We are coming down to the last stretch of the Deer season, and you haven’t been able to put down that big buck that you have been after all season, yet. Well the good news is that the season isn’t over just yet, and with 5 Deer Hunting strategies for the late season you just might be able to down that giant in the Late Season!Â
We are past the Rut and now you have to change your game plan, and below We have put together 5 strategies that will help you be successful. Get ready because it’s time that you find and harvest the buck you have spent so much time and effort on this season.
1. Scouting
The first strategy for the late season is scouting. It is very important, and can increase your chances for success if you scout and find the most recent information (MRI). Finding the spots that the deer are using now are going to give you the best chances of finding a shooter.Â
You are going to check food sources first, deer just finished a very stressful period… The Rut. Bucks are tired from chasing and have lost around 30% of their body weight. With the winter here they are going to need that weight back and the only way to do that is by eating.
Find the best food sources around you, this is corn, beans, and food plots that were planted specifically for the late season. This is where you can find large numbers of deer gathering.Â
The next key to scouting is finding where the deer are bedding. You can use aerial photos and topo maps to find areas that the deer maybe bedding. The best slopes to find deer in the cold late season is on south and east facing slopes, because it blocks any wind and the first rays of sunlight hit those slopes first which will help warm the deer.
After you have a couple of spot picked out go and find the MRI (most recent information). Find what parts of the field the deer are using the most. Hang cameras on the spots that look the best according to the most recent information.
2. Observation
It is good to dedicate an evening to watching the field that you have picked out. Watch for where the deer are coming from and where they are going to. The unpressured areas on your property will most likely show you the best results around this time of year.
Any covered or brushy areas that you have on your property will be a great spot to find deer bedding. If you can get in between food and those thick cover areas you will be in an ideal spot for finding a shooter. Look for travel corridors that deer are likely using to get to these crop fields or food plots.Â
Observing the field before you go in, gives you the chance to make a great game plan and go into the hunt with a good amount of confidence.
3. Persistence
Its time to move in. Now that you have observed good deer movement and found a potential spot that a mature buck is using, you can hang a set and hunt it consistently for a few days. You don’t have to hunt the same exact spot, but stay in a proximity to where you are seeing the movement.
A mature deer isn’t going to do the same exact thing every day, so it may take 3-4 days for him to come back by your stand. Make sure to stay persistent to the spot and you will get an opportunity at a mature late season buck. This is where your trail camera can give you a lot of information and help you get a pattern down on a shooter.
Some ideal conditions for enhanced late season movement will be listed below:
Cold fronts:Â 10+ degree drops in temperature within 24 hours.
Barometric Pressure:Â A reading in the range of 30.00-30.40 is ideal.
Wind:Â Deer will bed if the wind is harsh, so a speed around 10mph or less is preferred.Â
4. Execution
With it being the Late Season it’s important that you have bulleted proof entrance and exit strategies so that you’re not bumping deer off of your property. Make sure that you are able to get to and leave your stand without deer being able to see you. During the late season the deer are easy to spook. Make sure that you are also hunting a favorable wind.
During the Deer Hunting Late season it is most productive in the evenings, but hunting close to a sanctuary area in the morning with a great entrance might not be as bad as you think. The deer are going to be spending more time on the crop fields for energy and to keep them warm, if you throw in a massive cold front that forced the deer to miss a couple of meals, then they are going to spend even more time in the fields which means they will get back to their beds late morning.Â
The more time you spend in the stand the better chance you have of getting that shooter. Now is the time to execute and follow through on your game plan. Just be ready and stay discipline on you entry and exit and you will see mature deer.
5. Best for Last
By now you should have some idea of what the deer are doing and the best possible spot to shooting a mature buck. At this point you can be aggressive and move closer to their beds, you have nothing to lose, because it’s the late season. You only have a couple more opportunities so you need to make them count and take a risk.Â
If you did effective planning in the summer, a food plot would be a great spot to move in on and find that buck. This will give you the opportunity to find and hunt it with the most efficiency. The deer will be highly attracted to any green food sources during the late season.Â
Don’t be surprised if you see some rut action. The late season is when yearly doe will go into estrus for the first time and big mature bucks know that so they will search for them in popular food sources where you are likely to find a lot of deer. Fawns are more social and they will go to the spots that are heavily used by deer.Â
Since we are cl song in on the end of deer hunting season, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to sit all day long. Mature deer movement is known to improve around the 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. range. Donn’t waste any potential time that you could put toward shooting that mature deer. You have spent all season grinding, and don’t let it end with nothing to show for. Get out and take advantage of every opportunity you get, it will be well worth it in the end!
Hope for success
Now that you have the 5 best deer hunting strategies for the late season you can go into the late season with confidence and hopefully achieve you goal of shooting that mature buck! We hope that you were able to learn something from this article, and that you’re hunting season ended successfully!
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