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| Friends gather for a last week deer hunt |
By now every white-tailed
deer in the woods has been educated about the presence of man by the scent left
from his forays into the woods. The remainder of the season certainly does not
rule out still hunting for deer as this technique will still be effective, but
sneaky or aggressive game plans are often the best bet when targeting pressured
deer.
It is no secret that
one of the surest methods for late season success is to hunt a green food plot.
The sneaky part of this equation is that you don’t want to hunt this particular
deer stand until the deer are using the area when the crop matures in late fall
and early winter. If you want to harvest a deer late in the season you need to
stick to the game plan and save that stand – you’ll be glad you did.
While
deer tend to stay ‘at home’ when presented with quality habitat, hunters
recognize that some deer will simply never be harvested. They are too wary from
pressure and may simply go nocturnal for the remainder of the season. However,
some deer will retreat to an out of the way woodland pocket or thicket, and
won’t stray far for food and water. These type areas offer a chance for the late
season deer hunter who is willing to set up a stand on the edge of this area
and be patient waiting for an opportunity.
A
deer stronghold such as this can be located using a map of the property,
looking specifically for an area that has little or no vehicular access. If it
is so thick that not even a four-wheeler has been through that area, then that
makes it a likely spot where wildlife is seeking refuge. Sometimes a ‘notch’ or
outcropping of land on a lease just doesn’t get hunted, but often a scouting
trip into the stronghold to look for deer sign, whether its fresh droppings,
rubs or older shed antlers, will reveal clues if this is where pressured deer
have been laying low.
Lastly, be ready to shoot when you
see a deer during the last week in the season.
To view past blog entries about deer season click here.
