The deer are getting harder to find now...

[mtheis]

I've been hunting some private property in Grant Township for years now, and have noticed a gradual decline in the amount of deer we see each year. My son and I hunt together and have shot two does already...looking for a big one to put on the wall. I have noticed that after the second weekend the deer are spooked horribly, and we see fewer and fewer deer as the season progresses. I have had success in years past using two decoy's, one small basket rack buck and another a doe. I tie a rag on the back of the doe where the tail is and load it up with estrus. Hopefully it will pay off this year too. I can hunt all the way into December (Muzzleloader season), so I have time.

How do you guys hunt the late season, including Muzzleloader season? I try to hunt the key locations that lead to doe bedding areas, also trails leading to feeding areas. I just need to stick with it.

[eyehead]

Deer are defienitly going to be more catious than they were a couple weeks ago....

Muzzleloader i'll be hunting a couple trails in beetween bedding area's and corn. Those late seaon deer love the corn. Like ya said "just stick with it". I've seen 2 of the biggest bucks ive seen while deer hunting during muzzloader. One of which I missed

[mrklean]

i like to hunt the end of the yea with my bow, hit the food areas right before a front and the fields are full of deer

[Traxxx]

Remember when hunting late season deer that scent control is a must. Probably more important now than any part of the deer season. Look to areas that havn't been hunted or places you think the deer don't go. The big bucks will seek out areas that do not have human intrusion. The does are starting to get back to normal routines of feeding, however the bucks will be using the fields later, so try to catch them coming from the thick stuff. Good Luck, should be a fun muzzy season.

[mtheis]

It was a fine morning indeed! This morning 6 does came out into a field, where I was sitting in my ground blind waiting for the "big daddy." They didn't come close to my decoys, in fact, I have noticed this pattern ever since I starting using them about 7 yrs ago. The later the season progresses, I have seen decoy's become less and less effective. I am going to move around a little bit so they won't pattern me, and hopefully if a buck chases any of them they will see my "hot doe" and I will be ready.

[Musky Buck]

You are right on traxxx, areas that humans haven't intruded is critical, especially where I hunt and pressure is the main factor. For the last 25 years, I know a great woods/swamp that used to be full of deer, now because it gets bow hunted hard I have seen 1 fawn in the past 2 seasons including muzzleloading, however I don't hunt there as hard because I know the deer know how often they are hunted, the rut doesn't even get them moving except at night, when I drive that gravel road after dark I often see lots of them then. Ok so they are hunkered down, no, there is a slough hole of cattail, willows,grass, about 10 acres in size. I sat by it one night with snow on the ground and watched 19 deer get up and slowly move toward the picked corn, couldn't shoot any because it was past time but I sure learned where they hole up when pressured.

[Musky Buck]

They avoid those bowstands like the black plague, but not all areas are equal, this is in the kind of area where every 20 acres has a box stand, those deer seek undisturbed areas which for them is tougher to find or they do hunker down until dark. This is part of why we all in our area see fewer deer, they are being pressured from mid september on, nothing any of us can do about it, we just have to get used to sharing the deer wealth more which is less for us all. Picture what it is like for the deer, some get the hint because so many wait till a week or two before season to do stands rather than do what I do I do mine in the winter so when I scout them 1 time before rifle opener, there might be only a twig or two to prune out. The deer after opener must smell a lot of human odor that isn't normal to their daily routine. They know it is time to be careful. In my area the deer know it is time to be nocturnal. Good Luck Muzzleloading.