hunting

Late-Season Bucks Are Tough

Last-Chance Whitetails Aren't Easy

Tagging a mature buck in the heavily-hunted Michigan is a challenge any time you try and do it.

But if you want the ultimate challenge, try and target a mature buck in the waning days of the deer season.

For more than two months, Michigan’s whitetails have faced  intense hunting pressure with the most intense pressure coming during the 16-day gun season that just ended.

As the snow starts to fly and the season begins to wane, there will still be plenty of diehard hunters braving the elements and trying to overcome the odds.

Some of them will.

Late-season hunting is something I truly enjoy and look forward to each year. I usually find myself still looking to fill a buck tag – I guess that’s an indirect statement about either my talents as a hunter or my level of standards when it comes to bucks.

Each year I’ll enter the muzzleloader season and the final few days of the bow season with hopes that a mature buck has managed to find its way through the previous two months of hunting pressure. Judging by the number of mature bucks taken from my hunting area each season, clearly there are bucks still running around after Nov. 30.

Seeing one, let alone getting it close enough for a shot, is one of the most difficult tasks a hunter can take on. But it’s not impossible. Here’s some tips to help you score.

Focus on food

When hunting the late season look for two things: Bitter cold and good food.

No matter how wary a deer is, it must eat. Brutal temperatures and snow force deer to move before dark. It's eat or die. Eat they will.

Here in my neck of southern Michigan, crop fields are the top draw. Unpicked bean fields are the very best. But picked bean fields also produce as do cut corn fields.

One-Shot Deal

Perhaps the most discouraging aspect of the late season is the fact that it’s generally going to be a one-and-done situation – particularly when a mature buck is involved.

Why? Because unless you plan on staying in the field all night you’re going to have to get out of there when you're done hunting. Since the goal of the excursion was to be close enough to the deer for a shot, odds are good that there will be deer nearby when you have to leave. Those deer will spook and that field will be finished for quite some time.

Again, we’re talking about highly-pressured, heavily-hunted deer. They will not be back – especially a mature buck. He’ll simply relocate or restrict his movements completely to darkness.

It’s this very same scenario that prevents us from hunting those fields in the mornings. There will likely be deer in the field during the predawn hours. Walking into the fields in the morning will spook deer. Spooking deer means the game is over.

Staying Warm

As I’ve already mentioned the most productive late-season hunts are those that occur when the weather is simply miserable. The colder the better. But the cold can also make it very, very tough to stay on stand. And you absolutely must be in place well before deer begin to move. It’s not at all unusual to start seeing deer a couple of hours before dark with the bucks – particularly older bucks – waiting until the last hour of daylight to appear.

To do this, you have to stay warm. Thankfully, technology has advanced greatly.

Start with a base layer of UnderArmour. This stretchy, form-fitting material may not seem like it’s thick enough to provide warmth but it is incredible stuff. It pulls moisture away from your body which greatly increases your ability to stay warm.

Top that off with a heavier layer of fleece. Over that goes another layer of fleece.

For an outer layer, I like something that contains a wind-stopping fabric like Gore-Tex.

If you can stay dry and keep the wind off, you’ll be in good shape.

Conclusion

There is little about the late season that can be considered “easy.” It is as challenging as deer hunting gets.

But it can also be one of the most fulfilling and rewarding times of the season. Because when you do wrap your tag on the antlers of a buck that you’re truly happy with, the feeling is one of immense satisfaction.