Late season deer strategies

Bag your late season buck with these tips

Late season deer hunting offers a blend of challenges and opportunities.

In terms of challenges, for many areas in the Carolinas the rut has ended and big bucks have regained their acute sense of survival.

Even in areas where the rut is still on, the weather can get nasty. And that creates problems — or opportunities, depending on your viewpoint.

The opportunities include hunting less-pressured deer because late-season hunting is not for everyone. And while hunting pressure has been intense, it’s reduced in December.

Diehard deer hunters embrace late-season hunting and know big bucks are still taken this month.

Two diehard hunters, who are also professional taxidermists, have taken big bucks in late-season, and just as importantly have mounted many big buck racks taken at this time. In doing so, they’ve gleaned valuable information from other hunters regarding how, when and where they were successful during late season.

Chip Hamilton from Anderson, SC and Adam Cantrell from Brevard, NC (Tarheel Taxidermy) share secrets to late-season success for big bucks.

Hunt where they are

Chip Hamilton said the post-rut, late-season hunting changes dramatically from what hunters experienced during the rut.

“Hunting the same patterns successfully employed during the rut is not the best tactic for late-season,” Hamilton said. “Deer behavior changes dramatically when the rut ends, especially for big bucks. Most mature bucks, those 41/2-years-old and older, are extremely active during the rut. They’re on the move either hunting for, or breeding with, a doe. That’s their whole story during the rut.”

But as the rut wanes, their testosterone levels drop dramatically, he said. Their world changes from propagation of the species back to self-survival.

“At this point, survival now means they need to eat, rest and recover from their intense rut activity,” he said. “Their acute sense of safety is restored and they need to eat and restore their body.”

Hamilton (Lake Hartwell Fishing Charters, 864-304-9011) at one point owned his own taxidermy shop and a deer processing business while also working as a full-time striper fishing guide on Lake Hartwell for 29 years. He’s sold, but still works in, the taxidermy and processing business, to focus on his fish-guiding business.

He makes a great analogy of late-season deer hunting to fish spawning. He said the spawn correlation to the rut is amazing.

“The spawn and rut occur at different times of the year. But fish species change their food-first habits from the rest of the year to making more fish during the spawn,” he said. “But when spawning is complete, they move back to familiar habits, primarily finding forage and mauling it.”

“Big bucks go to secure places in post-rut with thick, gnarly growth, close to food sources,” he said. “That’s where they’ll stay during the cold weather in post-rut.”

Hamilton said that wherever you hunt, locate that secure area where a buck can hide and identify nearby food and water sources. This is where he’ll spend his time. And to kill him, you’ll have to learn his movement strategy from bedding areas to the food sources.

Late-Season Food Sources

Hamilton hunts multiple areas around South Carolina from the Lowcountry to the Piedmont. Specific types of natural vegetation will be available depending on the specific area being hunted.

“Learn what options a deer may have,” he said. “A clear-cut, especially a large one of 100 acres or more, will have a lot of natural food sources for late-season deer. Learn what’s on the property you hunt and when it is most likely available.”

Also be opportunistic, he said. For example, in one area he hunts, white oaks often drop acorns late. And knowledge of this prime food source provides a tremendous advantage.

“In addition to natural food sources, we can employ food plots and bait stations to lure deer to specific areas during post-rut,” he said. “Plant green crops that grow best in the area you hunt by checking with local wildlife officials or agricultural extension services for specific crops to plant.”

Bait stations attract deer. But big bucks in late-season are wary of areas where a lot of human intrusion has occurred. This includes where deer have been killed and loaded into vehicles.

“Bait stations in the prime safety habitat that have been reserved just for big bucks can be very effective,” he said. “Have specific areas you simply don’t hunt until late-season to target a big buck. And even if you’re still looking for venison for the freezer, most of the deer, including does, will gravitate to those type spots.”

Hunting Pressure

Adam Cantrell said that even with less hunting pressure during cold, nasty weather in the mountains where he hunts, getting away from deer that have been pressured is important.

“I hunt public lands, mostly in the mountains, so deer receive a lot of pressure,” he said. “I make the extra effort to get far off the beaten path, away from areas where access is easy.”

Cantrell (828-553-8241) said public land hunting offers big buck opportunities, if hunters are willing to do the legwork.

The deeper he walks in away from other hunters, the better those opportunities seem to be.

“I’ll get back into the remote areas and start walking ridgelines,” he said. “I’m searching for a specific type of place, a flat that lies between two ridge fingers for example, or a saddle area. I look for fresh deer sign and activity. I’m always in stealth mode.”

Cantrell carries a climbing stand on his back as he scouts. And when he finds a localized hotspot of deer activity, he’ll set up and hunt if the time is appropriate. If not, he’ll select his setup site and return the next day.

“We have quality bucks in the mountains on public land,” he said. “Our overall deer population is not high. But that tends to produce quality animals. Last year I had several 140-inch class bucks brought to my taxidermy business from public land hunters late in the year. It’s worth the effort to get away from the crowd.”

Go Early, Stay Late

Cantrell said that time of day can be important. But in December, in the public land mountain hunting, the best deer movement is often mid- to late-morning.

“But I don’t risk going in real late because low light times are potentially good. So I’m in the stand early,” he said. “But my experiences, and many experiences related to me by hunters bringing big bucks to mount, is that the time period from 10 a.m. until noon can be extremely good for big buck movement during December. In the mountains, the rut is still a factor in many areas. So deer movement can be quite good.”

He said a prime example occurred last season when a public land hunter brought him a big buck to mount.

“He shot the buck about 10:30 a.m. and called a buddy for help with the big deer,” he said. “He stayed in the stand to wait. And by 11 o’clock, 30 minutes later, he watched five more racked bucks walk down the same trail where he’d just shot his trophy. That speaks volumes for hunting right through mid-morning.”

Cantrell said if the rut is still a factor where you hunt (and it can be in the mountains), deer will likely be moving for that reason. Plus, with the scarcity of food sources, deer are often on the move searching for grub. Even if does are moving and searching for food, bucks are likely to follow.

“Whatever the reason, if you’re hunting fresh deer sign, patience can be your biggest ally,” he said.

Low light conditions

Another hunter with lots of late-season hunting success is Terry Robinson from Mills River, NC. Robinson is a hunting buddy of Adam Cantrell and they both hunt public lands in the North Carolina mountains as well as private, leased land in South Carolina. They have the unique perspective of both types of hunting.

Robinson said one major key to success in late-season hunting is having quality optics. While the optics are a plus for any hunting scenerio, they’re useful for different reasons for the places he hunts.

“In South Carolina, in the Orangeburg area where we hunt, the rut has ended by December and deer are back to survival mode,” he said. “They like to hole up in thickets and dense cover, but they still need to eat. But that sense of security is such that they often wait until the last minute, literally, of daylight to walk out.”

Robinson said this trait means high quality optics with a 50mm objective on the scope can mean the difference between killing a big buck or simply not seeing it at all.

“A successful hunt can literally come down to the ability to see and identify your target for even a minute or two longer,” he said. “That’s when the big bucks will walk out.”

In the mountains where he hunts, the rut is on in December so deer are prone to move anytime of the day, he said. However, that includes early mornings and late evenings when light is low.

“Again, the large objective on a quality scope enables me to see earlier in the morning and later in the evening than less expensive scopes with less light-gathering ability.”

Robinson recommends getting the best scope you can afford because it offers advantages anytime of the hunting season.