Ahhh, Late Season Hunting

Hunting the end of deer season is an entirely different game and a challenge many sportsmen thoroughly enjoy. So let’s take stock of the situation and see if we can stack the deck in the hunter’s favor.

Ah, Late Season... How beautiful and difficult to hunt in!

Late season Whitetail are as wary a quarry as hunters could want. Pressured by shot gunners and pushed out of their early season sanctuaries, the herd has been split up and shuffled around. Breeding is no longer priority -survival is. Weather becomes a dominant factor this time of year and our weather changed radically this month. A mid-December blizzard plunged Iowa into tundra-like territory, transforming the landscape into a beautifully harsh landscape. Under frigid conditions and deep snow, deer have recognized two major proponents to survival: security cover and food.

Hunting a food source can be the single most effective way to take a late season trophy as cold temperatures send deer to the fields. Some of the best hunting conditions unfold right before a major storm such as the blizzard earlier this month. Feeding activity started as early as 1-2pm ahead of that storm as the deer stocked up on food to help. Bitter cold can also increase the deer activity as herds feed to burn calories to keep warm.

Big deer often find safety in numbers. Last week I observed a very large and mature buck surrounded by 20 or so does. He had waited until the does were in the field for several minutes before emerging from the woods. This big buck then walked right to the middle of the herd, found a spot, and dug through the snow to get to some browse. For the next hour, he moved a total of 50 yards from that spot before shooting light ended. It looked to me like he was using the herd as a shield, relying on their senses to determine any danger. I didn’t want to make a move because of all the eyes and ears -getting to him undetected seemed quite unlikely.

When late season rolls around, deer abandon patterns easily. Read the trails and the sign and adapt to the new locations they feel safe.  Once you’ve found a good ambush point, try to use the winds and cover to keep concealed because it only takes one or two times bumping deer for them to adapt and avoid your area.

Brrrrrrr... Good gear is a must to outlast a Winter Whitetail.

Keep tabs on the blog for the rest of the season and I’ll be posting my hunts with pictures.  I’ve got an archery tag and a few front loader tags to fill yet and I can’t wait to get out there and share my struggles and hopefully successes. Enjoy the cold and have a happy New Year. Good luck and get outside!

Blizzard Blankets Iowa in White

Well the fierce winds are over and the blinding snow has stopped. But the cold is only beginning after a major blizzard struck the Midwest dropping over a foot of snow and carrying 60mph winds.

This cold is excellent news for ice anglers and late season hunters.

Now that we've got a blanket of white, Arctic air will continue to pour in over our newly acquired white welcome mat. In fact, two major storms in the next week will reinforce the cold air and invite even more down from Canada. This will set the stage for some of the coldest air central Iowa has seen in nearly two years.

As a late season hunter, I am ecstatic! I dream of deep, fresh snow and bitter cold for many reasons. There's just something about the torture test of playing freeze out while waiting for deer to appear over a food source. And the peace of being out there in my own personal snow globe can be consuming. It's also about the smile I get after cutting a big buck's fresh track in the white powder, or setting my sights on a good deer.

Hard water chasers are also adding up the inches of ice, and with overnight lows approaching -10F in northern Iowa this week, I'm expecting happy Christmas anglers. Please remember not to fish on shelf ice. Shelf ice will develop when a lake or river freezes and then the water level drops. These conditions are extremely unsafe and likely to develop shortly after the new year.

Have a merry and safe Christmas!

-Chris

Back to Back Weekend Storms

Late season hunters know, there are few things that heat deer activity up better than cold weather and a winter storm approaching! Unfortunately, cold has been relatively scarce this Fall, but we do have a strong storm moving in to end 2nd Season. Here are some of the reasons foul weather in the forecast can help you fill your tags.

I wish there were more of this during shotgun season!

Let's start with a little weather 101 that every hunter needs to know. North American storm systems are local "low pressures" and when they push into a region, the power of the storm lifts air up into the sky. This creates clouds and can lead to rain, storms, snow and wind. When a storm moves in the barometric pressure falls. If you don't have a barometer - they're cheap, go get one. Otherwise, look for that big red "L" we show you on the weather maps. One's that move in from the west and southwest seem to have a bigger impact on deer movement before a storm.

In Iowa, low pressure systems can bring radical changes in weather ranging from tornadoes to blizzards. Inclimate weather threatens not only people's survival, but the wildlife too. While some animals are more sensitive to changing weather systems, most wildlife changes their patterns when a storm is coming. Birds hit the feeders harder. Squirrels scavenge furiously for nuts. And heavy horned bucks get out of bed to feed in the daylight.

A falling barometer puts deer on the hoof! One of my best hunting memories comes from a few years ago as I sat over a cut cornfield on the day before 1st Season. The clouds had been steadily thickening, the winds picked up from the east and the temperature was falling. Several inches of snow were in the forecast and the first flakes were sticking to my bow and turning the ground white. The first deer I saw was nearly an hour earlier than every other day I hunted that week. And a field that I'd normally see 10 deer on, suddenly was teaming with nearly 50.

Sometimes, I don't know who's a better forecaster: me or the herd of deer! It ended up snowing much more than expected as temps crashed colder than expected. It seems the animals instinctively know when the weather is changing and the ones who prepare are the ones who survive the storm.

Food sources and travel corridors to food sources are key ambush spots for a successful hunt before a storm. Once the storms hit, deer often hunker down until the worst is over. Stalking through a bedding area or setting up on a funnel or pinch point near a bedding area is key here. Deer sightings diminish rapidly when heavy precipitation hits, but they'll often move around if there are any breaks in the weather.

If there's one good thing about rain on Saturday - deer drives can be quite effective in seeing deer when the weather's foul.

Good luck and hunt safely on the final weekend of shotgun season 2012!

Cooler Weather Helps Second Season Shotgunners

After record-breaking warmth during the first season, an arctic cold front and our first snow blasted in for the second leg of Iowa's gun season.

Hunting in snow is fantastic, and this year I couldn't pass up the opportunity. There is something purely magical about being out there as the flakes are falling. Whether it's the sight of deer appearing out of the fog and snow or cutting a tell-tale track in the powder, snow is a great thing for hunters. It was for the guys I hunted with on Sunday and we were able to harvest this nice ten pointer.

Unfortunately, it didn't last and we're expecting warmer weather ahead. Given our pattern so far this fall these cold surges of air wont last until we can get some more permanent snow pack on the ground.

On a positive note, the upcoming warm weather will be comfortable to hunt in, but it will make the hunting a bit tougher. Pressured deer wont want to budge from security cover and Mother Nature wont be forcing them out to feed by sending in brutal cold.

We will be facing another storm system for the finale to Iowa's shotgun season. Unfortunately for hunters, this one could be all rain... That would make for a cold, cold soaking Saturday afield.

I'll keep tracking it.