Keeping in practice doesnt mean just shooting a few arrows in the yard before you leave. Set your bow, release, and arrows, outside for a half hour while you spend some time in the same temperatures. Wear the clothes you plan to hunt with but don’t wander around and create body heat. Remember, you will be sitting as still as possible while on the stand and the cold will take effect quicker. Shoot from a standing position or from a sitting position. Just try to replicate your hunting scenario as closely as possible at least once before hunting the late season since this is the time to realize possible problems before heading to the woods. It may be completely feasible that you will need to adjust your bow to a lower poundage. If you’re struggling to handle the poundage that you have shot through the rest of the year, then by all means, don’t hope for the best. Take the time, turn your poundage down, and continue practicing. Most hunters can easily remove 5 to 10 pounds of pull from their bows and still have more than effective capabilites for speed and arrow penetration.
Finding The Deer
The deer have just gone through a stressful time of the year. With the rut having taken place recently and a full blown assault of firearms hunters crawling everywhere in the woods, the deer have a tendancy to be a bit skittish. They key is all that commotion and scent is quickly disappearing and the deer will realize that it’s time to start feeding at regular intervals. Food is your main objective here. Realize the food source and you will find deer.
Food sources can vary greatly. Don’t overlook some very basic requirements as such that you discard the obvious. The woods are no longer the bountiful fields of green that they were previously. Small patches of foilage, shrubs, low hanging greenery, can all be vital to the deer at this point. Look at transition zones, where forest meets fields, for the hardiest plants that have survived the frost or early accumulations of snow. The canopy that is found at these transition zones affords some protection from the harshest weather while still allowing sunlight to penetrate it’s edges. In turn the deer will tend to skirt the edges of these area seeking some of the last nutritional vegetation.
You will also want to take note of trails that lead to and from these transition area. If you are fortunate enough to have snow on the ground you will have an easy visual confirmation of whether the deer are utilizing the area for food or just for travel. Feeding areas will consist of layered tracks that many times appear one on top of the other as the deer shuffle about to forage. This is also true when the deer are taking advantage of food sources such as low-hanging cedar branches and the likes of such trees and shrubs. Evident will also be the chewed or snipped ends of branches with little, or no greenery, left behind in some cases. A simple search of the immediate area should indicate if more of the same vegetation is still available which in turn will continue to attract deer.
During the end of the season it’s common practice for deer to take advantage of the sun and it’s natural heat. Although you may not be experiencing exteme cold temperatures, keep in mind that deer are masters at conserving energy and utilizing the natural elements. A deer will burn less nutrients and energy by holding it’s temperature at a reasonable level at any time of the year but moreso during the winter or late season hunt. Check the openings and ridges that have a predominant eastern facing slope in the mornings. Glassing from a distance often can reveal deer near the top of these slopes. As the day begins to warm this provides a perfect area for deer to catch those early morning sunrays and test air currents that begin to rise up the ridge.
Once you have identified a food source try to evaluate the abundance and, if possible, the average number of deer utilizing the source. It’s not completely unheard of to find a large food source that can hold and attract deer for a week or more at one time depending on quantity and the herd size. Take notes at all times or at least process a journal at each days end. This is your personal information which will be a terrific resource for following years as a form of scouting. Keep in mind that even if you do not put a deer on the ground during the late season you have still learned more about their habits and reactions to changing weather.
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