Even though its been a long, tiring, frustrating season, I'd still like to go out for a few sits in mid-late december. I'm giving myself a few weeks off to recover and get some work done, but I'm curious to know what the movement patterns for bucks will be like after both ruts have come to an end. Will they become nocturnal like their October patterns? or will they be more like their late summer/early fall patterns where it is possible to see them during shooting hours. I do know that hunting food sources will be the key to any success. Let me know what you guys have observed over the years
cricket... cricket... (that would be the sound of silence) 52 views and no one has ever shot a buck after the rut?
After the rut and gun seasons, my deer sightings drop to about 0. Thats just the nature of the beast. Overhunting/reduced deer heard means less sightings, less action and certainly less daytime movement.
My property is a wintering area for the local deer, and with gun season on during the rut over pressuring deer I actually have some of my best hunting in mid to late December, having shot 3 deer in that time frame, including two bucks.
the private property I plan on hunting hasnt had any hunting activity since before the rut, should I still expect it to be slow?
The land structure has a fenced in farm field on the north side, which is adjacent to the property I hunt, a native brook trout stream that also runs on the north-northeast side, thicket along the creek/farm field, rows of spruce trees on the northeast side (it used to be an old christmas tree farm) a large clearing with some random white oaks in the middle on the east side, and a very large ridge on the south and southwest side, which is a combination of thick brush and timber stands. The house is on the west. There is some housing development on all sides of the property but not much
I've always had good luck seeing deer after the rut/s. Where I hunt they seem to go into the same patterns as the does where I see them in the mornings & evenings.
If you have good cover and food you should be fine. As long as the neighbors isn't better! Sent from iPhone
