Welcome To The Late Season

[freedomrules3]

well the easy part is over and the hard part begins. for those of you who have ever hunted late season in hopes of tagging a good buck know exactly what i mean. first off the deer population has been cut in half most likely. it can get brutal sitting in the cold with the wind (especially here) and foul weather. the deers patterns have been knocked all to hell with hunting pressure. sometimes you wonder how can they all hide so well. for those of you like myself who are not only die-hards , but also havent scored a buck yet. i will continue to pick and choose bucks since most will likely make it if you let them walk. will you be out in the late season? have you had previous success? I have never had much success after gun season but it may be my time this year to score that elusive late season buck.

[Twanger]

At my private land spot I often get a look at a nice buck in January, and once in a while I even get a crack at one. It is tough hunting though.

[ARO]

its funny, we wait all year for the month of november to come, because thats when a majority of the bucks are on there feet. yet, my two biggest bucks i ever killed were shot dec 28 and jan 25. go figure???

the key now is food, hunt between food and bedding area, as close as you can to bedding area without spooking them, just a matter of time before bobby big bones, leaves his bed a little to early.

well its 2:00, gotta go get into the woods!!

[campkingmd]

ARO what exactly is the food sorce late season, a fields edge a wood line or a bait pile?

[ARO]

whats going on charlie brown?

i would say any field that has something green in it right now, perferably winter wheat or clover. if you find a field planted in winter wheat you have found deer for sure this time of year.

any shrubs with green leaves still on them, other then conifers and hollies. i watched two deer monday evening eat leaves off of a little shrub that was still green, it was like they knew right where it was at. i meant to pull a leaf off so we can identify it.

let us not forget an eastern shore food plot (corn pile), right next to some thick bedding pines.

[tailnbone]

I plan on giving it my all, the week between Christmas & New Years. Muzzleloader is in from the 27th thru the 30th, I'll be hunting with my bow but hopefully someone will jump something up and get'em moving around a bit. It's definetly going to be cold and more than likely windy too. I'll stay on stand for as long as I can take it. Might have to change locations mid-day just to warm up. I haven't had much success late season in the past but like you said freedom, may be my time this year.
I planted a small patch of rye last year next to a small patch of clover. During the late season the deer were eating it pretty regular, but mostly right at dark and thru the night. Seldom seen but the area was all tracked up after fresh snowfalls. This year, I don't know, they'll probably be in the woods feeding......alot of acorns this year.......I've seen them more in the woods this year than in the fields.

[Trumbull Archer]

I did some ground stalking yesterday afternoon. Dressed in all white,on a farm I hadn't got much chance to hunt yet. Circled the bedding area between to cut corn fields,and found plenty of trails that showed some promise,just a question of getting there with out being busted.Some of the trails where mud runs in the snow,kinda cool,lets you know which ones are being used the most.
T.A.

[campkingmd]

Ah, the hunting is just about to heat up. I feel a victory drink is in the making , I can see him now laying down the red carpet in the snow, just like Hollywood, posing for the waiting Pavarotsy at the end of the runway. 2 more weeks to get it done.

When the going gets tough, the tough go hunting.

Don't tire now their's still alot of good days of hunting ahead, keep your head up boys and stay the course. You can't kill-em from camp !!!!