Late archery deer season is commonly overlooked by many hunters due to the holiday season, cold weather, and ‘the rut is over’. 

The beautiful thing about late archery deer season is that you can predict deer movement and catch the bucks when they are tired. 

The proper game plan for late archery deer season will be your key to success when the snow starts to fall. 

A Quick Overview of the Article

• The Shift in Deer Positioning during Late Archery Deer Season
• The Winter Food Sources
• Where is Winter Bedding for Whitetail Deer
• The Second Rut
• How to Locate Deer During Late Archery Deer Season

The Shift in Deer Positioning During Late Archery Deer Season

Whitetail deer are animals that have a will to survive. Once the rut is over, their primary focus is to gain the necessary nutrients to survive the harsh winter and late archery deer season. 

This is going to radically change the way that deer will use a property, find food, find bedding, and where they will travel. 

The deer will position themselves for survival during the late archery deer season. 

The movement of deer will be seen as if it has just disappeared during the late season if you do not understand that the shift has happened and you need to adjust your game plan. 

Food sources will change. Bedding will change. Travel will change. Your plans should change as well during the late archery deer season.

Winter Food Sources

Whitetails know that after the rut is fully over, they need to rest and replenish their bodies. They need to get plenty of food in them.

Food tends to be more scarce during the late archery deer season and winter months. This does not mean that it is impossible to find where the food is located. 

Deer will take the food they eat and turn it into carbohydrates that will help them gain a layer of extra fat for added warmth. 

When the crops are cut and there is not any agricultural food in the area, deer will switch to browse, other foliage, acorns, and other nuts. 

That fat is then stored in their body. The extra layer of fat, it gives them sufficient energy reserves to survive late archery deer season and the rest of the harsh winter. 

If you can find the winter food source that the deer are eating, you will be able to put a good game plan in place to execute. 

Another option for winter food if you have the land and resources would be to plant a food plot that specifically is meant for feeding deer during the winter and late archery deer season. 

If you know a great winter food plot system that would also be a great way to create a food supply to hunt over. 

I do not do food plots because of the lack of land that would be allowed used to plant any sort of food plots. (Here is an article about winter food plots)

Where is Late Archery Deer Season Bedding?

Deer do migrate. Not necessarily miles south like waterfowl do. However, they will move locations to the area that best suits their needs. 

During the cold months of late archery deer season and after that, deer need extra warmth. 

I have noticed year after year that the deer where I hunt do not stick around in the small woods that is surrounded by empty fields. 

They do not stay because it is cold. The wind only makes it colder as well. 

The deer will often travel to bigger woods where they can get away from the cold winds. Places like swamps, big hardwoods, super thick areas hidden in the big woods, and draws on the south side of ridges are great places to find deer beds during the late archery deer season. 

These spots give the deer the warmth they need to survive. 

Another great resource that deer will use to stay warm and bed in is pine trees. Pine trees absorb sunlight at a greater rate than many other trees. 

The darker colors absorb more light and create more warmth in that area. Which makes it a perfect place for deer to bed during the late archery deer season. 

Oh, pine trees also can provide a stable food source for the deer. If you have an area of pines that you can hunt late season, it is worth hunting.

The Second Rut

A second rut is not uncommon among many deer herds. Genetics can oftentimes hinder a doe from coming into heat until late archery deer season. It may just be one hot doe but that is all you need. 

The doe or does that come into heat later in the year will get the bucks moving again. This is not always the case but it is a notable occurrence that you may experience and want to be aware of while hunting late archery deer season. 

This normally happens towards the end of November in the Midwest and by December there are no more does in heat and the late season is truly in full swing.

How to Locate Deer During Late Archery Deer Season

Whitetails are not afraid to dig into the snow to find food. That could be acorns, or corn and beans from the farm fields that were already harvested.

Where I hunt, the combine will tend to have a couple of small spills of corn. This corn can be a great resource for the deer as they are searching for food. If you are lucky, a pile of corn could have spilled near the woods or another hunting spot you can access. 

These piles of crops act as natural bait piles and can be taken advantage of during late archery deer season. 

The other major thing that you need to pay attention to is the deer tracks in the snow. Deer will leave obvious signs in the snow of where they have been and where they are going. 

Try to identify paths that they are using during the winter. These paths are your best chance to analyze how deer are using your hunting property during the winter months. 

The tracks will give you a great idea of where they are getting their food and water from.

Trail cameras are your biggest asset when it comes to gaining knowledge about whitetail deer during the winter months. 

If you do not have prior knowledge then you can try to put up a camera or two and find where the deer are moving. Try to use the resources and gear that you have to your advantage.

How to Hunt Late Archery Deer Season with Standing Crops

My father and I have had years on our property where the farmer has not had the opportunity to cut the crops off till mid-December. This can truly be to your advantage!

I would advise contacting the farmer and finding out when they plan on cutting the crops. Deer will be overflowing in the standing crops because it is safe from hunters that cannot see through it. 

However, when they cut the crop deer have no other option but to leave.

Hunting where the deer can easily get out of the corn and into another safe area will provide you with great opportunities. 

These late-season opportunities do not happen every year and are a rare occurrence. Take advantage of this scenario whenever you can!

Conclusion

Late archery deer season can be a gold mine if you are located on the property that is holding all the deer. If not, it can be extremely difficult to hunt. Make sure that you are doing all that you possibly can to give yourself the best chance of success. 

Even if that means hunting public land or reaching out to a land owner about hunting during the late archery deer season. 

 Thank you for visiting The Whitetail Teacher! If you enjoyed this post, make sure to share it with a friend. Also, don’t forget to check out The Whitetail Teacher Merchandise!

If you have any questions or recommendations for new blog posts, please use the contact form. 

Learn, Plan, Execute,

The Whitetail Teacher

Learn More From The Whitetail Teacher