Tips for the late season.

[BuckeyeRifleman]

We still have until the beginning of February here in Ohio to bow hunt. I killed my first doe with a trad setup in November (which was awesome!) but I still have a buck tag I would like to fill. I passed on some yearling bucks during the rut, but I really want to tag a mature deer before the season is out.

What are your late season tips and tricks? Ever have any luck in the late season? I could use some encouragement as I haven't seen much after gun season!

[JMG]

Find a food source that's close to thick cover. Deer live on there stomachs this time of the year. And don't be shocked to see deer taking refuge close to houses, neighborhoods and roadways. Deer pattern people as much as people try to pattern deer so try the abnormal things like hunting mid day.

[Cwilder]

Food
Food and food

[shag08]

Dress in layers...stay warm! Lol

Seriously, food sources are your best bet in my experiences late season.

[jonsimoneau]

The biggest thing is to be able to hunt where the deer herd up for winter.  It can be fantastic if you have access to an area like this.  If not...well...I go squirrel hunting!

[LB_hntr]

Food is key but it has to be close to bedding to be good hunting due to daytime movement. find food then find thickest stuff closest to it to have the best odds for daytime movement.
  I will be back down in Ohio the first week of Jan on public land to hopefully fill another tag.
Good luck.

[Jerry Jeffer]

get 4 or 5 guys and do some "silent" drives in some wood lots or small sized pieces of woods. Adjacent to food sources is even better. it's a lot of fun and there is always a chance of a big boy that's been hiding behind your neighbors shed all season.

[MnFn]

Yes on the silent drives.

Years ago I and a friend were hunting a forty acre wooded parcel that I had hunted for years. A guy came up to us and told us he lived in the house now and we could no longer hunt there.  Apparently we were decent enough about it because he said while we could not hunt on his land we could hunt on the other side of the trail. Well there was only about 5-10 acres over there but we pushed it anyway.  I was able to take a nice young buck out of it.

[Knawbone]

Double post, oops!

[Knawbone]

If you have soft snow to hunt in, try still hunting areas outlaying food sources.Hunt across wind and look for bedded as well as standing deer.A little wind noise can be a plus during silent walking conditions, but I'v killed deer in the snow when it's calm air just as often. The secret is going extremely slow and look, look, look, then take another step or two. It's a lot easier to see them with snow on the ground. And a lot easier to get close with quiet walking conditions. If you happen to step and make noise from breaking a stick ect, wait a few minutes before moving again. awesome way to hunt especially if your familiar with the deer in the area and their movements.I killed a buck hunting this way just last week. Good luck and keep at it. The more time you spend in the woods the better your chances. Don't spend all that time in one spot however! Move around..... You don't want to educate them!!!

[Al Natural]

Just as the previous posts, its all about food, good luck!

[Krex1010]

As was mentioned it's all about the food in the late season. The one thing I'll add is that come late season, the Bucks will be close to food, really close, as in all day. They often will feed during daylight hours and bed very close to the food source. That's where the challenge can be. if hunting out of a treestand or blind really go the extra mile and plan your approach so as not to bump deer on the way in. As was mentioned by knawbone still hunting can be very effective albeit a major challenge. In my experience if a good food source is available, late season deer will be more active during the day but in a much more confined area as compared to early season deer, so plan your hunt accordingly.

[njloco]

If you hunt from a tree stand, don't go up very high, if they're close they'll see you climb into the tree.

[the rifleman]

From on Ohio Rifleman to another---all good advice from the folks above.  Congrats on your first trad deer---certainly one of the biggest accomplishments in a hunter's life.  I would add that an Ohio deer in January is one of the most skittish creatures on earth--our whitetails are on edge all of the time, but after all of the pressure they get where I hunt you don't get away with much. Most of the cover is gone so the usual straight tree that I can climb with my climber puts me right out in the open.  Climb higher?  Hang out in multi trunk trees or on back side of tree and do whatever you can to get cover below/behind you to break up your outline.  I consider any deer a trophy with trad equipment and a late season deer even more so.  While I imagine the decline in movement we saw recently was due to the gun season pressure I also believe that it should increase with a new moon (this sunday I believe).  I really get out and cover ground scouting when we get snow---I am a terrible scout, but snow gives even me a chance to identify the hotspots.  15 years ago we had some great bowhunting in this state, but over the past several years the herd has declined greatly---huge bag limits and coyotes.  I spend more and more time in the stand lately seeing no deer at all.  The more time you spend though combined with hunting food sources should up your odds.  Best of luck.