6 Tips For Late Season Whitetail Hunting Success

​6 Tips For Late Season Whitetail Hunting Success
By: Ryan Nordahl, owner of Epic Whitetail Habitat, LLC email: [email protected]

Whether you’re lucky enough to have deer hunting opportunities in your own backyard or if you’re forced to drive hundreds of miles just to have a chance at that perfect buck, late season whitetail hunting success is often as elusive as your quarry itself. But with the right knowledge and preparation, anyone can be more successful during their final hunts of the year, especially if you follow these six tips for late season whitetail hunting success.

1) Use The Wind To Your Advantage

Wind is one of the most important factors to successful deer hunting. Deer can hear, see and smell hunters better in calm weather than when it is windy. When hunting deer in late season, use the wind to your advantage by staying downwind of your target. If you are trying to stalk a deer, always approach from down wind, but be aware that it may take more time if you have to cross a ridge or an open field.

2) Set Up Shop Near A Food Source

Hunting whitetails can be challenging in the winter because deer have limited food sources and are more sensitive to their surroundings. You can increase your odds of success by hunting near a food source that is concentrated, such as a corn or soybean field, a soft or hard mass orchard.

And don't forget about woody browse areas as well. 

Freshly harvested trees late in the fall or early winter can provide a terrific food source. But be careful to hide your presence due to the possible like of hunter concealment opportunities in clear cut areas of a forested area.

If hunting close to or on the preferred food source of the season, be sure to plan your exit well in advance, should deer still be feeding well after legal shooting time is over. In the case of my own failures to do so I have had to wait several hours after dark on well moonlit nights with ample snow because deer were still feeding in the area.

Again, deer must never know they are being hunted if you wish to be successful consistently rather than just lucky. 

3) Move Slowly And Quietly

1. Move slowly and quietly to avoid alerting the animal to your presence. 

2. Stay low and close to the ground, or use natural features of the ground you are hunting such as vegetation and topographical features, as this will make you less visible to deer. 

3. Move down wind of your target. 

4. Stalk a deer in its bed or feeding area where it is likely to be looking down and standing still, making it easier for you to get a shot off at closer range. 

5. If a deer looks in your direction while you are stalking, stop and remain motionless until it looks away, then move again very slowly and quietly until you can resume your approach.

4) Take Advantage Of Cover

The best time to hunt is in the afternoon/early evening hours during the late season. The best way to take advantage of this is by getting in position during the early midday hours. If you want to find a good spot for sitting, look for cover such as bushes, fallen trees or walls of conifer that will provide some concealment. Once you have your cover picked out, scout out a location where you can sneak to your stand that will help reduce the possibility of spooking deer as you access and exit.

Winter as we all know in the northern regions of the country are a time of scarcity as far as natural foliage for concealment is concerned. If you are a private land owner, or have the right to do so on a lease, planning concealment strategies for access and exit through vegetative options is key to concealing your movement during the late season.

5) Stay Alert

Whitetail hunting can be a grueling endeavor, but there are a few things you can do to make the experience more enjoyable. Here are a few tips for late season whitetail hunting success:
-Stay Alert: Keeping your senses sharp is the key to any successful hunt. Be aware of your surroundings at all times and keep an eye out for deer movement. If you see something, try to minimize sudden movements. Highly pressured deer are very alert and aware of their surroundings, especially early in late season when most areas of the country are coming out of their recent firearms seasons.

Stay on top of trail camera intel, if you are so inclined. Late season, like early season, is a time when you can literally kill a mature buck with higher odds in your favor by sleeping in and "from the couch."

Pay close attention to weather patterns as well. An impending storm or dramatic swing in temperature and barometric pressure can once again play a key roll in the amount of deer activity you could encounter.

Also, pay very close attention to where deer are feeding and what food sources they are focused on. 

For the most part, in the late season, deer will concentrate there feeding to higher carbohydrate food sources like corn, soybeans, and woody browse areas in and around their bedding areas.

6) Don't Be Afraid To Hunt Close To Bedding Areas
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Hunting close to bedding areas can be an effective tactic, but hunters should be aware of the potential for deer to spook and move out of the area. One way around this is to hunt in a box pattern, working your way around a bedding area until you've covered all parts of it. A good technique is to place yourself at one end of the bedding area and watch for movement on the other end. If you are inclined to own property or hunt public grounds with a vantage point overlooking a bedding area, all the better. But be aware of wind direction, how you expect the thermals to rise and fall, and how concealed you yourself are, and where you anticipate the highest volume of traffic out of the bedding areas you expect deer to travel to and from their feeding areas.

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