Late Season Whitetails

© 2011 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles™
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Image Credit: gfoucault

Late Season Whitetail Tactics

Many hunters feel that late season hunting provides the potential for some of the most productive hunting of the entire season. By locating the remaining food sources and keeping a close eye on the weather, hunters can tip the odds in their favor and enjoy tremendous success.

The rut has tapered off in most areas, and the whitetail deer are shifting their patterns to take that into account. By this time, most crops have been brought in, and mast and easily accessible food sources have been depleted. Consumed by the rut, whitetail bucks' objectives will now shift from breeding to eating, trying to regain strength and fattening up in preparation for the winter to come after the trials of the rut. Their first instinct will be to return to their pre rut haunts and search for known areas of food concentration.

Image Credit: fnstuff.com

Spend some time over the course of a few evenings carefully learning where the deer are spending their time. Remember that whitetail bucks have spent weeks prowling far and wide searching for receptive does. During this time, the rigors of the rut cause them to lose a large percentage of their body weight. Chasing girls will do that to you. Bucks need to put as much of that weight back on in order to survive the harsh and unforgiving winter that takes its toll on both the healthy and weak.

When you have determined which food sources the bucks are concentrating on, it’s time to setup for the hunt. Hopefully you have located their bedding area, which is also very likely near the feeding area. Deer will frequently bed near the food source, provided there is sufficient cover. Less distance covered means less energy expended. It makes sense that deer will use convenient locations for both feeding and bedding.

That can make setting up a real challenge. Eyes may be anywhere when you try to get to your stand! First determine where and how the deer are entering fields or areas that provide a food source. Look for available cover that you can use to either set up a blind, or an easily accessed tree to put up your stand. If you are shooting from a stand, place it facing away from the feeding area. This will allow you to use the tree itself as cover. Remember, the deer will be coming out of the cover on the same side that you are on. Wait until you are sure there are no deer close enough to bust you when you turn to the field.

Image Credit: 123rf.com

 The other critical factor is the weather. During mid-Winter, huge weather systems move through. Large systems frequently drop temperatures dramatically in all of an afternoon. Knowing the forecast can help you decide when to be on your stand. Deer will move and fill their bellies before and certainly after any major storms or cold fronts. When temperatures start to drop, it pays to get out earlier than usual; deer will start hours earlier while the relative temperature is higher in order to graze and forage.

The truth is that hunting during the latter part of the season can be difficult. Cold weather, ice and snow, or freezing, sleet filled rain can make for a miserable afternoon and evening. But with proper preparation, the correct gear, and some forethought, smart hunters can find success where other might otherwise give up!

Best Regards,
Albert “Afghanus” Rasch
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
Albert Rasch In Afghanistan

Though he spends most of his time writing and keeping the world safe for democracy, Albert was actually a student of biology. Really. But after a stint as a lab tech performing repetitious and mind-numbing processes that a trained capuchin monkey could do better, he never returned to the field. Rather he became a bartender. As he once said, "Hell, I was feeding mice all sorts of concoctions. At the club I did the same thing; except I got paid a lot better, and the rats where bigger." He has followed the science of QDM for many years, and fancies himself an aficionado. If you have any questions, or just want to get more information, reach him via TheRaschOutdoorChronicles(at)MSN(dot)com.




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Whitetail Deer Season Prep Starts Now: May

© 2009 Albert A Rasch

Photo Credit: BricksandCo

Across the lakes.

I have decide that this year is going to be the year I get my first Whitetail deer. It seems everybody else does it, so why shouldn't I?

It's not like I haven't tried before. I've been a few times. But for a number of reasons, I have never connected with a whitetail. Usually its because I dozed off, so as you can imagine, the crashing and breaking limbs and then the resultant thud on the ground of my body falling from the stand is enough to send every deer in the area elsewhere.

This being the end of April beginning of May, I'm off to a late start. The first order of business is scouting. Something I should have started to do in January. Getting permission to scout may be the second most difficult part, with being allowed to hunt the most difficult. Here the key is making sure that you ask politely, and always thanking the person for their time, even if you didn't get what you came for. Who knows, they may be able to tell you who might allow you.

While scouting, it's important to narrow it to an area where there appears to be plenty of sign and where the chances of success appear to be good.

I found an area consisting of a patchwork of brush, narrow wood lines, grasslands, and lawns. This is also an area that consists of many private land holders, some larger than others.

Since I live in a large subdivision I figure I'll start with the areas I already have access to and proceed outwards from there. One thing that I am going to ascertain is the legality of bowhunting within the county and city limits and if they are applicable. (Note: I have checked and that will be the subject of another article.)

In the meantime, while I am scouting, what I will be looking for is where the deer are, what are the main food sources, where they are watering, and where can I position myself in order to have a good chance at success.

Suburban deer aren't normally subjected to the same pressures that deer in public management areas are. I suppose that the occasional dog chases them around now and then, but come hunting season they don't see too many fellows traipsing around the woods after them. At least not in this area.

Photo Credit: RWKPhotos

Whitetail in the woods.

Fortunately, I have found an area where I have seen deer. My next step is to carefully, and thoroughly inspect the area. Using an aerial map I will be making notes of the terrain, trails, bedding areas, food sources, and specific trees with the potential for a stand. If you are working in a limited space (or with a limited budget) you can print out an aerial view from Google Earth and then trace it onto paper. Make note of the prominent details and then add those that are most important to the task at hand.

Pin pointing the bedding area, or at least the trail to and from, is very important. The routes to and from beds to feeding area are used constantly by the does. While the bucks tend to move far and wide, especially during the rut, the does will normally, unless disturbed, keep to the same routes. The bucks will frequently use these same routes looking for a willing partner.

I'll be on the lookout for old rubs where the bucks thrashed it out this winter. Anything I find I'll make a note of now, so that I won't have to disturb the area come fall.

The same goes for mast trees like oaks and hickories. I want to pinpoint them now so that come fall I know where they are and I don't have to blunder around and get the deer riled up by my presence.

Photo Credit:Jim-AR

Hickory nuts, a great mast crop!

Once I have gathered all the information, I am going to look for trees that provide a suitable position for a tree stand. I'll be looking for avenues of approach and shooting lanes. I'll need to keep in mind everything I learned this spring and early summer about the terrain so that when I go in during the season, I can minimize the disturbance I will cause.

So far so good. I have a plan to follow, so all that is left is equipment selection, and physical conditioning. Since this will be hunting in the suburbs, bowhunting will be the method of choice. The first area to concentrate on is getting my body back in bow drawing shape. That means drawing the bow regularly, just like a workout session. Not only that, arrows have to fly. So a target butt and lots of practice in hitting what I aim at, will be part of the course. As I equip myself with a good bow, proper arrows, broadheads, clothes, a stand, and all the other bits and pieces of gear, I'll cover them, telling you why I chose to use them, and how I will apply them.

This is the first part in what I hope will be a series. I've been rereading Precision Bowhunting by John and Chris Eberhart, and I will be following their recommendations. Every few weeks I am going to let you know what I am doing, with updates on what I find and what I learn. Wish me luck!

I would like to hear from some of the more experienced deer hunters out there.

• Who else is preparing now for the coming season?
• If you are, what exactly are you doing?
• Do you hunt public, or private lands?

Thanks again for participating!


Regards,
Albert A Rasch
The Hunt Continues...

Precision Bowhunting: A Chronicles' Book Review

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Recently I was fortunate enough to win a signed edition of Precision Bowhunting by John and Chris Eberhart, a father and son team from Michigan. So I've decided that this year I would focus a little (actually a lot) more on whitetail deer hunting than my usual hog hunting. It will also allow me the opportunity to delve more intimately with the "suburban hunting" phenomenon that is the norm in so many built up areas.

Packed with practical advice, John and Chris' Precision Bowhunting covers a year round approach to scouting, finding, and hunting the whitetail. They explain what you should be doing right now, what to prepare for, and what to expect month to month, season by season.

There are no gimmicks or tricks, just a studious application of hard work and perseverance. Hunting pressured or public land is what most of us must contend with, and that is what is covered in Precision Bowhunting.

Precision Bowhunting covers not only where you need to be, but also where you shouldn't. The Eberharts warn you of common mistakes made by both experienced and amateur bowhunters. Scent control, scouting tactics, and stand selection receive serious consideration and suggestions. Both John and Chris seem very sincere in their writing and discussions. That alone, sets the apart from many other writers in the field.

If you are new to bowhunting whitetails, or an old hat trying to up his game, you couldn't pick a better book. I learned more about scouting whitetails from this book than I have in reading everything else over the last forty years.

Be warned. It is not a "how to" book, that you can read right before season opener. It is, as the cover says, "A Year-Round Approach to Taking Mature Whitetails."

Regards,
Albert A Rasch
The Hunt Continues...