Big Sky Outdoor News & Adventure

Late Season Whitetail Hunting – By Brodie Swisher
As we make our way to the end of the year, it’s hard to believe another hunting season has come and nearly gone again. Time does indeed fly when you’re chasing big game in Montana! However, ample deer hunting opportunity awaits those who didn’t quite get their fix. Or for anyone interested in putting a little more meat in the freezer. The late season can be a tough time to be in the woods. Temperatures tend to be at the lowest point of the year, making your time in the treestand or groundblind a test of endurance. However, for those willing to tough it out, the late season can provide some of the most exciting hunting of the year.
As they do a number of times throughout the hunting season, deer travel patterns can change quickly in the late season. The month of November was spent watching big bucks run into and out of our lives as they anxiously searched for receptive does. The rut can be a tough time to count on any consistency in the herd. But when the late season rolls around, deer tend to settle down in to a more patternable routine. Those big bucks transition from sex-drive to survival mode as they once again focus on food sources.
As for the Post Rut phase, you will often find the big bucks somewhat scarce once again. But you can bet if they come across a hot doe, they’ll come alive. Watch for the bucks that are back on their feet and looking for does to be making signs near doe bedding areas. Look for those scrapes that have been neglected to once again become active. This particular phase leaves a pretty small window of opportunity, so if you find the sign of an active buck, you need to make your move quickly.
A Second Rut???
There tends to be an ongoing debate amongst deer hunters as to the validity of the “second rut.” The bottom line is, not all does are the same. Remember, you have does of varying ages out there and they won’t all cycle at the same time. You’ll have the early-does that may come into estrus and are bred as early as mid-October, but this isn’t the norm. More often, the does are bred in mid-November. However, keep in mind, any unbred does will likely cycle again in another 28 days following their initial estrous cycle. Younger does and fawns will often cycle late as well. I watched a buck mount a doe fawn in the middle of January a couple seasons ago. The buck showed no interest in the fawn’s mother that was standing at the edge of the field watching the show. I would assume the mother-doe had been bred a month or two earlier and that her late bloomer daughter-doe had just reached her first cycle. As previously mentioned, any buck that gets a whiff of a hot doe…be it November, December, or January…will be on the prowl.
The B-Tag Option
Ample opportunities await the bowhunter that is willing to invest in the purchase of Deer B licenses. What is the Deer B license? “A deer B license is usually a license for antlerless mule deer or white-tailed deer, depending on the license type and hunting district. The deer B license allows you to kill a deer in addition to the deer you could harvest with your deer A license. There is no particular order in which the A and B licenses must be purchased or used. Most deer B license are available through the June 1st special drawing but some are available for purchase at License Providers, including FWP Online Licensing. A hunter may possess a total of only seven Deer B licenses in any combination.” (Montana Hunting Regulations – pg. 23)
The river-bottoms and areas in and around Missoula and Ravalli counties are home to some great whitetail deer populations. While much of the land in these areas is private, prime hunting opportunities await the hunter willing to make the effort to secure hunting permission and to help landowners manage the buck-to-doe ratio on their land. The 260-10 tag is the B license of choice for these areas. According to the MT hunting regulations, the 260-10 license is an over-the-counter B license for hunting with archery equipment only. The tag is valid in HD’s 204, 240, 250, 260, 261, 270, and 283. Up to five 260-10 Antlerless White-tailed Deer B Licenses per hunter. Valid September 5th – January 15th. (See MT Hunting Regulations Pg. 45 for more information)

Deer hunting in the late season can either be feast or famine depending on your access to food sources preferred by the deer in your area. Find the food and you’ll find the deer. Stands placed along agriculture fields can be a prime perch to watch the action as deer pour into the fields to feed. Also, look for suitable stand locations on travel routes to and from feeding areas. These travel trails will be important as hunting pressure often causes deer to avoid showing up in the fields until after dark.
The key to making smooth transitions through the changing seasons is to use your head. Think like a deer. What food is available, what particular food source are deer using right now, where are the bedding areas, and one of the most important, what trails and travel routes are deer taking to get from Point A to Point B? Stay mobile and ready to move at a moments notice and you’ll be on your way to some late season success.

Brodie Swisher is a world champion game caller, outdoor writer, and seminar speaker. Check out his website at www.BroOutdoors.com.