I have a question to all late season bow hunters regarding deer movement after a snow storm like we have recently had. When typically do the deer move after a storm like this? I’m looking to head out this weekend and was hoping to either target early morning or late afternoons. Or do they move all day?
As soon as the wind lets down. The storm does not bother them, but the wind sure does. They will be on the feed big time when the wind lets up. Even if it is still snowing.
As soon as the wind lets down. The storm does not bother them, but the wind sure does. They will be on the feed big time when the wind lets up. Even if it is still snowing.
Thanks Scott. I do alot of bow hunting here in WI, but I haven’t made it out this late in the season in a long time. And I wasn’t for sure what if any affect this snow would have on them. There should be plenty of fresh sign so finding them shouldn’t be too difficult!
Mike Pearson
Eau Claire, WI
Thanks Scott. I do alot of bow hunting here in WI, but I haven’t made it out this late in the season in a long time. And I wasn’t for sure what if any affect this snow would have on them. There should be plenty of fresh sign so finding them shouldn’t be too difficult!
Mike Pearson
Eau Claire, WI
I went out yetersday from 9:00-11:00 am and saw 6 does moving near me.They didn’t seem to mind the snow but the wind was a bit rough on thier nreves it seemed.After getting down I scouted for a bit and it appears that the deer were on the move all over the land.Looking forward to Sat am hunt,although it looks to be a cold one.
I went out yetersday from 9:00-11:00 am and saw 6 does moving near me.They didn’t seem to mind the snow but the wind was a bit rough on thier nreves it seemed.After getting down I scouted for a bit and it appears that the deer were on the move all over the land.Looking forward to Sat am hunt,although it looks to be a cold one.
A calm evening on an active food plot this time of year is GOLD!! They use the same feeding trails daily, so setting up is easy. Check the wind and set up on the down wind side of the trail they are using.
A calm evening on an active food plot this time of year is GOLD!! They use the same feeding trails daily, so setting up is easy. Check the wind and set up on the down wind side of the trail they are using.
Scotts right !
Like taking candy from a baby on a food source. Stay downwind about 15 yards off the trail. Make sure to get to the spot about 1 hour before they will be coming. If your on the ground make sure to barely move.
Scotts right !
Like taking candy from a baby on a food source. Stay downwind about 15 yards off the trail. Make sure to get to the spot about 1 hour before they will be coming. If your on the ground make sure to barely move.
Right Scott, when you said they use the same trails a picture immiadetely came to mind of one of the timbers i’ve bow hunted for the last 8 years. Like clockwork every evening they come out of thier bedding spots and into the area they’ve been grazing lately because they know theres food available. The reason i say this is because if conditions have changed in late fall in the growth of thier food supply they have already found where they want to feed so thier coming to where they have been feeding lately. So after a snow storm and time to put food in thier stomachs to keep warm they go to the area they know holds thier food. They don’t switch trails this late in the season and stay close to where they know thier food supply is. The wind plays a big part in how they feed, although its not written in stone they do lay low when the winds up, i don’t even go to my stand when the winds going to be over 10 miles an hours, they lay tight when its 15 mph because they rely on thier senses and they can’t use them when the winds up. Right after a snow and the wind calms down they feed all night long if they have too to put food in thier stomachs. They will feed during the day too if thier hungry and have to work for thier food more than they like too because of the snow depth. Late season is a very good time too pattern them because all you have to do is find a meadow or field where thier feeding at night, then walk around to find the trails that they are coming to feed on and set up there down wind. This is a good time to get within 20 yrds. One thing thats important too is that deer when they are hungry because of the snow depth they will walk in timbers and on the edges of fields and browse on the young ends of the bushes and small trees. Ive shot deer and when i opened thier stomachs to see what they have been eating it was completely full of browse. The cold dosen’t bother deer at all unless its bone chilling cold, 20 to 30 below is like a walk in the park to them if theres no wind, when its cold and the winds up they stay on thier bed and its then easy to get close to them if your stalking them, but thier always aware in late season. The bucks do come to calling, you have to find the right call, grunt snort wheese is the one i use most of the time and it works good in late season. Personally i think its easier to pattern deer in late season, its really not that hard in early season but the deer are in a more solid routine than in the early and the bucks are still looking to breed. Late season is a good time to hunt too.
Right Scott, when you said they use the same trails a picture immiadetely came to mind of one of the timbers i’ve bow hunted for the last 8 years. Like clockwork every evening they come out of thier bedding spots and into the area they’ve been grazing lately because they know theres food available. The reason i say this is because if conditions have changed in late fall in the growth of thier food supply they have already found where they want to feed so thier coming to where they have been feeding lately. So after a snow storm and time to put food in thier stomachs to keep warm they go to the area they know holds thier food. They don’t switch trails this late in the season and stay close to where they know thier food supply is. The wind plays a big part in how they feed, although its not written in stone they do lay low when the winds up, i don’t even go to my stand when the winds going to be over 10 miles an hours, they lay tight when its 15 mph because they rely on thier senses and they can’t use them when the winds up. Right after a snow and the wind calms down they feed all night long if they have too to put food in thier stomachs. They will feed during the day too if thier hungry and have to work for thier food more than they like too because of the snow depth. Late season is a very good time too pattern them because all you have to do is find a meadow or field where thier feeding at night, then walk around to find the trails that they are coming to feed on and set up there down wind. This is a good time to get within 20 yrds. One thing thats important too is that deer when they are hungry because of the snow depth they will walk in timbers and on the edges of fields and browse on the young ends of the bushes and small trees. Ive shot deer and when i opened thier stomachs to see what they have been eating it was completely full of browse. The cold dosen’t bother deer at all unless its bone chilling cold, 20 to 30 below is like a walk in the park to them if theres no wind, when its cold and the winds up they stay on thier bed and its then easy to get close to them if your stalking them, but thier always aware in late season. The bucks do come to calling, you have to find the right call, grunt snort wheese is the one i use most of the time and it works good in late season. Personally i think its easier to pattern deer in late season, its really not that hard in early season but the deer are in a more solid routine than in the early and the bucks are still looking to breed. Late season is a good time to hunt too.
So how has your season gone so far, Dan??? 
So how has your season gone so far, Dan???
Haven’t even had my bow out, im waiting for the late black powder to come, got a farm to hunt down in southern iowa for both my doe tags in Van Buren ( missouri border county) and i got a statewide for anywhere and im hunting in wayne county for my buck. Its south of Des Moines and right by the Missouri border also, the last i checked, two days ago, they still had over 1400 doe tags left in this county and thier not selling fast, its a pretty rural county with i think of a good chance of getting a nice shooter buck, im hoping so anyway. The rest of the southern iowa counties are selling reasonable to slow and Wayne is coming in last, thats why im going there, no pressure. They probably won’t sell all of them with the minimal pressure they have down there and the numbers of deer plus i want to check it out for spring turkeys. A whole lot of turkeys down there, they are as thick as rabbits. I know i can tag out on the doe’s but i want a nice buck and will wait until the last moment for one then take a doe. Im going down for a week, maybe two if i need too if i see a nice one and i have to really try to get close. I wonder if Steve will let me ducttape my rattleing racks to a doe if i don’t, think it would fool anyone Zim?
Haven’t even had my bow out, im waiting for the late black powder to come, got a farm to hunt down in southern iowa for both my doe tags in Van Buren ( missouri border county) and i got a statewide for anywhere and im hunting in wayne county for my buck. Its south of Des Moines and right by the Missouri border also, the last i checked, two days ago, they still had over 1400 doe tags left in this county and thier not selling fast, its a pretty rural county with i think of a good chance of getting a nice shooter buck, im hoping so anyway. The rest of the southern iowa counties are selling reasonable to slow and Wayne is coming in last, thats why im going there, no pressure. They probably won’t sell all of them with the minimal pressure they have down there and the numbers of deer plus i want to check it out for spring turkeys. A whole lot of turkeys down there, they are as thick as rabbits. I know i can tag out on the doe’s but i want a nice buck and will wait until the last moment for one then take a doe. Im going down for a week, maybe two if i need too if i see a nice one and i have to really try to get close. I wonder if Steve will let me ducttape my rattleing racks to a doe if i don’t, think it would fool anyone Zim?
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Thanks Scott. I do alot of bow hunting here in WI, but I haven’t made it out this late in the season in a long time. And I wasn’t for sure what if any affect this snow would have on them. There should be plenty of fresh sign so finding them shouldn’t be too difficult!
Mike Pearson
Eau Claire, WI
Hey dart, I was down your way earlier thursday afternoon, I would say that anytime you couldve made it into tthe woods yesterday wouldve been a good time, seen deer everywhere along 94 feeding out in fields, aint too much on their mind right now other than food by the looks of things. Man what I wouldnt do to get on that 3M land there in menomonie 
I cant imagine tomorrow or even the next day will be any different.
Quote:
Thanks Scott. I do alot of bow hunting here in WI, but I haven’t made it out this late in the season in a long time. And I wasn’t for sure what if any affect this snow would have on them. There should be plenty of fresh sign so finding them shouldn’t be too difficult!
Mike Pearson
Eau Claire, WI
Hey dart, I was down your way earlier thursday afternoon, I would say that anytime you couldve made it into tthe woods yesterday wouldve been a good time, seen deer everywhere along 94 feeding out in fields, aint too much on their mind right now other than food by the looks of things. Man what I wouldnt do to get on that 3M land there in menomonie
I cant imagine tomorrow or even the next day will be any different.
Dartman, I would recommend you only hunting in the evening near food plots. With the cold temps deer are probably going to bed in the late evening and stay bedded in the early morning hours. They will probably get up at start moving again around 9 am maybe. But if your on the food source in the evening you will most likely have an opportunity.
Dartman, I would recommend you only hunting in the evening near food plots. With the cold temps deer are probably going to bed in the late evening and stay bedded in the early morning hours. They will probably get up at start moving again around 9 am maybe. But if your on the food source in the evening you will most likely have an opportunity.
BBJ…there are always tons of deer by that 3M land…it would be nice to sit out there sometime to see what they really have in there. I’m always looking in that area because there always seems to be road kill in that spot! But then again, there seems to be road kill all over the place!
BBJ…there are always tons of deer by that 3M land…it would be nice to sit out there sometime to see what they really have in there. I’m always looking in that area because there always seems to be road kill in that spot! But then again, there seems to be road kill all over the place!
I hear ya lonewolf…I’m going to give it a try in the a.m. too though! I have nothing better to do this weekend so I might as well make the most of it. Tonight I’m going to suit up with the gear I’ll be wearing tomorrow morning just to make sure I can pull the bow back! That would suck if I had the opportunity and couldn’t draw back! 
I hear ya lonewolf…I’m going to give it a try in the a.m. too though! I have nothing better to do this weekend so I might as well make the most of it. Tonight I’m going to suit up with the gear I’ll be wearing tomorrow morning just to make sure I can pull the bow back! That would suck if I had the opportunity and couldn’t draw back!
Another good idea is to pull you bow back couple time when your hunting. So your bow doesnt creek when you pull it back with these cold temps.
Another good idea is to pull you bow back couple time when your hunting. So your bow doesnt creek when you pull it back with these cold temps.
The deer are up RIGHT NOW and feeding big time here in the North Suburbs. I saw 2 shooters today from 11am-1pm 
. Wish I still had a buck tag in MN It is snowing here with calm winds. I you can get out today I suggest doing it! 
The deer are up RIGHT NOW and feeding big time here in the North Suburbs. I saw 2 shooters today from 11am-1pm . Wish I still had a buck tag in MN It is snowing here with calm winds. I you can get out today I suggest doing it!
Yep, I agree. I just got back from doing errands and the deer were up and heading to the feilds. This was at 12:30 
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