Last Minute Whitetail

By Paul E. Moore

Another deer season is nearing the end. There are only a few days of archery season left in which to bag deer. It can be tougher at this time of year, but hunters can still find success by changing tactics and adapting to varying conditions.

Many things change during the late season and hunters must change too in order to be successful. The breeding season has wound down, foliage and cover has diminished, and food sources are much more limited.

There has also been a lot of hunting pressure on whitetails for the past several weeks. All of these factors affect where the deer will be and when they will move.

Each of these factors can have a good side and bad for hunters. Knowing how these changes affect the deer helps hunters understand how to locate and hunt deer in the late season. Here is a look at some of the changes and how to use them as an advantage to up the odds for success.

Food Sources

The late season is a difficult time for whitetails. Their bodies are stressed from breeding activity and food sources are becoming much more limited.

Staples such as agricultural crops and acorns are mostly gone. Now they must locate alternative sources to carry them over until spring green-up.

Finding these late season food sources will enable the hunter to find the deer as well. Deer will key on these winter foods and often concentrate in larger numbers than earlier in the year. Sometimes late season deer can be so concentrated they can be difficult to find.

Deer will utilize any standing crops remaining in the fields, green fields with winter wheat, and any areas where acorns might still be left to find. Other sources such as honeysuckle and good browse areas are heavily used. Winter food plots planted by hunters are an excellent draw for late season whitetails.

Security Areas

Another key to remember is finding bedding and resting areas. Deer may be bedding in the same locations they were earlier in the season. However, chances are that they have moved.

Hunting pressure, foliage die-out, and diminished food supplies will more than likely have forced deer into new areas.

It’s very important hunters find at least the general area in which whitetails are bedding. One must know the travel routes between bedding and feeding to be successful. Hunting directly on a food source may only bring limited success. Whitetails may often move less during the daylight hours if they have been greatly pressured during hunting season.

Deer will look for the heaviest available cover possible. It must provide a feeling of security, but must also provide some protection from the elements. Look for thick tangles of scrub brush, pine thickets, downed trees and pilings from logging, or other areas that offer security and protection. Hillsides that offer a windbreak and a good view of approaching danger are prime spots to seek.

Hunt Closer

Depending on the hunting pressure and other factors in a particular area, deer may become mostly nocturnal during the late season.

They may stay in heavy cover during much of the daylight hours and only venture out during late evening and early morning hours. This may make it difficult for hunters to intercept them on travel paths without changing hunting tactics.

Often times it will be necessary to hunt very close to the bedding areas in order to catch whitetails as they leave the secure areas just before dark. It is very important to slip into these close range areas extremely quiet and wary of prevailing wind conditions.

If hunting near bedding areas on a morning hunt, hunters need to be prepared to stay in the stand all day or leave room to exit the stand and hunting area without being detected. It does no good to scout an area, hunt it, and then bump the deer from their security area when exiting the woods.

Hunt Longer

Deer movement can be really strange during the late season. Different areas and conditions can see totally different movement patterns. One area may see deer almost totally nocturnal if there has been a lot of hunting pressure. Another area may have deer moving on more normal patterns or even moving during midday. The hunter must really do the homework to find these patterns to be successful.

Sometimes this requires staying longer in the stand. It’s quite simple to realize that in order to take a late season deer; the hunter must actually be in the woods and not home on the couch. By staying longer on hunting trips, the hunter can maximize each outing to ensure the best possible chance of intercepting deer on the move.

Stay Warm

One of the biggest problems with late season hunting is staying warm and still. Getting cold on stand leads to more movement and eventually forces the hunter from the woods. Proper clothing will help keep the hunter in the woods longer.

Everyone hears that the best defense against cold is layering. This is entirely true. Multiple layers of clothing will protect much greater against the cold than just one heavy layer. Air is trapped between each layer which adds space and insulation.

The choice of clothing types is very important and varies depending on conditions. The hunter must capture as much body warmth as possible, but cannot wear materials that will produce a sweat and then subsequent cold. Outer clothing for bowhunters must be waterproof on occasion, windproof at times, but must at all times be quiet.

Concealment

Another element of success is concealment. Colors and conditions in the woods have changed dramatically since the season opener in early fall. Camo patterns which worked when everything was green may not be the best choice for a January hunt.

Hunters should try to match their surroundings as much as possible. Although whittails don’t see colors very well, turkeys do and being spotted by a flock of winter turkeys can ruin an otherwise good hunt.

For treestand hunters, it may also be necessary to hunt higher or in different types of trees. Deer can see much farther with all the leaves gone, so hunters must be very conscious of their outline being silhouetted and visible from afar. Trees with concealing branches or a backdrop of limbs will help breakup the hunter’s shape.

These are but a few leads toward a late-season mindset. Every hunting location and situation has its variables. Hunters must evaluate their own particular situation and analyze how things have changed during the season.

Proper scouting, stand placement, timing, and cooperation from the elements may help bring success during the final days of the season.