Anyone got the late season deer patterned?

[Stratosman]

Well we've come around full circle... shotgun and rifle season is long past, muzzy season is all but a distant memory and the only ones left in the woods chasing whities are us die hard bow hunters. The ones fortunate enough to have filled thier tags already can start dreaming about next season while the rest of us still holding a tag or two remain in pursuit of the backstrap.

Late season hunting can be alot of fun, but just like in early September, one needs to rely on scouting to locate and possibly pattern the deer, and once again food sources are the key to sucess. Where I hunt the deer seem to be keying in on alfalfa and combined soybean fields. They have all but abandoned combined and chisel plowed corn. I suppose that since most farmers do not disc the beans until spring there are alot of scattered and missed beans in the field making for the easiest meal and the least amount of expended energy. Most of the land which I have access to was in corn this year, there is only one bean feild which is unfortunately difficult to access or vacate without being busted since there is a brushy creek along one side and that is where the deer bed, the other 3 sides are open. Also one alfalfa field that is out in the wide open, the deer are using it but coming out late and from another property. I havn't seen any bucks since gun season but I know that there are at least 4 quality ones in the area, I think they are still holding tight in bedding areas and are still strictly nocturnal. The does are out and about, one field a few miles from where I have access I counted 16 deer in an alfalfa field at 3:00 in the afternoon, all were does. I have seen no signs of the 2nd but I beleive that it might already be almost over, 4 weeks ago puts us at around November 17th or so...

Anyway what have all the other late season die hards dicovered on thier hunting grounds?

[sticknstring]

You're lucky - at least you have some ag crops to focus on as a food source. It's big woods in the area I've been hunting and the food source is pawing off snow and finding grass on the sides of the road and downed evergreens. There's 14-16" of snow but evidently not enough yet to get the deer concentrated as I've found tracks everywhere - no established trails of any sort. Plenty of deer around, just can't seem to pattern em quite yet. Had the property logged off last winter so it's very open and with calm conditions it's very difficult getting in/out of the stand discretely. I think next year I'll change the foodplots to something the deer can feed on into the winter... oh well at least I'm gettin some use out of my wool bibs!

[bigbucks]

Patterned some this week, shot a nice doe Saturday night. They were coming & digging in cow yard that hadn't had cattle in most of the summer, but the pastures had. They were pawing through 12-14" of snow to eat the grass. Coming into the farm yard right before dark.

[Cooter]

In the neighbors corn field every night