Who here hunts late season deer?

[iccyman001]

How do you change up your tactics?
Are you sitting over food sources?
Are you just waiting for super cold days that you know they will be on their feet?

At what time do you change your tactics and how do you hunt late season?

 

[bowhunter]

I don\'t hunt late season after gun near as much as I do the rut. Our late season starts mid December till January 10th. If I do go out it is evening by food. I see mostly does as the bucks have gone into hiding.

 

[timberland]

I do and I LOVE IT. I\'m usually trying to fill a doe tag so I feel like I\'m going to shoot every time I sit. Deer are pretty easy to pattern again on food sources. I only sit in the evenings and try to pick the warmest ones. When I see a mature buck its the last five minutes of shooting light. This is where my food plots really shine. Hidden in security cover and lots of different food sources are covered up by snow. I can be back in the house drinking coffee by 4:45. Then back out to track in the snow and still in bed by nine with one hung up in the garage is the best. Late winter I don\'t worry about scent as much. You still have to pay attention to wind, but not so much with scent on the ground. The big worries now are movement and sound. Barren trees and super quiet conditions are the norm.

I put my winter stands in trees that lose all those rattling leaves but have plenty of branches and are out of the wind. Deer movement in consistently the last half hour of the day, so I only sit about an hour to 1.5 hrs at a time. Sneak in and wack one so you don\'t have to worry about sneaking out. If I bust deer coming out, it usually wrecks that stand for the rest of season. Our archery season ends Jan. 4 or so and I try to hunt a lot after Christmas.

 

[cnelk]

I like to hunt does in December with my ML.
Its fun, low key and extends the hunting time in the woods.





Also a great time to get the kiddos some good big game opportunities !
My son\'s first deer back in 2008

 

[iccyman001]

I do and I LOVE IT. I\'m usually trying to fill a doe tag so I feel like I\'m going to shoot every time I sit. Deer are pretty easy to pattern again on food sources. I only sit in the evenings and try to pick the warmest ones. When I see a mature buck its the last five minutes of shooting light. This is where my food plots really shine. Hidden in security cover and lots of different food sources are covered up by snow. I can be back in the house drinking coffee by 4:45. Then back out to track in the snow and still in bed by nine with one hung up in the garage is the best. Late winter I don\'t worry about scent as much. You still have to pay attention to wind, but not so much with scent on the ground. The big worries now are movement and sound. Barren trees and super quiet conditions are the norm.

I put my winter stands in trees that lose all those rattling leaves but have plenty of branches and are out of the wind. Deer movement in consistently the last half hour of the day, so I only sit about an hour to 1.5 hrs at a time. Sneak in and wack one so you don\'t have to worry about sneaking out. If I bust deer coming out, it usually wrecks that stand for the rest of season. Our archery season ends Jan. 4 or so and I try to hunt a lot after Christmas.

Sounds like you really do have a nice set up out there! I would love to see some pictures sometime!!!!!
Good luck this year.



I\'ve never really had a good late season routine and I am hoping to get it down a little better this year.
The area I hunt has food plots on it that the biologist takes care of. He got winter wheat in later than it probably should have this year and it was also a very mild winter, so I couldn\'t catch them hitting the plots.


Maybe this upcoming season will be different.

 

[AaronJohnson]

I like to as well. I have some areas in Oklahoma that consistently produce good acorn mast. They are great areas for post rut meat hunts. December has been good to me in the past.

 

[OldMan]

I prefer later seasons for all hunts. Probably because I hate hot weather more than anything else. Hunting for me means cold, snow, and bare trees. (better to find game) Hunting tactics are always the same. Sneak up on them.

There\'s another reason when it comes to mule deer. In early season the mature bucks are up high it the open. Very hard to get close to them. In later seasons they move down in the timber to hide out. I prefer them in the timber.

 

[otcWill]

I have limited tag access in late season these days. Back when I lived in NJ and had a 5 month bowseason with unlimited antlerless tags I hunted all season whenever possible. I could never sit out early season or late season. I just can\'t not hunt when the season is open and I have a tag. Its not in my DNA. I always switch it up a bit early or late; fringe hunting in early season; trails closer to food sources than bedding in the late season. I just love to bowhunt and I admit I don\'t have enough restraint to sit out any time of year

 

[iccyman001]

lol I understand completely, Will..... :upthumb:

 

[F M]

I love hunting late season especially if we have some snow on the ground. I really don\'t change where I hunt much. My regular stands are mostly in travel routes already. With the snow it is easy to see if they are using the area or if I have to move.

 

[2peterhunter]

I hunt late season in mn. It is anywhere from -20-10 and it\'s cold. I love it deer move early and are the easiest to pattern. There are very few people out hunting as well. For my feet I use 2400 gram thinsulate rubber boots. I get a size bigger and put thermecell heaters inside. They are big and clunky specialy in snow. Also use a muff with thin gloves and a few good layers I can make it 4-5 hours. Good luck.

 

[iccyman001]

I hunt late season in mn. It is anywhere from -20-10 and it\'s cold. I love it deer move early and are the easiest to pattern. There are very few people out hunting as well. For my feet I use 2400 gram thinsulate rubber boots. I get a size bigger and put thermecell heaters inside. They are big and clunky specialy in snow. Also use a muff with thin gloves and a few good layers I can make it 4-5 hours. Good luck.

Do your boots keep you warm with those thermacell heaters inside?
I wear 800 gram cabelas boots with nice thick socks. I usually wear a liner sock on the inside that pulls the sweat out from my feet.
They work, but if I walk too much me feet get cold once I stop. Too much sweat for the liners.


I\'ve been looking into some good muffs too for my hands. I\'m usually using my bow and I just don\'t like using thick gloves.
So my options were either thin gloves or no gloves and stick my hands in my pockets. It works, but I don\'t like all the movement and there have been a few times I got stuck in my pockets because of awkward angles and deer coming in.

I\'d like to find a muff that I can attach to the front of my pants or something. That way I just remove my hands out and can stand up without it falling down or moving.

 

[F M]

I only use 1200 gram Rocky blizzard stalkers for real cold hunting and my feet are fine in them.

Dan the hand muff I use has a strap that goes around my waist and does not move when I pull my hands out of it. I just use a thin pair of gloves when using it.

 

[iccyman001]

I only use 1200 gram Rocky blizzard stalkers for real cold hunting and my feet are fine in them.

Dan the hand muff I use has a strap that goes around my waist and does not move when I pull my hands out of it. I just use a thin pair of gloves when using it.

I like the strap option! I just found a nice one on cabelas, I think I may have to put in an order :upthumb:

 

[2peterhunter]

I hunt late season in mn. It is anywhere from -20-10 and it\'s cold. I love it deer move early and are the easiest to pattern. There are very few people out hunting as well. For my feet I use 2400 gram thinsulate rubber boots. I get a size bigger and put thermecell heaters inside. They are big and clunky specialy in snow. Also use a muff with thin gloves and a few good layers I can make it 4-5 hours. Good luck.

Do your boots keep you warm with those thermacell heaters inside?
I wear 800 gram cabelas boots with nice thick socks. I usually wear a liner sock on the inside that pulls the sweat out from my feet.
They work, but if I walk too much me feet get cold once I stop. Too much sweat for the liners.


I\'ve been looking into some good muffs too for my hands. I\'m usually using my bow and I just don\'t like using thick gloves.
So my options were either thin gloves or no gloves and stick my hands in my pockets. It works, but I don\'t like all the movement and there have been a few times I got stuck in my pockets because of awkward angles and deer coming in.

I\'d like to find a muff that I can attach to the front of my pants or something. That way I just remove my hands out and can stand up without it falling down or moving.

They do pretty well two mornings I hunted last year they did not. It was pushing -35 windchill. They just mostly keep my feet from going numb, I have gotten my feet too cold a few times and nearly frostbit them from just staying out too long. I would assume it makes my feet a bit more sensitive but I don\'t take chances anymore. With my muff I wear one thick glove on my left hand and nothing on me right. But it is incredibly painful to hook your release and wait for a deer.

 

[iccyman001]

I hunt late season in mn. It is anywhere from -20-10 and it\'s cold. I love it deer move early and are the easiest to pattern. There are very few people out hunting as well. For my feet I use 2400 gram thinsulate rubber boots. I get a size bigger and put thermecell heaters inside. They are big and clunky specialy in snow. Also use a muff with thin gloves and a few good layers I can make it 4-5 hours. Good luck.

Do your boots keep you warm with those thermacell heaters inside?
I wear 800 gram cabelas boots with nice thick socks. I usually wear a liner sock on the inside that pulls the sweat out from my feet.
They work, but if I walk too much me feet get cold once I stop. Too much sweat for the liners.


I\'ve been looking into some good muffs too for my hands. I\'m usually using my bow and I just don\'t like using thick gloves.
So my options were either thin gloves or no gloves and stick my hands in my pockets. It works, but I don\'t like all the movement and there have been a few times I got stuck in my pockets because of awkward angles and deer coming in.

I\'d like to find a muff that I can attach to the front of my pants or something. That way I just remove my hands out and can stand up without it falling down or moving.

They do pretty well two mornings I hunted last year they did not. It was pushing -35 windchill. They just mostly keep my feet from going numb, I have gotten my feet too cold a few times and nearly frostbit them from just staying out too long. I would assume it makes my feet a bit more sensitive but I don\'t take chances anymore. With my muff I wear one thick glove on my left hand and nothing on me right. But it is incredibly painful to hook your release and wait for a deer.

Wow.... you guys deal with your fair share of cold weather!!!!!!
The coldest i\'ve hunted was -8 and my hands were not happy.
I was drawn back on a doe (which let me tell you, drawing back in the freezing cold is not easy)
Anyways, here I am drawn back on this doe and I am trying to feel my trigger and it wasn\'t working well.
I tried squeezing back more to find it and I punched the release. Watch the arrow fly right over her back :crazy:

 

[F M]

The coldest I remember hunting was -25 air temp. It\'s not the funnest hunting but now when it\'s real cold out I hunt out of a blind. The worst part is when you shoot one and have to field dress it. One time I really appreciate sticking my hands in a warm chest cavity.

 

[OldMan]

For some odd reason my feet have been numb for the last 10 years. If my feet get cold I never feel it. I can stand in snow all day with regular boots.

Now my hands are a different story. They\'re always freezing no matter what gloves I wear. My ears too.

 

[Jaquomo]

I\'m a late season muley bowhunter. I call, rattle and decoy, hunting from the ground on the CO eastern plains. Where I hunt there are whitetails too, but I don\'t bother with them unless they\'re pretty big. It can get super-cold out there, with killer wind chill and sideways blizzards. I camp in my little trailer on a bluff overlooking a river bottom, and spend anywhere from 20-30 days out there unless I kill a big buck early, which never seems to happen. Love it!

The biggest problem is peeing. When it\'s that cold the pee freezes before it hits the ground, and the sound of the frozen icicle shattering can scare the deer. :upthumb:

 

[EmbryOklahoma]

I hunt a little late season. I shot this buck on January 4th of this year. He came through a pinch point with 4 other bucks. He was the second one through and shot him at 12 yards. It was the coldest morning we had all season with temps in the teens and a howling NW wind that brought the wind chill in around single digits. Glad it happened early so I didn\'t have to freeze for several hours. My wife was in a stand also and was happy to get down and help in the short recovery. Good times!