NO deer late season

[96snake719]

Hey all new here, I hunt a small peice of private property thats about 29 acres, and I see TONS of deer during bow season it seems as if they are just running all over the place. However about the last week before gun season it starts to trickle down until Im struggling to see even a single deer. If I dont shoot my buck opening day of gun season I might aswell forget it because that is pretty much the only chance I got. Hunting pressure is at a minimun aswell seeing how I am the only one that hunts the property, I only hunt about 3 times a week and never sit in the same stand twice. Do you guys think this is just simply because I have NO late seaon food sources what so ever? Or are the deer just cruisin through someplace else on the property? Let me know what you think thanks guys, Nick

[Moosemaple]

Welcome to the forum.

[wooly]

Hard to believe you have absolutely no late season food sources unless you hunt in an over populated, over browsed park.

You don't need giant food plots to sustain whitetails durring the late season. Many a big buck has been killed over micro browse locations if you take the time to learn what and where they are on your propperty. Remember, this time of year a deers diet is turning towards more woodsy browse so if at the very least you've got any young sappling growth within reach of a standing deer you're gonna have deer taking advantage of them.

Things will become much easier for you to see and understand if we ever get some snow on the ground. Take advantage of it to find out for sure.

It is also quite possible your deer are using another area or preferred food source not on your propperty. This is what you need to scout out even if that means just taking a drive around town.

[Single_shot]

Hard to believe you have absolutely no late season food sources unless you hunt in an over populated, over browsed park.

You don't need giant food plots to sustain whitetails durring the late season. Many a big buck has been killed over micro browse locations if you take the time to learn what and where they are on your propperty. Remember, this time of year a deers diet is turning towards more woodsy browse so if at the very least you've got any young sappling growth within reach of a standing deer you're gonna have deer taking advantage of them.

Things will become much easier for you to see and understand if we ever get some snow on the ground. Take advantage of it to find out for sure.

It is also quite possible your deer are using another area or preferred food source not on your propperty. This is what you need to scout out even if that means just taking a drive around town.

+1 there,excellent answer. If there are any farms local to your property and any standing corn or other planted source yet etc., that's most likely where they will be most of the time,near the food source.Don't forget they also need water.

[13BVET]

I used to have a setup like that. What I used to do, was stay in one spot, overlooking a small valley. If I moved, I wouldn't see anything. The key to where I hunted, was the swamp, and the valley. They would lay in the swamp, and alot of times, go out the other side, or, just simply not move until dusk. There were times when I wouldn't see any deer for a week, then they would just appear out of nowhere. That's what happened with this buck I took on the property, right after a thunderstorm. Again, try not to move, and get above their scent zone!

Edited December 3, 2011 by 13BVET

[13BVET]

It was a 9 pointer that dressed out at 173lbs. Took him with the bow about 3 years ago.

[Localqdm]

1. Pressure : gun season shuts them down; relative to the pressure

2. Rut: Late bow they go into lockdown and don't move a lot for a week or so

3. Food: Is the food all harvested neighboring your 29 acres? Then they probably have moved on.

4. Cover: there is less of it now and I personally think when you combine that with the added pressure the deer are more apt to travel areas in heavier cover as we are not hunting the 'same' land anymore. the landscape changes pretty dramatically between mid Oct and Dec.

[96snake719]

Thanks guys very helpful! I have been hunting this piece going on 5 years now so I have a pretty good understanding of the deer habits. One side of the property is boardered by I-81 and the other is a ravine that goes down to a swamp, theres a road after that and on the other side is alllll cornfields. So basically all it is is a rectangular piece of hemlocks and hardwoods. And like I said I see the deer all over the place browsing on berries and sapplings and you name it during early season, actually one of my evening stands I hunt over a handful of trees that I have no idea what they are, but they drop berries like crazy and the deer love it! but after a certain time frame they just dont use it anymore. I just honestly think the majority of the deer are in them cornfields across the street. I hear a bunch of shots over there but nothin on my side. 13BVET thats a nice buck! I was fortunant enough to get myself a nice 8 point on opening day of gun this year, but go figure havent seen another deer since!

[13BVET]

Thanks guys very helpful! I have been hunting this piece going on 5 years now so I have a pretty good understanding of the deer habits. One side of the property is boardered by I-81 and the other is a ravine that goes down to a swamp, theres a road after that and on the other side is alllll cornfields. So basically all it is is a rectangular piece of hemlocks and hardwoods. And like I said I see the deer all over the place browsing on berries and sapplings and you name it during early season, actually one of my evening stands I hunt over a handful of trees that I have no idea what they are, but they drop berries like crazy and the deer love it! but after a certain time frame they just dont use it anymore. I just honestly think the majority of the deer are in them cornfields across the street. I hear a bunch of shots over there but nothin on my side. 13BVET thats a nice buck! I was fortunant enough to get myself a nice 8 point on opening day of gun this year, but go figure havent seen another deer since!

They may have been mulberry trees. If I were you, hunt that ravine above the swamp. That's where all the deer used to lay once pressured-in the swamp. Find a well used run that goes into the swamp, and set up above that. I took a lot of deer that way. They would only skirt the swamp, and not come out into the open woods.

[RifleSharpShot]

I have not been out in a few days maybe my luck will change since I'll be out setting the ground blind up a 6 am!!

[nyantler]

Deer have different travel corridors during different parts of the season based on food source, rut activity and pressure.. after the rut deer tend to conserve energy for the winter and move only when absolutely necessary...sounds like your 29 acres is a great corridor during the pre-rut and rut time but is not used much by the deer after that... very common on small pieces of property... making stand hunting very difficult.

Edited December 3, 2011 by nyantler

[Fantail]

96snake719 maybe next year do up a food plot or two if you have some clearings there.

[96snake719]

96snake719 maybe next year do up a food plot or two if you have some clearings there.

I was actually thinking about doing this, they wouldnt be able to be very big but I could probably through some up there.

[JPP]

I have the same exact situation. I try to fill as many tags as I can during early bow season, then I just hope for luck during late gun season. It paid off today, I shot a buck at 1:18PM, as he was cruising through an area where I haven't seen a deer since Nov 1. I guess make the best of the times the deer are abundant, then stay on stand as long as possible in areas as some guys have described to you in earlier posts.

Also, use other people's movements to help you. Almost all of my gun kills after opening day have occurred between 1 and 3 PM. I am sure majority of deer movement was because guys were going home, or coming back on stand after lunch. I sit on stand all day and fill tags.