How to hunt late season
Late season hunts are the norm in most whitetail states, and they offer plenty of undisturbed hunting for muzzleloader and bowhunters. Those who specialize in the late-season have found that good bucks can still be had. Here are two tricks that will help you find success during this season of solitude.
THE NEED TO FEED It was first light on a bitterly cold morning, 23 degrees below zero. "I got as close as I could, but the buck still was still 200 yards away," Tony Knight relates. "He had his head buried in the cornstalks picking up loose grain when my stalk ended at the edge of the field. I was using a scoped muzzleloader and had to hold over his back to drop the bullet into his vitals." The big seven pointer had a wide spread and massive beams, and when the happy hunter got him home he found that it netted 136 points even though it had to scored as a six pointer. Knight, the man responsible for popularizing the in-line muzzleloader, is a die-hard late season hunter. Even though not Tony's biggest buck, the seven pointer occupies the most prominent position in his impressive trophy room. Every time Tony looks at him he remembers that tough, but very rewarding hunt. The late season offers trophy opportunities for those hardy enough to face it's tough challenges. As winter takes a firm grip on the land, a deer's metabolic rate will slow down, ultimately allowing it to reduce its activity level and conserve fat stores. The first cold snap of winter starts the transition, but it takes weeks to complete. During this period, deer will be forced to feed heavily, almost desperately, in an effort to fuel their still-high metabolic rates. Knowing how to take advantage of this opportunity is one key to late-season success.
Late Season Hunting requires patience. The buck you saw feeding may not come out for several days. Late season deer are especially spooky and require careful hunting.
To enjoy consistent late season success you have to be able find preferred feeding areas and then actually spot the buck you'd like to hunt. A visual pattern is a lot stronger than one put together with sign.
FIND THE BUCK: "First I try to find an unharvested crop field, such as standing corn," said Tony Knight. "These areas always pull in late season deer. If I can't find standing corn I'll
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