Trouble finding mountain deer in December

[Radford]

Anyone hunting the southern Appalachians? Here in the western part of VA, having a tough time finding does, let alone a buck. Wondering if anyone has any useful tips. The areas I hunt are National Forest. Pretty much the only security cover is mountain laurel and rhododendron thickets. Also seems like these thickets are typically on the north facing slopes and our predominant winds are either westerly or north westerly. I am thinking that even though these thickets are not on the leeward sides they are still the only bedding areas simply due to a lack of security cover. The Forest Service really fails the hunters in this region. They simply don't do enough timber management. Instead they cave to the environmentalist groups who claim to love nature, but somehow decide to ignore the fact that timber harvest and prescribed burning are two of the best things we can do to improve wildlife habitat. It's very frustrating.

(Climb down off of my soapbox) I just don't see a lot of the Hill Country scouting and bedding happening here in the mountains like the hunting beast and others talk about. To explain, like previously mentioned our only security cover is on the windward side of the mountains, therefore I am coming to a conclusion the the deer still utilize these areas for bedding regardless of wind direction. I could be completely wrong.

Any thoughts or anyone else seeing this same thing or disagree?

And for finding the deer in these areas that have very low density: Should I be focusing on these thickets close to private land where there is some pasture? There is no agriculture anywhere near me, but plenty of pasture on private.

[Mr.Magoo]

My .02 ....  What I'm seeing is mainly nocturnal movement.  I'd try to catch them coming back to bedding areas in the early morning.  For my area ... the rut's over, lots of hunting pressure for a couple of months.  It's tough to see movement of any kind.  The only real exception has been bad weather that forces the deer to move.  Good luck.

[Microtus]

Im in Michigan U.P. so have some different challenges but also extremely low deer densities like you.  Only way to know for sure where they are beding is to go in and look, trails leading in/out and of course beds.  The worst case is you blow a particular spot, but knowledge is king come this same time next year.

You could also look for trails leading into private property and "pasture".  Start following game trails.

[Michael Guran]

I hunt the NF in western NC and E TN so I feel your pain. Between the gun pressure and guys running bear dogs it’s a very difficult hunt.   Magoo and Redford had good advice.  It’s difficult to concentrate on food sources when the mountain deer don’t have crops or fields to rely on.  I was on the ground in a rhodo thicket 2 weeks ago had the biggest mountain buck I’ve ever seen make a scrape 15 yards from me, but I couldn’t get a clear shot.  This was 3:30…he walked away and didn’t appear to be spooked but I haven’t seen another deer in daylight hours since then. 

[Terry Green]

I'm about 35 miles from the Appalachian trail head here in GA.  I hunt water oaks as they seem to drop for a longer period, like well into December.  Also, look for any recent burn areas as browse will be plentiful.  Also there seems to be eatable greenery around small quiet branches/creeks. Hunt funnels and saddles, they are always a great method.

Best of luck!

[D.Rose]

I have found a select few white oaks that are tore up beneath them like the grounds been plowed past few weeks. I figured the acorns were a done deal this late but that was a surprise. Other than that 90% of the deer I have found has been all the way down in the bottoms right along the roads. Anything green like honey suckle, green briar or fescue in old strip jobs. 50-100 yds off the roads have been the ticket for me.

[Kyle85]

Hunted some VA NF hills like that this year - I think some bedding is actually on the east side of the hill where they get the morning sun and hide from the wind - laurel or no laurel.  Look for steep hills facing East next to a saddle and sit in that saddle or a little under it on the east / down-wind side but watch your wind!  Those steep hill faces with the wind swirling and the sun on them are warm places where they can smell in all directions, stay warm, and nothing can approach easily.  I followed that theory to a few spots I identified on a map, and sure enough found a saddle TORN UP with scrapes and rubs.  Had a new guy with me, told him to sit there and I went to sit nearby - we were there an hour and a half, and he nailed a spike, but there were BIG rubs up there, so there's more to be had.

Look at Caltopo.com and find those steep eastward hill faces and set up to one side of them and catch them coming or going there.  Good luck!

[charles m]

Yeah Kyle, and benches on the ease side are also good areas. 

[Radford]

Good info guys thanks.

Yeah it's pretty tough to nail down a specific food source. There is food sparsely located everywhere. Nothing that really stands out like food plots or ag fields. And the acorns have been done for a few weeks now. I've been hoping for a snow during the season to really help nail down bedding areas but that doesn't look like its gonna happen. These deer do seem to move around quite a bit and can be hard to track.

[Radford]

Hunted some VA NF hills like that this year - I think some bedding is actually on the east side of the hill where they get the morning sun and hide from the wind - laurel or no laurel.  Look for steep hills facing East next to a saddle and sit in that saddle or a little under it on the east / down-wind side but watch your wind!  Those steep hill faces with the wind swirling and the sun on them are warm places where they can smell in all directions, stay warm, and nothing can approach easily.  I followed that theory to a few spots I identified on a map, and sure enough found a saddle TORN UP with scrapes and rubs.  Had a new guy with me, told him to sit there and I went to sit nearby - we were there an hour and a half, and he nailed a spike, but there were BIG rubs up there, so there's more to be had.

Look at Caltopo.com and find those steep eastward hill faces and set up to one side of them and catch them coming or going there.  Good luck!

This is interesting. Thinking back and looking at maps I have seen deer on these types of areas. I do tend to hunt thick areas because I have seen bucks in the past in the wide open woods and they spot me from hundreds of yards away.

[J. Cook]

Grew up in the mountains of WV so I know the trouble you speak of... and still do the majority of my successful hunting back home in WV.  The issue is really that they tend to bunch up after the rut - so you either see zero deer, or 12.  Whereas early on, you are seeing multiple small groups of deer or even singles.  Once they bunch up, you are on them, or not.  Food is key, but like you said it's sparse.  Most acorns in the mountains are now of no value as they are rotten and not palatable to the deer (unless there is simply nothing else to eat).  Back home, they begin hitting the fields again at night eating whatever greenery is available. 

The deer are still there as sign will dictate, but it's definitely tougher hunting one large group of deer, as opposed to 5 smaller groups of deer.  I've had success in December with a bow and with a muzzleloader in that region, but it's tough.  Plus the deer have now been through all the rifle seasons and are wound pretty dang tight - no mistakes allowed when hunting them, that's for sure.

[MnFn]

I’m not anywhere near mountains, but I spent more time hunting after the rifle season than before this year.  I found some tracks but didn’t get close to a shot.

I hunted three different areas, up to 100 miles apart. Three distinctly different types of terrain. One was with a lot of agriculture,( lots of volunteer wheat), one deep woods, one mud. Everything seemed to be nocturnal.

[5deer]

 

[Radford]

Grew up in the mountains of WV so I know the trouble you speak of... and still do the majority of my successful hunting back home in WV.  The issue is really that they tend to bunch up after the rut - so you either see zero deer, or 12.  Whereas early on, you are seeing multiple small groups of deer or even singles.  Once they bunch up, you are on them, or not.  Food is key, but like you said it's sparse.  Most acorns in the mountains are now of no value as they are rotten and not palatable to the deer (unless there is simply nothing else to eat).  Back home, they begin hitting the fields again at night eating whatever greenery is available. 

The deer are still there as sign will dictate, but it's definitely tougher hunting one large group of deer, as opposed to 5 smaller groups of deer.  I've had success in December with a bow and with a muzzleloader in that region, but it's tough.  Plus the deer have now been through all the rifle seasons and are wound pretty dang tight - no mistakes allowed when hunting them, that's for sure.

This seems spot on with what I have seen here. It sure is a tough time to get on them.

[Tom0728]

I dont know that I would buy into the deer being nocturnal. The fact is the deer HAVE TO eat. Its the only way to make it thru winter. I have noticed that deer will commonly live on adjacent properties with undisturbed bedding but nearby to property with food sources. Even if they bedded on one property the first part of the season they may not now. Find where they are accessing and you find the deer.

[Pat B]

Are you hunting in Greenville, Oconee or Pickens Counties? I live just up the mountain in NC 2 miles north of Sassafras Mountain. There is very natural food now. You can see where the deer are eating rhododendron leaves, honeysuckle and a few other things but there is very little for them to eat. We had no acorns this year or only a scattered few.
 This time of year, after the hunting season is over is a great time to scout to see where the late beds and feeding areas are and what the deer are eating without disturbing next years hunting. Trail cams can also help this time of year if it's safe to put them out without someone stealing them.

[Terry Green]

I agree Tom, deer are part time nocturnal all year.  It' s where you hunt that matters. and playing the moon the best you can.  Just like I've heard all my life that "deer don't move when its windy."  AH, contraire - contraire, it's where you hunt that matters. I killed my biggest 8 pointer on a very windy day for GA morning. 

[Terry Green]

AND, this guy I know also knows..... Dec 26th.

https://www.tradgang.com/tgsmf/index.php?topic=180460.0

[Skwerl58]

I live in the SWVA foothills near Fairystone Park and feel your pain. I like to walk the springs and creeks this time of year to find where the deer are and also find their food sources. You can easily spot their trails and actually probably will see some while doing this. I have seen them in the thick dewberry vines and near old structures because of the vines that grow nearby. While basically scouting  hopefully you will get an idea of where you need to be next time out. Turkey season is also in here so you might luck into one of them also. A hunting friend of mine told me that they checked a muzzleloader killed deer a couple of weeks ago and it was full of acorns. So some are still around.

[strick9]

The most recent studies are showing around a 70% fawn loss to coyotes. For turkeys its running about the same as to predator nest loss. Anywhere but the agricultural zones are seeing noted whitetail deer declines from the harvest reports. As to your question specifically, for December you have to find the food sources be it a WMA food plot, smilax, honey suckle patch, locust patch, horse mint. Other often over looked areas are Maple and Mulberry leaf drops. Find that sign and the nearest bedding area to that sign. It is definitely tough on public these days with the mismanagement of natural resource agencies and the USFS as you mentioned.

When in mountainous or even hilly terrain or flatlands I pay little homage to wind as in 45 years of serious hunting across the SE I have rarely had a wind direction hold steady. Pay serious attention to your scent control and hunt the sign and I bet it changes for you next year. Obviously in serious cold periods focus on S slopes as well.

I have to hunt harder year after year just to find the sign on public but had a pretty good season once I found it. Best of luck.