Late season tips or advice?

[RedShaft]

I didn't get to hunt much regular archery season this year so I plan to get out and do some late season hunting here in Pa on public land.
I have not done much of it other than sneaking around or doing drives with the flintlock.

It's a mix of mountains and rolling woods with some farms around. That would be cut corn. You guys have any tips or advice on finding some deer that are left? The Deer numbers are pretty low. But there will be some left. This will be after Christmas. Thanks!

[Buckeye1977]

Figure out the food source and you'll find the deer

We share late season with the muzzle folks, the standing crops left on public land is where they congregate, making bow hunting tough.  Winters in the Penn state are not as cold as here, but the colder it gets the more predictable the deer and the hunters get.  The half horse town east of here has only one place to get food, coffee and a place to sit on cold winter days, the bar.  That is where the late season hunters end up, the food source.  Stay away from the woman that talks like Johnny Cash that asks hunters if they want to come up to her apartment to warm up.

[Trenton G.]

I've had luck setting up on heavy trails between bedding areas and food sources. It helps to have snow to really tell which trails are getting used heavily.

[KSdan]

Food. . .  and cold weather!

[Friend]

See plenty of great action late season.

Late season can be feast or famine.

Id3ntify the primary food source to avoid the latter.

[stagetek]

I've always been told to not hunt mornings. Hunt late afternoon to dark, and where there is food.

[bucknut]

I like to hunt food sources on the lead edge of a cold front and first day it warms back up. Deer will likely be bedded on a south facing slope, so travel routes may change a little from normal travel.

John

[9 Shocks]

South slopes with cover and as others mentioned...FOOD!  Late season is tough where I hunt in the big woods.  You can see 20 deer a day or zero deer a day.  But the bucks can get predictable.

[Bowguy67]

I live right next to Pa. I've hunted Pa and went to school there. Not sure everyone understands the pressure in some areas. It's easy to say find the food, find the deer.
Truthfully I'd hunt weather patterns. After a good snow when things haven't eaten a day or two, they might be on their feet mid day. Right before a good storm thats gonna hit at dark and last a day or so is another good time.
Either way anytime in the woods is better than at home but if you can raise the odds why not do so.

[Friend]

Thoroughly enjoy late season hunting.

Two scrapes established in MAY have been freshly opened since yesterday. Significant deer traffic is concentrated at the set.

Am looking quite forward to tomorrow afternoon's hunt.

[LittleBen]

Ground rules of public land ... get in before the other guy, hike farther than the other guy, stay longer than the other guy,

When you find the right spot just be prepared to really stick it out. Lots of opportunities are missed by hunters hiking out to eat lunch ..... guess they never heard of sandwiches or granola bars.

I always bring a pack with  water, food, any other clothes I might need, binoculars, grunt call, extra socks, flashlight, and an empty bottle .... for the water after my kidneys process it. That's public or private land.

Coach told me once you should never lose a match to conditioning .... same principle ... be prepared.

[Herdbull]

Public land may pose difficulty in calling do to over use throughout the season, but normally I have a higher percentage response of mature bucks to rattling during late season between Christmas and New Years. As deer congregate toward food source, bucks showing increased stress from the rut will travel further to get to easier food, thus increasing the local buck to do ratio a little. This may induce just the right competition to get them to respond to conflict inferred by rattling.  Something to try. Mike

[Herdbull]

I rattle using a technique I termed "Puppet Fights" which involves rattling from a tree stand with four sheds on the ground tethered to a cord manipulated by me in the tree. Mike

[Herdbull]

As young does, or fawns that are healthy and have increased body weight may come into heat, and even further conflict between bucks. This may occur during darkness, but your rattling during daylight
may encourage investigation of your location. Mike

[Herdbull]

Originally posted by Herdbull:
[QB] Buck taken using this technique

[RedShaft]

Originally posted by Bowguy67:
I live right next to Pa. I've hunted Pa and went to school there. Not sure everyone understands the pressure in some areas. It's easy to say find the food, find the deer.
Truthfully I'd hunt weather patterns. After a good snow when things haven't eaten a day or two, they might be on their feet mid day. Right before a good storm thats gonna hit at dark and last a day or so is another good time.
Either way anytime in the woods is better than at home but if you can raise the odds why not do so.

Yeah as he said. Nailed it. You know exactly where I'm coming from. We have lots of public land. But lots of people who hunt it hard.
We are talking high pressure pounded state lands. With low deer populations.

[RedShaft]

Mike,
Yeah I honestly never thought about calling or thinking of it like that with does coming back into or young ones coming into heat. I will give that a go. It makes sense. I have never targeted bucks like that before after Christmas.
Honestly though Mike I would be happy with a doe in the late season. Seriously I would be tickled!

Beautiful buck and picture!

[northern lights]

Harvesting any deer  on Pa. public land in the late season with trad, gear is something to be proud of, a 3 year or older  doe after all the early seasons doesn't  make many mistakes, that being said seems  like  other than the Saturdays and opener of rifle season there was little pressure in  my areas, that coupled with antler regs, is leading to some competition  for the hot doe in  late season,  was pulling a stand  last year after rifle and had two bucks on a doe , one grunting and real close to her and the other one came through  a few minutes later, she looked to  be a yearling and scared to death so I do think  rattling  would work in the right area. And  Mike's idea  of actually having the sound  at ground level really makes sense, haven't seen too many 18 feet  up  a tree sparring!

[Herdbull]

I hunt moose is vast areas, but usually their density is very low, so calling is relied on by these animals to get together. The same principle could apply to deer in low density areas. For deer I usually focus on mature bucks, but doing so I have called in hundreds of younger bucks during late season. Young bucks may be easier to call than even does. But don't over look doe bleats this time of year either. The family groups are back together after breeding and you may be able to capitalize on the matriarchs protection instincts. Mike