i have only gotten one deer so far, and i rely heavily on deer meat to eat throughout the year. i know i need to target food sources in the late season, but what if there isnt a really prominent food source in my area? there isnt any crops, and not many acorn trees, there are grassy/hay fields, are these adequate food sources to hunt near? also what calls should i use in the late season? for does, and or bucks. should i use any attractants? the only thing that is legal here in missouri is, mineral or salt. so deer cane is legal but acorn rage is not. it just cant have food in it. any help is greatly appreciated, i can attach a map if someone wants to see the land. just ask
Forget about attractants....Scout scout and more scouting!! Before you go out and sit in a stand, scout from a good vantage point and find out where the deer are coming out in the fields to eat. Once you locate, set up the next afternoon and immediately sit the rest of the evening. Make a ground blind from logs, sticks and corn stalks if no good trees are available for a stand. This is a great time to do this, the deer usually herd up more and congregate on any remaining food sources. Left over corn and beans spilled from combines are what the deer in my area are hitting now. Good luck!
what if there arent any fields? there is only one field, and it is near houses, so the only time they may come out there is in the middle of the night.
I have been listening to some bowhunting podcasts and they have all been saying to hunt the "limiting factors." Basically deer in the late season need 3 things: 1) cover 2) food 3) water. So if you have no food, do you have a water source that is close to cover? Is it the only water source in the area? Is there a water source that is on the way to a food source somewhere? Moose knuckle made a good point though, you need to observe and pattern the deer in your area. In the late season it will be harder to observe and scout the deer, especially if there has been any hunting pressure, as they tend to be much more nocturnal after the rut. You can always set up a trail camera though, to see where they travel. The best advice that I can give is to find out their patterns and intercept them on their way to a food or water source, or on their way back to cover after they eat/drink. Usually bucks are bedded down by 8:30am late season, and does and bucks alike generally by 9am. They may move some mid-afternoon, but usually from cover to deeper cover, not out in the open. Then they usually start moving again at last light. Deer also play the weather, if they sense a cold front coming, they may get up and move around earlier so they can stay in cover once the weather gets bad. If it's windy they don't move around as much, etc. Basically learn the patterns of the deer in your area, and set up a plan to ambush them as they are going about their daily routines. If they move around later and later then move closer to their bedding areas so that you can catch them while you still have some light. Good luck
Im in the same boat. I plan on just scouting all day tomorrow and pray it snows tonight to make it a little easier
well, i know here in PA we have about 10 inches of snow. personally, i'd scout heavy and look for food. of course, it all depends on where your at. i know me i'd be looking hard and heavy around corn fields and maybe apple trees, there are still a few left hanging.
