Who's still going?

[matchset]

till the bitter end.

[gurkster]

still going

[DonBo]

Haven't been out for a while, but kind of anxious to get out after this snow to see what's going on in my hunting area.

[walleyeking19]

I'm thinking about heading out tomorrow and wandering around for a bit. Hopefully I can pinpoint where they are with the snow. Only got 3 weeks left!

[Archerysniper]

I still have a doe tag in my pocket and the ice just got hammered with all that snow,so who knows I might go out and punch a tag yet.

[Big Country]

First year doing the late hunt. Did not think I would like it. LOVE IT! I only hunt for two hours at a time to keep my sanity. Two weekends ago I had a mature doe blow out of an alder swamp behind me right before dark. She was up wind and I was not moving. Watched her for practically 15 minutes stand broadside in brush at 35 yards. She kept looking behind her as there was another deer crunching around in the swamp. It never came out. She bent her front knees and bedded down and began grooming her self much like a dog would. After 10 minutes she got up and slowly quartered away from me. That's the stuff that keeps me going. Awesome fun. Can't wait to get out again this weekend. BC

[Scoot]

I hoped/planned to sneak out this afternoon, but it's looking like it's not in cards for me today. Too much dump going on right now... Hopefully this weekend.

[eyesonly]

Im the Same sniper- Im happy for the cruddy Start once again to the Ice fishing/making season so I can have a few more chances at a whacking a nice one before its all over.

[Rooster7]

This is the slowest season I have ever had. I have been out a lot morning and evening in normally prime spots since october 01 and have not seen a deer while bowhunting yet.

I'm not giving up though. Like someone else said, ya just have to find where they are hiding and feeding now. Work and early dark gets in the way of that however.

[GodsCountry14]

Also still trying!

Are most of you concentrating your efforts to the afternoons/evenings? Any other tips or strategies other than find the food, or is that pretty much all that matters this time of year!?

[Scoot]

My approach for this time of year is pretty simple: 1) find food, 2) find trails going to food (fresh sign should be easy with fresh snow), 3) get on correct side of trail with regard to wind, 4) don't let the does pick you off (they'll almost always come first, with the buck in tow). The tough part is outsmarting all of the does- you need to get them to come by you, but you also need them to not blow out right after they get past you. Also, the colder the temps, the better (makes the deer move earlier because they need calories more when it's colder). I usually only sit the afternoons this time of year, but have had some success in the AMs when I've sat. I much prefer the afternoons now though.

Good luck!

[monstermoose78]

Maybe I will get one tonight worth post of picture of! I got a fawn in Ripley but I don't want to take that much c rap for posting a picture of it. Good luck if ya get out tonight!

[sticknstring]

Go to your local airport and pay for some "airtime" and fly over the property(ies) you hunt and find out where the deer are bedding. With the snow, they'll really stand out.

If you've got the food, you're going to have deer. If you don't, late-season is a tough game.

[Rippinlip]

Wife and I both want to get out, but crazy hours at work for both of us.

Still hoping to sit a few evenings before the end of the year.

[NTW]

Going to give it a shot this afternoon and probably tomorrow afternoon too.

I gave up my hope of shooting a monster buck 2 weeks ago and haven't seen a mature doe since. Seemed like I was passing on them regularly up until...go figure

[Bear55]

Well down to 2 hunts left this season, all the free time I have, one this weekend and one just before new years. Going to hit a few areas and do some mid-day scouting. Food sources are very spotty in the northwoods, I need to either find the loggers, find some browse close to bedding or find a residential area that attracts deer and track them back to bedding.

[Musky Buck]

Liked your post bear55 no doubt easy dragging, I had a brutal drag November 8th, the getting at this time of year is mega challenging, talked last night to the neighbors some up town and they say there isn't a single deer in our section, I'm like what about your huge feeder where you've fed deer for 30 years through the winter, he said nare a track. I asked Heinze about his cornfield by the river bottom, combined and never disced, walked it 3x and not a track so find fresh track for sure and get in tight to where they likely are bedding. Where they are in my area is very very spotty and not many around.

[NELS-BELLS]

I'm going to try and get out this weekend. I hunt public land and its usually a hike to get to the good spots. Hopefully I don't need snowshoes. I will definately bring a sled (and I don't mean snowmobile) to haul the pack and stand in and hopefully drag a deer out with.

Nels

[Musky Buck]

Actually have been seeing way more track on public land since the snow than in our section of private land which I haven't seen any tracks, there's a nice cornfield way off the road on public and not a single vehicle track parking there to hunt it, darn dnr stealing our deer away with their food plots, lol. Good luck.

[walleyehunter80]

Heading out in the morning to fill my bow tag

[DonBo]

Sat last night, beautiful evening. First time hunting the snow in quite a while. Put on my snow cammies and sat on the ground downwind of the best sign I could find. Had a 6 pt come right up to 10 yards from me with no idea I was there. Pretty cool having deer that close to you while on the ground.

He'd have been in trouble if I still had a buck tag.

Hoping to go back out today, but man the weather really sucks! Maybe tomorrow. Got permission on a new piece of property I'm gonna check out.

[KG243]

I will be going out for my last hunt on Thursday to hunt a trail off of a standing corn field. Hopefully it pays off.

[Scoot]

Shame, embarassment, idioticy... I'm still trying to fill my deer tags and I took my kids out to the old trusty ground blind. I promised them I'd shoot a doe if I got a chance. My five year old little girl was SOOOOOOO loud! She wouldn't sit still and her warm clothes were super loud nylon material that amplified every noise. Plus, the wind was very calm, so the sound carried. After almost two hours of this I was very frustrated. Somehow, four deer miraculously came in and a 1 1/2 year old doe offered me an 18 yard chipshot. However, the deer were on Defcon 5 full alert because they knew something was up from all of Morgan's noise. I tried to draw my bow super slowly and quietly. I got to 95% full draw and rather than settling into my anchor point, because I was drawing so slowly my cam got the best of me and my string "jumped" forward. I managed to bump the release in the process and off my arrow went- for all I know it landed somewhere in MN (about 35 miles East of there). I saw the deer run away completely unscathed, but I was left with my two confused kids and one very damaged ego.

Almost 30 years of bowhunting and I've found a completely new way to screw up on a deer! Nothing to do but laugh...

[walleyeking19]

Got up this morning to see it was pouring rain outside. So I went back to sleep,hopefully the weather gets nicer these last few weeks! Its not supposed to rain in December!

[Bear55]

Good effort Scoot, I sat a few times with my 4 and 2 year old this year, to even see a deer would have been a small miracle.

However I did find out my 2 year old girl is a natural on the grunt call, the boy, despite lots practice needs some work.