What do you look for in December?

[MattMan81]

You northern state guys, where are you headed to hunt on these Dec. Days? No snow in lower Mi, so can't look at tracks. The little bit I explored state land last year was dense cover. But what are they feeding on you have noticed? The farm I hunt seems to really slow down in December. Never see antlers during hunting hours. So looking to maybe jump back into some public and look for food sources. I'm thinking thick cover with some food. But not sure what I am looking for food wise.

 

[Wyatt_burp]

If I'm hunting bucks outside the rut I try to find hidden water sources near known bedding areas. Also hunting before storms hit seems to get everything moving.

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[Allegheny Tom]

Small patches that haven't already been disturbed a hundred times.

 

[woodsdog2]

Also change up your hunt times from the typical predawn to 10am and 3pm till dark to 9am till 2pm. Also in the brushy areas or finger strips of cover through and around fallow fields. Push the goldenrod or watch it for bucks going to bed, also greenbrier in secluded spots or other high stem count browse areas near not in safe bedding. Stalk into your stand setups though as they transition in and around these areas all day. Deer drives may work too if you don't care about disturbing. Subtle drives with two or three guys can work especially on ridges and benches. One guy high, medium and low pushing up or down to each other but you don't walk like your driving deer, each still hunts through the area. This disturbs things less. Best in a crosswind. Saddle setups in the former mentioned areas if you don't want to drive the deer.

 

[Robert loper]

Gotta find seasonal food sources especially in staging areas. This us where to capitalize.
forbs snd browse.
green briars being one of the biggest as it doesnt get buried.
water sources in my opinion are a waste of time at least in my area sincemost of the water is probably frozen snd considering deer get 70% of thier needed warer intake through the foods they eat.
Thsts the usual where i hunt but may not be same somewhere else.
I think ya just gotta find out how deer react and use the areas you hunt in your areas

 

[Bowmanmike]

I am in upstate NY and expect deer to be browsing on high stem count brush..They also are still cleaning up acorns.as we had a bumper crop. Finding spots where they still feel safe is the hardest part. Hunting pressure here is highest on opening day and then diminishes sharply. Pretty soon the deer will be back to normal here,another reason why i love muzzleloader season.

 

[michigandrake]

I like to focus on decent-sized stands of browse next to thermal cover. I am always looking for mast crops first but eventually, deer that face a snowpack will be living on browse and looking for thermal cover. When found next to each other that is a good potential spot. There will be light early winter years when deer can eat acorns until after season but just as many when they are on browse in late November and looking for protection from the wind and temperature. It just depends on the weather. So look for the hot food sources but keep a browse spot or two in mind for when those sources are gone or covered with snow. In my hunting area that means poplar cutovers next to cedar swamps. It may look different on your favorite tract of land but the concept is the same.

 

[boyne bowhunter]

Where I am in Michigan the deer move to winter yards once the snow gets deep. But there's limited food there too so they won't make the move until all the possibilities for food in the normal habitat has been depleted. That means they'll hang around under oaks or beeches as long as there is any nuts under them. The local beech nut crop was pitiful this year and there's not a lot of oaks where I hunt so mast is hard to find but I've noticed lately that they are back pawing under the choke cherry trees even though the cherries typically quit dropping in early October. They're just cleaning up what ever is left. I guess what I'm trying to say is focus on any food sources remaining as winter is closing in, that's where you'll find them.

 

[kbetts]

Deer.....

 

[neonomad]

I get as close to high stem count as I can. Home farm has thick bedding cover and I know where they head to eat, so I know what the decent bets are, but they’re high effort... every hunt is a gamble how close I dare get to bedding and getting busted vs being close enough to see movement before dark. It’s like early season without the leaves. Tonight was an attempt at about 125 yards from bedding bc I got the target buck going into it this morning, but was a swing and a miss. If you have a bedding to food pattern I think the game is backtracking that pattern in the evenings, I’m seeing these bucks show up like 2-30 mins after dark. Or hope for snow or cold for long enough they show early. Or maybe some lucky December rutting.

 

[MattMan81]

Water is not an issue. Plenty of watering holes. I think its cover and food there after. Acorns were slim pickings around here. I imagine there in the thick cover near picked farm feilds waiting for dark to go out. And people's back yards. Seen a lot of that.

 

[swampdonkey]

Cedar Swamps this time of year.

Everything else is mostly night time activity on public after several months of hunting.

 

[raisins]

If I'm hunting bucks outside the rut I try to find hidden water sources near known bedding areas. Also hunting before storms hit seems to get everything moving.

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Is it dry where you hunt? State? I hunt in WV and never thought much about water sources because the topography creates drainages everywhere, but maybe I'm missing out.

 

[#TradLife]

Unfortunate weather we have been having. I've been spending a lot more time on cherokeeforum lately, and... not in the woods. its a jeep thing

Keep an eye on your regular spots, I think keeping those in rotation is a good idea, if you believe the second rut. I do. The deer are paranoid now. Certainly I have been seeing a lot of (other peoples) trailcam photos 100 yards from houses. Sometimes hunting those spots isn't an option though.

Any thick, nasty transition that gets them too and from bedding. Like everyone else has been saying, green forbes, Woody browse, mast on the ground. Even briars that may still have some green leaves.

In your current spots or out on state, look for leaf litter disturbed, then back it up with tracks or scat (effin squirrels), fresh rubs or scrapes nearby may be popping up too.

Fall is just hanging on here in S.E.MI lately, with not much cold front or storms in sight. Lots of west winds lately mean look on the east facing slopes if the wind is high enough.

 

[swampdonkey]

Is it dry where you hunt? State? I hunt in WV and never thought much about water sources because the topography creates drainages everywhere, but maybe I'm missing out.

I hunt in WI where there is a ton of water.

HOWEVER, in late Dec through Jan i know of a spot where there is a tiny spring that stays open year round when everything else is frozen solid for miles.

It’s on public and ignored most of the year but in Jan it is loaded with tracks. I’ve hunted it the last several years in the late season within shooting distance of the open water and it’s become my best late season honey hole by far. Far better than any late season food source i’ve ever hunted.

I think it’s just so easy for them to drink there. Sorta like when they hammer fresh cut corn fields to clean up the spillage as opposed to gnawing on whole cobs.

That being said, i think these types of spots are pretty rare and location specific. I think they only work in very dry areas or far north where every other water source is frozen solid minus that one spot.

 

[raisins]

I hunt in WI where there is a ton of water.

HOWEVER, in late Dec through Jan i know of a spot where there is a tiny spring that stays open year round when everything else is frozen solid for miles.

It’s on public and ignored most of the year but in Jan it is loaded with tracks. I’ve hunted it the last several years in the late season within shooting distance of the open water and it’s become my best late season honey hole by far. Far better than any late season food source i’ve ever hunted.

I think it’s just so easy for them to drink there. Sorta like when they hammer fresh cut corn fields to clean up the spillage as opposed to gnawing on whole cobs.

That being said, i think these types of spots are pretty rare and location specific. I think they only work in very dry areas or far north where every other water source is frozen solid minus that one spot.

Thanks, that really opened my eyes. Here I am complaining that my neighbor doesn't provide thawed water for her outside cats in the winter.....and I never thought about deer experiencing the same thing. It's been really warm in WV the past several years (I don't know how our ski slopes are hanging on), but I'll remember this for when it actually starts getting cold again!

 

[swampdonkey]

Thanks, that really opened my eyes. Here I am complaining that my neighbor doesn't provide thawed water for her outside cats in the winter.....and I never thought about deer experiencing the same thing. It's been really warm in WV the past several years (I don't know how our ski slopes are hanging on), but I'll remember this for when it actually starts getting cold again!

I just stumbled onto it one year on my way to another spot. The sign was unreal and better yet zero human tracks. So i set up right away, beauty of mobile hunting, and it’s paid off ever since.

But if you hunt it during early season you’re wasting your time as it’s pretty reachable to other hunters. I tried a couple times and it was dead. But after hard freeze up it’s the ticket.

 

[raisins]

I just stumbled onto it one year on my way to another spot. The sign was unreal and better yet zero human tracks. So i set up right away, beauty of mobile hunting, and it’s paid off ever since.

But if you hunt it during early season you’re wasting your time as it’s pretty reachable to other hunters. I tried a couple times and it was dead. But after hard freeze up it’s the ticket.

There are a lot springs/seeps in WV. When I'm scouting here in a few months, I'll keep an eye out for them and start marking on my onx map as possibilities.

 

[swampdonkey]

There are a lot springs/seeps in WV. When I'm scouting here in a few months, I'll keep an eye out for them and start marking on my onx map as possibilities.

Always something new to learn hunting. Such a great passion to have isnt it?

Feel sorry for those who never experienced it or think us hunters are cavemen. They’re missing out watching all that tv or whatever they do all winter/fall.