Tips From MDR Outdoor group
Better Hunting from the makers of 24/7 products
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December – January: Late Season Tactics
| In my early days of hunting whitetails,
I would often overhear veteran, hardcore hunter's talk of
having outstanding action either in the late primitive arms
season in my state, or traveling to adjacent states to enjoy
the same hot late season action. I would just put it out of
my head and try to get find some early ice fishing action
or chase lake-run rainbow trout or steelhead. Eventually I
reached my breaking point as black powder became increasingly
popular and more of my friends would tell me about what I
was missing. Whether you are pursuing late season whitetails
with a bow, muzzleloader, or even in the last few days of
the regular gun season, there are ways of putting the odds
of success in your favor. |
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The author with a mature late season buck taken with 24/7
Early Buck tarsal based attractant |
| One strategy is to look at
the calendar and see if a 3rd Quarter moon falls during this
period possibly providing you with some second or even third
rut opportunities. Very similar in the timing of the main
rut which follows the Hunters Moon (the full moon closest
to November 1st), younger yearling does and even some doe
fawns will come into estrus during these later lunar cycles.
Going back to those strategies that were successful several
weeks ago and positioning yourself in topographical funnels
is a very hard technique to beat. Another time proven technique
is to beat the does back to their bedding area in the predawn
and wait out their arrival. Bucks will be scouring these areas
in search of the returning does to survey if any are approaching
estrus. Applying scent trails of 24/7 Doe Estrus
that intersect several deer trails and terminate upwind of
your stand is an excellent strategy to harvest a buck at this
time. |
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A more general strategy and without question the one I have the
most confidence in for harvesting a deer at the end of the season
is to focus on stands of evergreens. This year-round thick cover
is like a magnet for deer and wildlife in general and the worse
the weather becomes, the stronger it's drawing power. I tend to
get myself into area the deer aren't used to seeing hunters. That
would be areas with very limited visibility of no more than 40
yards and oftentimes 20-25 yards in any direction. These areas
are not attractive to hunters with their long-range weapons and
high power optics and deer don't encounter many hunters there
for that reason. These tight areas can be great any time during
the day by either still hunting slowly into the wind (sometimes
on your hands and knees) or better yet setting up a ground blind
taking into consideration the wind forecast. A hunter tends to
be able to see 2-3X more from the ground in these areas than from
a tree stand unless there they've setup a stand there prior to
the season and did a lot of pruning. In the event one finds themselves
in a blind situation, using a quality all-season curiosity scent
to provide you with standing shots in your open windows in the
surrounding cover is very effective. 24/7 Early Buck
is perfect for this! With its doe and buck tarsal extracts,
Early Buck has the ability to get the interest of any
deer that passes through as well as attract deer from downwind.
It also continues to work for the hunter allowing him to get right
back in that blind anytime in the next 7 days and take advantage
of it's time-released properties. Another benefit at this time
of year especially is the ability of these to rest atop the snow
pack (unlike liquids), keeping the scent available to be picked
up by the wind currents.
One last strategy which isn't very popular but still has a following
is the hunter who harvested a buck or a doe earlier in the season
and removed the urine from the bladder to use as an attractant.
This can be a little tricky, but with a little care is more than
do-able. I prefer to have my deer hung by the hind legs and do
not tend to split the pelvis in the field, but wait until the
deer is hung up back at camp. Upon extending the incision I used
for gutting the animal rearward and exposing the lower abdominals
of the deer, one can reach in and access the bladder. Some deer
will have a very full bladder while others are nearly empty. In
any case there is usually some urine present. The membrane of
the bladder is very pliable and by repeatedly pulling on it you
are able to move the urine containing part of the bladder far
enough away from where you want to cut it off and not risk any
leakage and contamination to the animal. Take this removed bladder
and drain into a container. Freeze until the day before you want
to use it. An outstanding way to get the most out of this hard-to-come-by
urine is to incorporate 24/7 Unscented granules.
This product is the basis for our entire granular line and will
readily accept any liquid scent. By taking a half ounce of your
deer urine and adding to the Unscented product by easily prying
open the shaker top, any hunter can combine their harvested scent
with MDR Outdoor Group's time-released technology! You gain all
the benefits of a no-leak, no-spill lure that's easy to dispense
and keeps working for you for up to 7 days.
We wish all of our customers a happy holiday season and good
luck in your late season pursuits.
Ron Boyce, Field Research Scientist
MDR Outdoor Group
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