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Late season help

brock ratcliff

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Sounds pretty consistent to me. Brock argues deer to be some of the most random animals. I would have to agree and I don't have near the knowledge he does. My personal opinion is we can't "predict" or "pattern" them, but I feel we can find some deer with tendencies more predictable than others. With the cold and corn available, I think you have a decent shot at Rudolph. I am no expert. Not one to hunt over bait so I have zero experience in that department. Sure does seem like his tendencies are putting him pretty darn close to your area though. Good luck Joel!

I argue they are almost completely random...until late season with a cornpile introduced. That changes the game, imo. There is no easier time to kill a specific buck, imo. And this one is making himself a relatively easy target! Good luck!
 

Lundy

Member
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I respectfully disagree:)

I don't think they are random at all, or they would die much more quickly and never achieve their age class.

I think they have very well established routines. I think the older age class animals just have more than one, maybe many more, routines than a younger age class deer may have developed prior to being killed.

I younger deer might bed in the same area and go to Kroger every day. An older deer, that has survived many seasons might bed in multiple locations and shop a different store each day depending on where he bedded. What appears to be random with no rhyme of reason to the hunter could very well be exactly what the deer has been doing it's entire life with little change.

A deer has established these routines over their life cycle based upon daily encounters. The longer they live the more safe routines are established. A deer isn't going to feed or bed in my backyard every day if my dog chases them each time they show up. No dog, no threats during the daily activities in an area establishes one safe routine for daily activities. I believe they accumulate multiple safe daily activity schedules over their lifetime. If one of those previous safe activity schedules is suddenly changed through hunter intrusion, house construction, coyotes, whatever they just move on to another one that they have developed over the years.

I believe that deer are very much creatures of habit, they just have more than one habit.

My opinion
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
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Appalachia
I respectfully disagree:)

I don't think they are random at all, or they would die much more quickly and never achieve their age class.

I think they have very well established routines. I think the older age class animals just have more than one, maybe many more, routines than a younger age class deer may have developed prior to being killed.

I younger deer might bed in the same area and go to Kroger every day. An older deer, that has survived many seasons might bed in multiple locations and shop a different store each day depending on where he bedded. What appears to be random with no rhyme of reason to the hunter could very well be exactly what the deer has been doing it's entire life with little change.

A deer has established these routines over their life cycle based upon daily encounters. The longer they live the more safe routines are established. A deer isn't going to feed or bed in my backyard every day if my dog chases them each time they show up. No dog, no threats during the daily activities in an area establishes one safe routine for daily activities. I believe they accumulate multiple safe daily activity schedules over their lifetime. If one of those previous safe activity schedules is suddenly changed through hunter intrusion, house construction, coyotes, whatever they just move on to another one that they have developed over the years.

I believe that deer are very much creatures of habit, they just have more than one habit.

My opinion

I tend to fall towards Kim's line of thinking on this. I'm in the 8th season of running cameras on our farm and I have now discovered 3 very distinct bedding-to-store type of movements that have been used by 3 different mature bucks. When you look at where they tend to move to when they are bedded in that area, it tends to be the same general movement over the years from different bucks. Mature bucks are so finely in tune with their area, I don't believe they just "wonder" around for most of the year. Just like the analogy of setting up a blind without cover when we say "If someone put a new chair in your bedroom, you'd know it immediately". Generally speaking, I think we all believe that to be that case. If that is the case, then why would a deer that in tune with his surroundings have no rhyme or reason to where he sleeps, travels and shops? I'm not saying every move is calculated, but I believe their in control more often than not.
 

Joel

Senior Member
3,049
113
Centerburg, Ohio
Bowhunter,

I've been considering trying to get on his route to the corn. I have a perfect spot in mind but it won't work if he's bedding in a different area than where I think. It's a little cold to be sitting in a tree without seeing deer and not really a great spot for the blind with a crossbow because the area is so thick.

I'm really hoping for some good snow soon so I can figure out his exact route and hang a stand if I can't get him from the blind. Getting close though that's for sure! If I can get there on a really cold day I think he might just pop in right before last light. 6:00 is pretty dang close, I just want him to be thirty minutes early.

I am losing sleep over this deer now lol. Good times!
 

Fluteman

Senior Member
Supporting Member
7,094
146
Southeast Ohio
I agree with the others, try to intercept him on his way to the food. Just be careful about where you do hang. With him coming in that soon after sunset, he can't be staying too far off. Good luck with putting him down, IMO, late season can be one of the most successful times to pattern and kill a good buck!
 

Joel

Senior Member
3,049
113
Centerburg, Ohio
I plan on going out to freshen up the corn pile today around noon and then I'm going to sit in the blind this evening for the last 2 hours of daylight. I think I will move the camera to his suspected route from his suspected bedding area and let it run until a couple days before muzzy season. Depending on whether or not I get pics of him on that trail I may hang a stand the same day I pull the camera so I have a spot for muzzy season.

I honestly think he might be headed to the corn just before sunset and hanging out a couple hundred yards away until dark then coming in for dinner. He's big and nobody on this property has ever seen him so I'm assuming he's pretty smart. Really trying to be careful and not let him know he's being hunted. Muzzy season could be productive for me but there are two other guys that have permission to hunt there and I'm worried they'll run him off to one of the neighbors. They're friends so if he's still alive next week I'll politely ask them to hunt in a different area and may even offer to let them hunt in my blind if I get a spot for the stand.

I feel really blessed just to be able to get a chance at him and have a spot a mile from my house to hunt. I took a small doe there on opening day of gun season and have passed on several deer since then. It's been a good season so far but getting this buck would make it a season I'll never forget.
 

Joel

Senior Member
3,049
113
Centerburg, Ohio
No luck tonight. Neighbors were shooting guns until dark and probably too warm and a little windy. Waiting for a few days from now back in the 20 degree range.
 

Joel

Senior Member
3,049
113
Centerburg, Ohio
Snuck out this morning in the rain and scattered another 50 lbs of corn around. Tomorrow should be a good night to hunt with a high of 41 today and high of 25 tomorrow. Rudolph hasn't showed up since Christmas eve (that sounds funny) but I'm hoping the cold will bring him or another shooter in tomorrow right before dark.

The deer seem to be getting more comfortable with the corn and blind set-up now. I have a couple pictures of a doe laying down while another one munches on corn. C'mon Rudolph, this corn is getting expensive lol.
 

Lundy

Member
1,307
127
Rudolph is probably just resting from his long trip:)

You can supplement your corn by using a Purina Deer Block. The bucks really like them and they last quite a while. They are around $13.00. You can use much less corn, not a bad thing, and don't need to go and spread more as often.

I took this video a couple of year ago on the first evening of the MZ season of a buck at a block in an extremely thick area. He and two other bucks used this block area on a regular basis, the does always went to feeder about 100 yds away from this block. I could watch both areas from my blind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGDQ5MQ6htY
 

Joel

Senior Member
3,049
113
Centerburg, Ohio
I've looked at those blocks as well as the trophy rocks and considering both. From my current blind position I've got some thick cover about 75 yards out that I might place some food in. Way out of bow range but easy shot with my ML. Right now I'm hesitant to change or move anything since it's been set up like this for a couple weeks. Cool video!
 

Joel

Senior Member
3,049
113
Centerburg, Ohio
No deer tonight. Rudolph was nice enough to stop by and get his picture taken last night around 10pm though.
 

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Joel

Senior Member
3,049
113
Centerburg, Ohio
Going out again tonight. Hopefully this deer will slip up since it's been cold and windy all day he might be looking for an easy meal right before dark.
 

5Cent

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
12,291
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North Central Ohio
Good luck Joel! This weekend is going to be good hunting I think, I'll be there with ya. Love this cold weather and snow....dump it!:pickle:
 

Joel

Senior Member
3,049
113
Centerburg, Ohio
Nothing tonight. I think I'm going to have to get more aggressive with ole Rudolph. Any ideas? :smiley_confused_vra
 
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