# Bow hunting after gun season



## exide9922

So now that gun season is over how is bow hunting? In my previous experience which is only 2 years i've had zero luck. not much seen. Had a camera up last year and had some night activity where i hunt, but during hunting hours maybe 1-2 times every 30 days. obviously it gets more difficult. should i give it a rest for a week or two? longer? would setting up a feeder in a location near where i know deer (if they made it!) bed be a good idea?


----------



## Mylife614

Food source man, late season deer start herding up again. Where I hunt late season you may see 0 deer but if you see em you'll see em. We plant/leave food plots, we left a plot of beans in and they are tearing them up right now. 

Put couple bags of corn out with a camera, give em a few days to settle down if there was heavy pressure during gun. An get back after it. 

I personally love late season archery, it is brutal but I enjoy it. 


Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


----------



## exide9922

I have a hanging feeder, well kind of. have to wait till christmas  i was planning on putting that out in the field they are bedding down in. just hope its not too late by then. I got my first deer with a bow this year, it was by far the best experience over any i've gotten with the gun


----------



## BaddFish

exide9922 said:


> I have a hanging feeder, well kind of. have to wait till christmas  i was planning on putting that out in the field they are bedding down in. just hope its not too late by then. I got my first deer with a bow this year, *it was by far the best experience over any i've gotten with the gun*




Yes sir! People don't know what their missing.
Like others have said- find or provide the food source and they'll be on it.


----------



## exide9922

thanks for the replies! maybe I'll ask the wife once more for that feeder a little early!! i can dump some corn out there in the meantime at least


----------



## supercanoe

Late season hunting can be very good. Get between cover and food. Afternoons are best. I give them a couple weeks to settle into their normal patterns after gun season. I usually give up on tree stands and go to ground blinds built from natural cover. You can hide better and stay warmer in a ground blind.


----------



## GOLDFISH

If you are hunting this week with it as cold as it is and are in a deep or big woods find your Beech trees they are tearing up beech nuts to feed on like turkeys have been thru there.

P.S. keep a thread like this quite I like an empty woods after gun season  

with colder temps the deer will be moving mid day more than what your used to seeing. 

And like everyone said food is the place to be and watch your movement cause they will be herding up more eyes for them. Hocking county my buddy had three bucks in the 130'" running together saturday and I guy I work with him and his boy shot a nice ten and six point sunday running together at 11:00am 

Good Luck


----------



## GOLDFISH

exide9922 said:


> thanks for the replies! maybe I'll ask the wife once more for that feeder a little early!! i can dump some corn out there in the meantime at least


 If it were me and I was hunting a big buck I would not put the feeder out till after season I would just throw the corn around on the ground keep it a little more natural.  JMO though


----------



## hopintocash2

i actually look forward to the late season bow hunt, hunt food areas, evening has been best for me, and i get in the ground blind as it is much warmer than trying to sit up in a tree. being on the ground, scent control and wind direction needs to get a lot of attention. good luck


----------



## buckeyebowman

Mylife614 said:


> Food source man, late season deer start herding up again. Where I hunt late season you may see 0 deer but if you see em you'll see em. We plant/leave food plots, we left a plot of beans in and they are tearing them up right now.
> 
> Put couple bags of corn out with a camera, give em a few days to settle down if there was heavy pressure during gun. An get back after it.
> 
> I personally love late season archery, it is brutal but I enjoy it.
> 
> 
> Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


Some real good advice here! Late season, hunt the food sources! It doesn't take all that long for the deer to settle down after gun season. Once the "man-stink" is out of the woods for a few days they return to normal. However, mind your wind! The slightest whiff of human scent after the gun season, and you'll never see the deer that are around! 

My friend's mechanic has a wall of big bucks in his office. He claims that they were all taken in late December or January. He loves late season hunting! 



supercanoe said:


> Late season hunting can be very good. Get between cover and food. Afternoons are best. I give them a couple weeks to settle into their normal patterns after gun season. I usually give up on tree stands and go to ground blinds built from natural cover. You can hide better and stay warmer in a ground blind.


Afternoons may be best, but, don't ignore the middle of the day! The last gun hunt I was on (last week), I saw deer tracks in the boot tracks I left walking out in the late morning heading back in for lunch! I've often thought about sleeping in, and then heading out to hunt between about 10:00Am and 2:00PM! No doubt deer were on the move. Maybe someday I'll be smart enough to follow my own thoughts!


----------



## Mad-Eye Moody

HUNT THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY, especially when really cold out.

Caps were intentional....

If you are hunting with a regular compound, practice shooting in the cold temps with your heavy clothes on. It is very different...


----------



## fishforfun

I am going out this weekend to bow hunt again. I like hunting in the snow and late season . I will be putting more corn out too and apples. The land I hunt gun season doesn't get hammered as I am the only one hunting there. Plus I dnt hunt one part of the farm at all till late season...Good luck all...


----------



## jray

Mad-Eye Moody said:


> HUNT THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY, especially when really cold out.
> 
> Caps were intentional....
> 
> If you are hunting with a regular compound, practice shooting in the cold temps with your heavy clothes on. It is very different...


+1 to buckeye and this one i think it actually moves deer that are always nocturnal to come out during the day you never would have known that many deer were there!


----------



## Lundy

Food, food, food and cover in that order. Food in cover is even better.

Cold, cold days sleep in and hunt mid day to dark.


----------



## exide9922

Hey this is sounding even better! I even get to sleep in. I wouldn't of thought middle of the day as much, thanks for the advise. I put the corn out today with a camera. We'll see. I know they're bedding in the area, can see in the snow where they're laying down in the clover alfalfa field. Good advise everyone thank you! 


Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


----------



## fishingful

Lundy said:


> Food, food, food and cover in that order. Food in cover is even better.
> 
> Cold, cold days sleep in and hunt mid day to dark.


I made that mistake a few weeks ago. About 10am I had not seen deer and went Bach to the house got the shot gun and went back out to squirrel hunt. saw 5 deer by 11:15.


----------



## CasualFisherman

I love hunting honeysuckle thickets late season. Throw down some corn for the easiest deer hunting of the season and give up on morning hunting. 

Easier tracking in the snow as well.


----------



## slowroller

What temperature do you guys consider cold enough to sleep in and wait til 10AM?


----------



## Mylife614

From my experience I don't hunt AM late season with the bow, I hunt a few during ML. Keep us posted if y'all have been seeing am or mid am movement. 


Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


----------



## Mad-Eye Moody

slowroller said:


> What temperature do you guys consider cold enough to sleep in and wait til 10AM?


25 degrees


----------



## exide9922

well I did put some corn out like you guys suggested. dont have my feeder up yet, gota wait till christmas for that!! a lot of night time doe pictures this week. and one buck came by around 530, an 8 pointer... hes the one i'm after, i've never gotten a buck in my 3 years hunting. saving that last tag for a buck, dont need to take another doe. hopefully when I get the feeder setup with a timer i can get them to show up at some better times


----------



## Tritonman

1,000 lbs. of corn.


----------



## slowroller

I learned from this thread... went out at noon saturday and whacked one at 2:10 PM. Sweet hunt!!! Much thanks for the advice from you folks...


----------



## exide9922

hey good for you! i've learned all kinds of thing on the hunting and fishing forums on here. i'm gonna give it a try this weekend myself


----------



## Mad-Eye Moody

It's hard to break the habit and hunt mid day. But the mid day late season action has been a poorly kept secret for years.


----------



## FISHAHOLIC85

Some of my favorite hunting is after gun season. Once the weather gets cold, the deer HAVE to feed and keep moving more than normal. I broke my leg leaving the woods right before the rut and have yet to get out since. Better believe I'll be out in a blind set up between a cut crop field and bedding area as soon as the doc gives me the go ahead. Persistance always pays off. If you hunt a low pressure, private land scenario, this time can be just as productive to put down a big buck as any other. Set up between food and bedding and you will have action. Simple as that. Good luck!


----------



## exide9922

So ive been dumping corn out now for about two weeks. no feeder yet. I couldnt believe it when I checked the camera. Camera was full of video's every night. even had at least 4-5 different bucks showing up. a 4 pointer, 6 pointer a couple 8 pointers and a 10 pointer! 2 were even fighting, antlers locked. pretty cool to see that video! I've seen exactly 3 bucks during the daytime in the 3 YEARS ive been hunting this area. more does than i could count on the camera, but at least 8 because 8 were together at one time. Unfortunately ALL pictures/videos were at night. i've never been much of a buck hunter, mainly because i didnt think they were in the area I hunt. Any tricks to get them out in hunting allowed hours? ive started to look into this because i'd really like to get my first buck, doesnt look easy! will getting the feeder up on a time help?


----------



## GOLDFISH

I can't help with getting the deer there in daylight other than if your hunting close to where you dump your corn you need to double double check your cover is your scent hidden I still use doe pee around me for xtra cover also your movement even if your high leaves are gone and if the big man is checking the area and catches your head turning you'll never know he has been there the only thing I can tell you at this point is hunt as often as you can cause it just might be the day he shows up.


----------



## weasel

I have had better luck putting corn on the ground instead of a feeder put it out in several piles around your stand site. if they are coming at night . hunt in the evenings. as you will run them out of there when you go in in the morning . feeders are okay but there hard to hunt over just my 2 cents. if you have some idea were they are coming from set up between the feed and bedding area. and don't check the camera a lot . I always check it on the way out never when I walk in. I always reload the corn during the middle of the day. good luck


----------



## weasel

I have had better luck putting corn on the ground instead of a feeder put it out in several piles around your stand site. if they are coming at night . hunt in the evenings. as you will run them out of there when you go in in the morning . feeders are okay but there hard to hunt over just my 2 cents. if you have some idea were they are coming from set up between the feed and bedding area. and don't check the camera a lot . I always check it on the way out never when I walk in. I always reload the corn during the middle of the day. good luck


----------



## GOLDFISH

Here is one of three bucks we have been trying to see in daylight he is the only one we have yet to see with our own eyes and this is the only daylight pic I have gotten of him. He is a tall ten and came into the feeder around 5pm on New Years Day last year. photo time says 5:30 but itss 25min fast good luck


----------



## CasualFisherman

CasualFisherman said:


> I love hunting honeysuckle thickets late season. Throw down some corn for the easiest deer hunting of the season and give up on morning hunting.
> 
> Easier tracking in the snow as well.


Got out for the first time since gun season today. Arrived to a honeysuckle thicket at 3:00 with plenty of fresh tracks. Shot a large button buck at 3:45. Had him shot, tracked, dressed and dragged by quarter to 5:00. Great warm evening to be out. Tomorrow should be good as well.


----------



## crappiedude

Got out this morning and shot this one at 8:45. I was surprised it was that early. The last few weeks I've seen most of my deer from 10:00 to 12:00. 

I've really learned to like late season hunting. Not many people out it seems


----------



## Sasamafras

crappiedude said:


> Got out this morning and shot this one at 8:45. I was surprised it was that early. The last few weeks I've seen most of my deer from 10:00 to 12:00.
> 
> I've really learned to like late season hunting. Not many people out it seems


Wow great work, was a warm day for sure. Maybe that got them moving before temps drop again.


----------



## sylvan 17

I got out 12/26 in PA and saw 19 deer. I hunted between a cornfield and apple orchard.


Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


----------

