Late season bucks

[mark Willoughby]

Well guys just like the title says I wanna here all your strategys for late season bucks how do y'all kill these bruisers after everybody has chased them with the smoke poles all year I hunt in a great area and see deer but I keep holding off waiting on that big one also some pictures of yalls success would also be nice!!

Be out of buck tags and go doe hunting! It has worked wonders for me so far this year. Last doe I have seen was Nov 23rd, but I see bucks every time I go out!

Bisch

[CoachBGriff]

Sit over a good food source on a really cold day!  Be close to some thick cover.

[D. Key]

With the rut basically over, the bucks are now seeking food sources.  Post rut mortality is usually pretty high if the bucks can't find food after the rut.  If you have a food source, you will find bucks, unless you are in SE Texas this year as we still have tons of acorns under the oaks.  Food is not a problem for our few deer this year.  best of luck to ya.

[Kevin Dill]

Bisch got it right. My theory: the most effective big buck repellent is a valid buck tag in your pocket.

I'm all done for the year and I'm seeing more big bucks than ever.

[kennym]

Heavy cover next to good food source. Try to get between the 2 without blowing anything out of either.

Deer take less pressuring now too than ever in the year.

Sounds easy , right?  :D

[Michael Arnette]

Haha! I'm with Bisch    

[hickstick]

ROTF Bisch...as I was sitting on stand for my last sit of the year saturday...I kept repeating in my head, "I'm squirrel hunting....I'm squirrel hunting....I'm squirrel hunting...."  in hopes that since I was squirrel hunting a deer would show up, not the other way around.
  lol

ended up not seeing either.  

[mark Willoughby]

I'm starting to think my buck tag is bad mojo lol but I guess I'm gonna keep at it who knows maybe I'll just treeshark a squrillel

[sheepdogreno]

Its been said but food source and a non frozen water source if possible

[Zbone]

"strategys for late season bucks how do y'all kill these bruisers after everybody has chased them with the smoke poles"

Wrong - Our muzzleloader season hasn't even begun yet until January 2nd, just in time to blast them nocturnal again for the bowhunters after our week long statewide firearm season the first week of December...

Unless you are fortunate enough to live or hunt in a prime choice area as Kevin's, surviving "bruisers" can be miles and miles apart with unobtainable access since our steady annual deer count decline for the past decade...

They killed less than half this year of what they killed during our week long statewide firearm season a decade ago. Yeah, less than half, which is a good indicator of the overall population numbers...


The annual week long statewide firearm season for the 2002-2003 season was:

133,391

This year's week long statewide firearm season kill number is:

65,485

So 133,391 in 2002-2003 to 67,906 in 2014, is a difference of 67,906 less making it over 50% less killed...

Heck they killed 10 thousand less this year than last year...

These are facts, and that is how severe our population has declined...

But if you are fortunate enough to obtain access of a surviving bruiser that had sanctuary, hunt the closest food source to that sanctuary...

Good luck...

[RedShaft]

Originally posted by Zbone:
"strategys for late season bucks how do y'all kill these bruisers after everybody has chased them with the smoke poles"

Wrong - Our muzzleloader season hasn't even begun yet until January 2nd, just in time to blast them nocturnal again for the bowhunters after our week long statewide firearm season the first week of December...

Unless you are fortunate enough to live or hunt in a prime choice area as Kevin's, surviving "bruisers" can be miles and miles apart with unobtainable access since our steady annual deer count decline for the past decade...

They killed less than half this year of what they killed during our week long statewide firearm season a decade ago. Yeah, less than half, which is a good indicator of the overall population numbers...


The annual week long statewide firearm season for the 2002-2003 season was:

133,391

This year's week long statewide firearm season kill number is:

65,485

So 133,391 in 2002-2003 to 67,906 in 2014, is a difference of 67,906 less making it over 50% less killed...

Heck they killed 10 thousand less this year than last year...

These are facts, and that is how severe our population has declined...

But if you are fortunate enough to obtain access of a surviving bruiser that had sanctuary, hunt the closest food source to that sanctuary...

Good luck...

Man I hear ya. I can't even think about trying for a buck. The chances of that are so slim. I be happy to even be able to have an encounter with a doe. I don't think that will happen. It would have to have two bad legs and be caught in a snow drift. It's really dead around here.

Find the heaviest cover closest to what you think they are eating and scout it out. Put your time in. Or hopefully get access to private property with little pressure. That's your best chance at anything.

[Hoyt]

I haven't seen a buck with over 40 or 50" Of antler all season and those were on my hit list..did kill one of them a cowhorn spike with PTF and Treeshark. I missed over a month..all of the rut,but hunted almost every day of Oct. and have been hunting every day it's not raining since about 2nd wk of Dec.

Seeing quiet a few does..just can't get a shot or they see me turning my head back from looking another direction, etc. Cover is hard to find now.

There was some good ones back in there..Shawnee behind my house in Oct. I was seeing a lot of 10 12" dia rubs in one area, but haven't been back in there but once to tell if he made it through. Was some fresh scrapes and still is around and rubs too.
 

I don't usually hunt this area, it's a little far and steep to get to and back..but did kill a decent 8pt in there last yr with my Sasquatch recurve.

Another reason is that it's hunted during gun season by people that built a cabin that is closer to the area than I am...was some heavy human sign in there when I went back in after last gun season couple wk ago. Lots of good buck sign in there so I'll go in the morning and hunt and check it out. Camera lied about that rub..it's a good 12" dia.