Welcome to TheOhioOutdoors
Wanting to join the rest of our members? Login or sign up today!
Sign up

Late season public

Tysonhunter

Tysonhunter

Member
85
16
Indiana
Let’s talk late season public strategy, experiences, discussions….. I have a few days free around the holidays and plan on getting back out there a few times chasing the impossible. I know the deer have been hunted hard but if nothing else I’m ready for some fresh air. I can’t stray too far away from home so I’ll be in my less favorable smaller tracts. With the warmer weather it’s a perfect time to get the compound back out but may stay on ground and use the crossbow. I typically see a lot less folks in these spots this time of year once gun season ends but have little to no success getting on deer (bucks) if I’m being honest. I plan on hitting spots I’ve at least been to before but open to explore new as well. These spots would consist of Ceasar, rush, woodland, or Houston. What I typically find even with the less pressure is deer move very little, you’re competing with baiting on adjacent private or primary food sources on private, unless freezing temps deer tend to be hesitant to come to any public field or food source so I find myself focusing on briar, honeysuckle crp etc. Anyways, how do you all approach late season public deer archery? Particularly in highly pressured smaller tracts? If someone wants to PM me to not share a particular detail about a particular property totally understand that as well. Regardless, wishing you all the best Christmas holiday. Cheers fellas!!
 
I drove around Woodland trails last week, alot of used trails from private to public. Rush run has decent deer if you get to the backside of the lake. Long walk, boat would be better. Good luck!
 
I have very minimal experience with public ground hunting but I have a buddy that comes up late season from NC that has decent luck hunting south facing slopes close to food sources on Jesse Owens. He'll come up for 4-5 days and use the first day for scouting and throwing out a couple cameras. Killed a really good buck a few years ago during muzzy season, but seems to always get 2-3 bucks ranging from 3 1/2 and older on camera while he is here.
 
  • Like
Reactions: giles
Late season public is typically a ghost town, I’ve had some opportunities at decent deer when I hunted late season public. Typically where you find one, you find a herd. I always tried hunting public that bordered private ag fields (corn) that is several hundred yards back if not a mile. i really haven’t done it much in the last 5 to 10 years, bait piles have changed deers behavior significantly. Last time a muzzy hunted public I think I seen about a dozen deer and caught glimpse of a shooter.
 
If you’re on public land, hit the tree lines in between overgrown fields. I’ve jump a lot of deer bedded in those things over the years.
 
Late season is one of the best times to hunt public land in my opinion. There’s virtually no other hunters around and the deer eventually return to “normal” patterns and behavior. Like anywhere else in the late season, the deer don’t usually move very far between bedding and feeding areas. So if you can locate optimal bedding areas, you’ll locate the deer. Look for good thermal cover is close proximity to food plots or private ag fields. Also, pay attention to fresh sign of woody browse in thickets and woody corridors. Most people don’t realize how much woody browse makes up a deer’s diet this time of year. If you hunt near a wetland, find the high ground inside the cattails. Deer are a lot like pheasants… they absolutely love bedding in cattails late in the year.

Deer hunting late season is no different than hunting any other time of year. You have to read and identify the sign, then plan/execute accordingly. It’s just a hell if a lot colder and more miserable doing it later in the year lol.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.