Va late season blues

[K9kodi]

I hunt northern VA. I hear ya, the deer do dry up around this time of year.

Couple of suggestions: If you have time lapse cameras, use them. Or get one or two. Time lapse cameras are WAY more useful than triggered ones. Set one up overlooking a huge tract of land and you may be very surprised at where/when the deer show up. You make a good point about big land being harder to hunt than smaller plots. Biggest buck I ever got was in my buddy's 1/4 acre backyard in Vienna. Hardest was another friend's lot, 27 acres in Berryville. The deer can be anywhere.

Another useful tool is a thermal camera. I know, it's big money, but a good thermal will also reveal deer activity that you might be missing. During aany a hunt where I'm convinced there ain't a deer for miles around, I'll pull out the thermal and, sure enough, they're all over the place, just not where *I* am

-Stooxie

Are you implying time lapse bc they snap shots w out a trigger. Where the trigger setting is like 115 degrees and 90’feet.

 

[stooxie]

Are you implying time lapse bc they snap shots w out a trigger. Where the trigger setting is like 115 degrees and 90’feet.

Right, because a trigger is only going to go off when something is close to it. But that's useless if you want to watch an entire field. I hunt a 10 acre property and I set up two cameras to watch the whole thing. I can see the deer going from one end of the field to the other, 200 yards away, at 10:30 in the morning. Or that 2pm buck that is wandering around by himself. It takes a picture every 3-5 seconds no matter what, and stores it in a movie file that can be easily scrolled through (I suspect newer ones have software that makes the process even more efficient).

Again, think about it... What do I care if some huge buck happens to walk past my camera at 3am? I want to know when that herd of does is coming through, where they pop out from, and what direction they are going in. Of course I've captured some bruiser bucks, too, but the point is that a time lapse will enable you to "see" everything that's going on over a huge expanse. A trigger camera just isn't capable of such things.

-Stooxie

 

[K9kodi]

No , I love the idea. What’s the distance you think you’re able to see clearly. I could essentially set my cameras up a lot higher and get a better view if I’m not relying on a trigger

 

[stooxie]

No , I love the idea. What’s the distance you think you’re able to see clearly. I could essentially set my cameras up a lot higher and get a better view if I’m not relying on a trigger

At least 200 yards, more if the camera is 4k. Deer aren't that small, that's the good news. You'll see all sorts of cool stuff, too. Turkey, yotes, bear, fox, how the tree branches droop down when it rains. How the sun melts the snow over the course of a few days. It will give you a new appreciation for how nature works.

-Stooxie

 

[K9kodi]

Done. I’ll be at the farm the last few days if the season and I’ll change the setting on some.

 

[Rich M]

Id walk all the roads and find the biggest tracks you can. Then hunt him.

2000 acres us a lot of hunting. Good luck.

 

[OXN939]

no dogs

One thing to consider, it's almost a guarantee that at least part of your property does in fact get hunted by dogs. Even if the guys killing the deer aren't on it physically, almost every property in that part of the state has dogs running across it by now, which significantly degrades deer activity during legal shooting hours.

Look for refuges like swamps or thick cover that make it hard for dogs to follow a track effectively.

 

[K9kodi]

I believe you. The total property consists of two properties in the same family. No other hunters, none allowed for the last 15-20 years really. Lake on three sides mostly and 460 on the 3rd side. There is slight access on one side of the properties but you can drop dogs sure, but there’s nowhere to be when they push em out.

 

[ShortMagFan]

That’s a real nice area

Here in the Carolina’s and Georgia it’s all about food late season. Put out a 50lb bag of corn right now and it’s gone the next morning

When things get slow = fewer people hunting = fewer bait sites = deer concentrated where there is food. My property has a lot of quality food plots and spin feeders. They can still be hard to see during daylight but I’m holding deer right now and killed a nice 8 the other day that was coming to the feeder to get some corn before the other deer cleaned it up

Mornings are a borderline waste of time. But food near thick cover in the afternoons can be very productive and a race against shooting light.

Good luck

 

[stooxie]

Feeding deer in any capacity is illegal in VA during hunting season. One regulation I actually don't mind.

-Stooxie

 

[ShortMagFan]

I wish it were that way here. When I first got my farm I relied on food plots exclusively. It got frustrating late season when my neighbors could see deer and I couldn’t. So I gave in and started running feeders. They work but it wouldn’t bother me a bit if baiting was outlawed

 

[Choot]

I believe you. The total property consists of two properties in the same family. No other hunters, none allowed for the last 15-20 years really. Lake on three sides mostly and 460 on the 3rd side. There is slight access on one side of the properties but you can drop dogs sure, but there’s nowhere to be when they push em out.

Food is key. Id get out and walk slow and still hunt it and look for oaks where they have been rooting around feeding. I’m in VA but I hunt the blue ridge. I picked up a 940 acre chunk a couple years ago and I’d just go there and still hunt thru different areas of it and dropped pins on onx and mark trails and stuff and try to put the puzzle together. You bordering Sandy? Oh and the thermal scanner tip is money

 

[Farmer9770]

Anywhere in that area is getting dog pressure trust me. I grew up, live and hunt just north of you. My cameras have been slow but we have seen plenty of deer the last couple evenings as we do all we can to keep our place a sanctuary from the chaos of dog clubs on 3 sides of us. And we are extremely careful with our stands ingress/egress and wind direction. But the deer we’re seeing aren’t coming out until less than 10 minutes of light. It’s definitely tough this time of year I would agree with others skip the mornings and hunt food as close to cover as possible. Last 10 minutes are the best.

 

[K9kodi]

I’m not saying dogs don’t get on the property. In the last few years I’ve been there I ain’t seen one. I can tell you with assurance there are no dog clubs abusing it.
I have seen and chatted with dog clubs nearby, them knowing the owners of the land I hunt and hearing stories of when they could hunt it in the past. It’s probably the least pressured property out there for a good ways of that size.

 

[Headwaters]

The property you hunt is most definitely a refuge for deer from the local dog pressure. The deer get pushed in there and realize they're no longer being chased by hounds and people aren't walking the woods and driving around in trucks. Take advantage of this.
You should concentrate on heavy cover right next to food sources, ie; cutovers and swamps. Get up a tree overlooking the cutovers so you catch them moving before dark. Deer get up from their beds and move around before dark in the safety of the cutover. Cutovers also offer thermal cover during cold weather, so make sure you're watching them on cold, frosty mornings.
Swamps that have little islands offer the same security. You can hunt them the same way, it's just harder to access and setup in a swamp.
Late season deer in eastern VA are not using the same cover types that they used in October/November. Good luck.

 

[ihookem]

Much like a few here are saying . I'm in S.E WIs. on public land . They are not moving much at all. We had 47 degrees yesterday.. There is no reason for them to move much. Sure, find food , however, after months of hunting they are spooky, bucks are tired, their winter coats are on and they can sit under a pine tree and their coats keep them toasty. It seems the same as Virginia. It is amazing how little deer will move this time of year. We had a snow storm last week, about 10".Then -13F one the next morning. The day after the storm I drove around part of the public land . I saw 45 deer in 25 miles and about 10 in each herd. One herd even came off public to feed in the fields in the day time.. The next day , same route , same time and only saw 3 deer. Once it gets cold, like -10F at night and some snow, they will move . My trail cam , about 3 miles away from public land shows they are hardly moving. I didnt get a buck pic for 3 weeks, and only a few does , all at night. They moved like crazy after the storm though.

 

[K9kodi]

Food is key. Id get out and walk slow and still hunt it and look for oaks where they have been rooting around feeding. I’m in VA but I hunt the blue ridge. I picked up a 940 acre chunk a couple years ago and I’d just go there and still hunt thru different areas of it and dropped pins on onx and mark trails and stuff and try to put the puzzle together. You bordering Sandy? Oh and the thermal scanner tip is money

Yes sir I am. That be it

 

[K9kodi]

I appreciate everyone’s help. I’ve been hunting for damn near 30 years, but there’s always something out there I can learn. I’ve never had a tract this large and it’s overwhelming at times trying to figure it out. Good success was had early in the season, 4 nice bucks. Seen lots of does. This property is healthy and well managed for natural land health. Just trying to figure it out, for whatever reason I wanna go sit in the open hard woods looking down into small valleys bc it looks peaceful and seems like it should be “deery” but then part of me says it’s too easy they are gonna be in the thick nasty shit. I put up a stand a week or two ago off a an old overgrown logging road in what I believe to be a bedding area. All replanted pines just big enough for ladder stands but only real shots are along the old logging roads bc it’s so thick. As far as food it’s just forage in the hardwoods and cow pasture. It’s crazy all the healthy biomes, it’s overwhelming bc I can only be one spot at once haha and trying to pick the best is getting the best of me!

 

[Choot]

Yes sir I am. That be it

You got quite a spot! I love it down there. What do I gotta do to be able to do a turkey cast and blast in the spring? lol

 

[K9kodi]

Pm me when you can