“Deer season is not over until it’s over,” to paraphrase a popular saying. Unfortunately, many sporting men and women are already looking forward to hunting turkeys and thinking about next year’s deer stands rather than finishing the season with a bang… or a launch. Many state deer season run until the end of January which means you still have plenty of time to tag a buck this year with “last year’s” license.
Pick Your Time
With a full month of hunting, you can select those times that best fit your schedule or wait for optimum weather conditions. Hunt selectively since weather often dictates when deer will move and how long you can remain on stand. In cold, late-season weather, morning aren’t usually your best bet. If you have snow cover, getting to a stand can be both difficult and noisy, conditions that can set you up for failure. It’s often better to head for a stand in mid afternoon when temperatures have moderated, deer are more likely to move, and you can sit out the stand until dark.
Consider a Deer Drive
Archers don’t consider deer drives an option, yet it’s quite possible for two or three hunters to make short, strategic drives successfully. Think of a “push” rather than a loud drive to move deer. By now, most deer have had extensive contact with humans and getting them to move where you want them to is difficult. In late season a driver may have as much action as a stander since deer will frequently try to break back and circle the drive.
With three persons, have two standers sneak toward their locations with plenty of time to spare. Then, the driver can begin a slow stalk that will push, but not panic deer. In this way, you can minimize the need to stand still in very cold weather and the driver can scout as he stalks, providing important intel for future drives.
Four January Segments
Josh Honeycutt breaks down the January hunting period into four segments in this post from the Realtree website with differing suggestions for each one. If you are willing to give January deer hunting a try, he’ll show you how.
https://www.realtree.com/deer-hunting/articles/how-to-deer-hunt-in-january
