Practical Late Season Whitetail Tactics

Don’t Get Picked in the Late Season

There is nothing more frustrating than waiting for a deer to get into bow range just for everything to fall apart. The late season can be tough in terms of staying off of the deer’s radar and getting picked happens all too often. Compared to the early season, when the foliage is dense, staying hidden can be a challenge, even if you have on your best hunting plaid!

I can remember a specific stand on the property I hunt in Arkansas. Before Thanksgiving, we would have no problem staying hidden, even only being tucked away from the food plot by a couple of yards. But come December and January, picking out a hunter in that tree stand is not that hard. Trust me, I’ve been picked in that stand multiple times! Over the years, I’ve learned several ways to avoid this, some of them are simple and some require a little more work. 

Here are a few ways to avoid getting picked in the late season:

Use Wind and Shadows to Your Advantage

If your setup cannot be moved or adjusted, one of the best things you can do is use the natural conditions to your advantage. Wind makes a huge difference and not only just for scent control. If it is a still day and you are sitting in an open set, movement should be kept to a critically low level. Even phone scrolling could be a trigger. Having a little wind to move limbs and remaining leaves around you will make a big difference. Also don’t forget about shadow cover, it is very valuable. Just remember it disappears in the final twenty or thirty minutes of your hunt. 

Find a Bigger Trunked Tree

When it comes to proper cover, I would encourage finding a bigger trunk tree. Having a trunk that you can completely lean into and blend with is great. Obviously if the trunk is too large, it may be difficult to hang a stand in, so finding one the right size could be difficult depending on the woods you have available. But if you can find the right one, the right one being one that sticks out past your shoulders on both sides, then a proper hide is possible. 

Put More Cover Between You and the Deer

If you feel like you are sticking out like a sore thumb then you probably are! Having a bigger trunked tree is good, but you still run the risk of being picked out if there is nothing between you and the deer. The more cover you can put in between the better. I generally like to find a spot with mid-large size cover such as large, twisting limbs or secondary tree trunks. Small-diameter twigs and limbs are better than nothing but don’t break you up completely and offer another obstacle in terms of clear shooting lanes. 

Opt for a Blind

When all else fails, you should consider a deer hunting blind. I’ve hunted places where there are no suitable trees for stands or saddles. Areas where there is young, dense cover often presents this problem, but these areas often hold the most deer in the late season. Blinds are great options for hiding as long as you brush them in and give them plenty of time to sit. It also makes multi-person sits possible without alerting deer. 

Hunting in the late season is already tough. Getting a deer into shooting range is difficult enough, so don’t let a bad hide keep you from filling that tag! Don’t get picked this late season!

Will Bowen, Okayest Hunter Contributor