Thanks fellas
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Re: Late Season Food Sources on Public Land

Unread postby venisonassassin » Sun Dec 06, 2020 3:16 pm

Red dogwood
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Re: Late Season Food Sources on Public Land

Unread postby 218er » Sun Dec 06, 2020 3:25 pm

Oaks and acorns the ticket on most public land.
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Re: Late Season Food Sources on Public Land

Unread postby mauser06 » Sun Dec 06, 2020 3:54 pm

Going to depend on where you are and what's available. I typically hunt the big woods in the late season. Acorns if there are any left and browse. Dewberry is always hot.


Here, in the late season, you can often see where they are digging. Looks a lot like turkey scratching a lot of times.
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Re: Late Season Food Sources on Public Land

Unread postby Singing Bridge » Mon Dec 07, 2020 1:12 am

Here in the northern midwest white cedar, red osier dogwood and red oak acorns are prime late season food sources.

Bucks start incorporating white cedar into their diets in late October but especially in early November. I've killed countless bucks with white cedar in their stomachs on public land. In the old days a hunter i knew would take a chainsaw and buck down a white cedar in November (not legal on public land). He would return and hunt it a few days later and killed a good number of bucks (mostly small, the mature bucks only approached after dark because of the pressure). It was like an instant bait pile for him.

Red osier dogwood is an incredible northern food source all year long. Head height and within easy reach of the deer when you can find a good sized thicket you have found a major food source for public land deer. During the summer the bucks strip the leaves off of the red dogwood as they have a high moisture content, strong mineral content and starches which convert to carbohydrates. The bright red coloration of the dogwood makes it easy to find when scouting. In the fall and winter the bucks browse the tender ends of the branches like crazy. At this time of year, identifying where the bucks are bedding before they depart toward the dogwood is key to hunting daylight movement.

Red oak acorns... as someone already posted the tannins have leached and they have become very palatable. Many of the public areas I hunt have thousands upon thousands of red oaks (white oaks are rare) on the upland ridges. If you have fresh snow on the ground these areas look like a bombing run took place as the deer and turkeys toss the leaves about under the snow and chow the corns. The turkeys show during daylight and so do the young deer... the bucks show up after dark. Again, it is important to back track the bucks if you don't know where they are bedding in order to see daylight movement.

Bridge
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Re: Late Season Food Sources on Public Land

Unread postby Elite » Mon Dec 07, 2020 4:28 am

Singing Bridge wrote:Here in the northern midwest white cedar, red osier dogwood and red oak acorns are prime late season food sources.

Bucks start incorporating white cedar into their diets in late October but especially in early November. I've killed countless bucks with white cedar in their stomachs on public land. In the old days a hunter i knew would take a chainsaw and buck down a white cedar in November (not legal on public land). He would return and hunt it a few days later and killed a good number of bucks (mostly small, the mature bucks only approached after dark because of the pressure). It was like an instant bait pile for him.

Red osier dogwood is an incredible northern food source all year long. Head height and within easy reach of the deer when you can find a good sized thicket you have found a major food source for public land deer. During the summer the bucks strip the leaves off of the red dogwood as they have a high moisture content, strong mineral content and starches which convert to carbohydrates. The bright red coloration of the dogwood makes it easy to find when scouting. In the fall and winter the bucks browse the tender ends of the branches like crazy. At this time of year, identifying where the bucks are bedding before they depart toward the dogwood is key to hunting daylight movement.

Red oak acorns... as someone already posted the tannins have leached and they have become very palatable. Many of the public areas I hunt have thousands upon thousands of red oaks (white oaks are rare) on the upland ridges. If you have fresh snow on the ground these areas look like a bombing run took place as the deer and turkeys toss the leaves about under the snow and chow the corns. The turkeys show during daylight and so do the young deer... the bucks show up after dark. Again, it is important to back track the bucks if you don't know where they are bedding in order to see daylight movement.

Bridge


Bridge,

Can you share pictures of the white cedar and dogwood you're referring to?


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