Let's Talk Late Season Bow Hunting
Wisconsin
Contributors to this thread:
What are the best strategies and places that you all like to sit when we get past gun season?
Thanks for anything you have!
Corn stubble last fifteen minutes of legal shooting on the coldest days with the wind in your favor!
Look for heavily used trails in the snow. I like to place my cams on them and find out what survived gun season and plan from there. Actually I have better luck with acorns late season. Corn field is not a bad choice either, but the wind can be nasty by there
What about the edge of a cut bean field if it backs up to big woods? Good or no good?
I've had luck targeting them late afternoon between bedding areas and cornfields browsing on any remaining green leaves. They seem relaxed while still in the thicker woods about 2 hours before heading to fields. Snow makes finding these transition areas easier to find. I do climb a little higher late season ( try to ha e feet atleast 24ft off ground) dress warm enough to sit comfortably and hope you to have success. Also I never call at late season deer no matter how tempted I may be. I've found bo scent and calls works best for me.
Winter wheat or basically any field that is green in the winter.
This is exactly what I've been thinking about the last couple days, since I've been skunked on bow and gun so far. Keep the suggestions coming!
Assuming you meant "No scent"?
Although I am sure I have plenty of BO scent, too. :)
Strictly afternoons for me.
Morning hunts to me are just too cold and my best bet is the afternoon and just before close is when I see the majority of deer.
Food, food and food is what whitetails are thinking now. Find the food source, find the deer.
Setting up on them is another thing as they have been hunted now for many days and they are on heightened awareness.
Snow is your friend as it offers a tale of where the most deer are most of the time. It offers concealment to those who hunt from the ground and it make deer "stand out" when they are hunted as a hunter can see a deer coming for some distance and then prepare for the shot.
Keep your eyes open as deer make no sounds for the most part walking in snow!
Colder the weather, the hungrier the deer!
If we get a lot of snow and you know places like picked cornfields, green fields or trees with an abundance of acorns under them. You can shovel, plow or snowblow these areas(mid-morning) so its easier for them to get to the food, it'll help.
Dan
I agree with BT, but one important key is " its not so much how you hunt, but where you hunt"........
keeping quiet, especially equipment is critical....
Can't find my Deer regs. Can we bowhunt during muzzleloader season.
Wish I could do a little late season bowhunting this year but that's no longer an option.
1022……. yes but have to wear orange
Thats what I figured,
Thanks
Ruger read the regulations on carcass tags, very carefully, the way it is written, shows that you can shoot a buck, with your bow, but use an unused gun tag, to tag it, if it is during a firearm season.....
I did not pick up on that, but that is what they said at a service center, when I asked about that
From the regulation booklet: Archery Season September 12– January 3, 2016 Statewide: One buck deer per unused Bow Buck Carcass Tag, except December 10–13 when only antlerless deer may be harvested. One antlerless deer per unused Antlerless Deer Carcass Tag valid for use in the specified zone, DMU and land type (public access or private).
"Bow Buck Deer Carcass Tag Valid in any DMU statewide for harvesting one buck deer with an archer or crossbow license during an open archery or crossbow season, except it is not valid during the December 4-day Antlerless-only Deer Hunt (see pages 11 and 14 for military and disabled hunter exceptions). This tag is weapon-specific and may not be filled with a deer harvested with a firearm."
So if there are no antlerless tags in some Counties then why can we not hunt bucks there for Dec 10-13?
Interesting ... I want to hunt a spot Mon & Tues thats tough to get to before the Tues nite storm.
I think they need to edit the book and make it clear. My take is if you have an unfilled gun tag and an unfilled archery tag you could shot two deer.
Smokey, you can shoot two deer. At least one of them has to be shot with archery equipment. You can shoot two deer with archery equipment and use your unused gun tag to tag one as long as it is harvested during the gun season. (Lesser weapons rule). So if you're bowhunting during gun season and shoot a buck, use your gun tag first. This way you still have your bow tag available for later season.
You can even shoot two deer during the same hunt providing a guy is lucky enough to have two opportunities during the same hunt.
Thanks, that is how I read it.