North American Outdoorsman
    What's Hot

    Our Picks: Best Fly Fishing Vests

    September 26, 2023

    Some ‘Roosies’ for the Ladies

    August 23, 2023

    Year-Round Maine Outdoorswoman: Jesika Lucarelli, Great Mountain Guide Service

    August 23, 2023
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    North American OutdoorsmanNorth American Outdoorsman
    • Current Issue
    • Publications
      • North American Outdoorsman
      • North American Deer Hunter
      • North American Bowhunter
      • Crossbow Magazine
    • Authors
    • Partners
    • Newsletter
    Facebook Instagram YouTube
    SUBSCRIBE
    • Hunting
      1. Whitetail
      2. Bowhunting
      3. Big Game
      4. Stories
      5. How to Hunt
      6. Podcasts
      7. View All

      15 Best Late-Season Deer Food Plots

      February 13, 2023

      Offseason Wintertime Whitetail Prep

      December 30, 2022

      Process your own deer

      October 21, 2022

      Spot-and-Stalk Whitetail Hunt with my Dad

      October 14, 2022

      2023 SHOT Show Hunting Gear

      January 17, 2023

      Process your own deer

      October 21, 2022

      Hunting Woodland Caribou: A Newfound Passion

      August 7, 2022

      Bow Birds

      April 1, 2022

      Getting High on Alberta Bighorn Sheep

      August 23, 2023

      Playing the Wind: The Adventures of Abby and Shaundi         

      August 23, 2023

      The Complete Hunter

      August 23, 2023

      Aim Big, Hit Small

      June 21, 2023

      Playing the Wind: The Adventures of Abby and Shaundi         

      August 23, 2023

      Mom’s First Moose: A Family Hunting Adventure

      August 23, 2023

      Where Memories Are Made

      June 3, 2023

      A Boy’s First Goose

      May 12, 2023

      Find a Mentor and Dive Right In

      August 23, 2023

      Traveling With Your Gun Dog

      August 20, 2023

      21 Rookie Coyote Hunting Mistakes to Avoid

      April 9, 2023

      Where to Shoot a Black Bear

      April 8, 2023

      Campfire Stories Podcast | Ep 188 with Montey DeBoer of Hornady

      July 10, 2023

      Some ‘Roosies’ for the Ladies

      August 23, 2023

      Year-Round Maine Outdoorswoman: Jesika Lucarelli, Great Mountain Guide Service

      August 23, 2023

      Getting High on Alberta Bighorn Sheep

      August 23, 2023

      Playing the Wind: The Adventures of Abby and Shaundi         

      August 23, 2023
    • Fishing
      1. All Fishing
      2. Fly Fishing
      3. How to Fish
      4. View All

      Our Picks: Best Fly Fishing Vests

      September 26, 2023

      Fishing for Dinosaurs: Our Chase for White Sturgeon

      August 13, 2023

      How to Find Summer Steelhead

      June 22, 2023

      Targeting Walleye Throughout the Open-Water Season

      June 20, 2023

      Our Picks: Best Fly Fishing Vests

      September 26, 2023

      How to Pick a Fly Box

      March 3, 2023

      Essential Equipment for Fly Fisherman

      December 20, 2022

      Fly Fishing: Backing, Leaders And Tippets – All You Need to Know

      August 9, 2022

      Lake Texoma: Queen of Inland Striper Fisheries

      March 6, 2023

      How to Pick a Fly Box

      March 3, 2023

      How to Make Winter Walleye Bite

      February 15, 2023

      Hooked! My Love of Ice Fishing for Lake Trout

      February 2, 2023

      Our Picks: Best Fly Fishing Vests

      September 26, 2023

      Fishing for Dinosaurs: Our Chase for White Sturgeon

      August 13, 2023

      How to Find Summer Steelhead

      June 22, 2023

      Targeting Walleye Throughout the Open-Water Season

      June 20, 2023
    • Gear
      1. Gear Reviews
      2. New Outdoor Gear
      3. View All

      Our Picks: Best Fly Fishing Vests

      September 26, 2023

      The Best Hunting Boots for Men and Women

      August 22, 2023

      Our Rundown of The Best Guns For Women

      August 13, 2023

      Sightmark Wraith Mini 2 Thermal Riflescope

      July 14, 2023

      The Best Hunting Boots for Men and Women

      August 22, 2023

      Garmin’s New Lineup of Outdoor Navigation Devices

      March 15, 2023

      2023 SHOT Show Hunting Gear

      January 17, 2023

      TRUE KNIVES SWIFT EDGE HUNT PROCESSING KIT

      December 27, 2022

      Our Picks: Best Fly Fishing Vests

      September 26, 2023

      The Best Hunting Boots for Men and Women

      August 22, 2023

      Our Rundown of The Best Guns For Women

      August 13, 2023

      Armed and Responsible: Gun Myths Regarding Women

      August 13, 2023
    • Field to Table
      1. #eatwhatyoukill
      2. Recipes
      3. View All

      Venison Tacos on a Pellet Grill

      February 21, 2023

      Goose Recipes: Bacon Benedict with Duck Fat Hollandaise

      February 3, 2023

      Fish Stock – Jeff Benda

      May 26, 2022

      Salisbury Steak – Ky Loop

      May 24, 2022

      Snow Goose Ravioli

      August 13, 2023

      Snow Goose Lasagna

      June 18, 2023

      Goose Recipe: Szechuan Style

      April 16, 2023

      Wild Game Jambalaya Recipe

      April 6, 2023

      Our Picks: Best Fly Fishing Vests

      September 26, 2023

      Some ‘Roosies’ for the Ladies

      August 23, 2023

      Year-Round Maine Outdoorswoman: Jesika Lucarelli, Great Mountain Guide Service

      August 23, 2023

      Getting High on Alberta Bighorn Sheep

      August 23, 2023
    • News
      1. Conservation
      2. Editorial
      3. Press Releases
      4. View All

      The NWTF & USDA Sign $50M Agreement to Fight Wildfire Crisis

      October 28, 2022

      Help the Yelp

      March 25, 2022

      Conservation Hunts For Spring Snow Geese

      February 6, 2022

      Tools and Equipment For Whitetail Habitat Management

      February 3, 2022

      Hooyman Joins Best Outdoor Discounts

      December 6, 2022

      Newly Approved IGFA World Records

      April 19, 2022

      USCCA Congratulates Georgia Governor for Signing Constitutional Carry Bill

      April 15, 2022

      The RCMP’s Secret Long-Gun Registry

      January 31, 2022

      2023 SHOT Show Hunting Gear

      January 17, 2023

      Hooyman Joins Best Outdoor Discounts

      December 6, 2022

      Exclusive Women’s Issue

      October 4, 2022

      Kimber Releases New 1911 RAPIDE, R7 Mako, and Limited-Edition Micro 9

      August 19, 2022

      Armed and Responsible: Sweetheart Grips, Significant Others and Self-Defense

      February 19, 2023

      2023 SHOT Show Hunting Gear

      January 17, 2023

      Hooyman Joins Best Outdoor Discounts

      December 6, 2022

      The NWTF & USDA Sign $50M Agreement to Fight Wildfire Crisis

      October 28, 2022
    • Book a Trip
      • Hunting Trips
      • Fishing Trips
    • Login
    North American Outdoorsman
    Home » All Articles » Last-Minute Whitetails: Sometimes Worth the Wait
    Whitetail

    Last-Minute Whitetails: Sometimes Worth the Wait

    Larry WeishuhnBy Larry WeishuhnJanuary 5, 2022Updated:March 3, 202211 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Telegram Tumblr Email
    hunting-whitetails
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    “Why did you not shoot that buck? He walked to within less than 20 feet of where you were hidden under that pile of corn stalks,” exclaimed the smiling neighboring farmer when I walked back to my pickup, which was parked at his gate.

    I simply shook my head. For most of the Iowa late muzzleloader season, I had targeted and hunted one individual buck. He was “just an eight-point,” but that eight-point carried antler mass the size of a soft-drink can from just above his antler burs to nearly the end of his tines. His shortest tines were his brow tines, at 10 inches. His matched back tines were easily 12 inches. His front tines were also nearly that long, and his gnarly beams had to approach 30 inches. His inside spread was somewhere around 24 to 26 inches. He was one of, if not THE biggest, eight-point bucks I had ever seen. Not only were his antlers huge, but they were also stained dark brown with polished ivory tips.

    The buck seemed to live on adjoining property. He usually came in to feed on a largely harvested cornfield where I had permission to hunt. He came to our property across a wide-open field of knee-high grass from a creek bottom some distance beyond our neighbor’s property.

    I had come close to getting a shot at him a couple of times before. One evening, the buck came within about 300 yards of me. I was waiting in a grain trailer I had pulled into the field to use as a blind. Back then, I felt comfortable shooting out to 150 yards with my Knight MK-85.50, shooting Hornady 250-grain SST Sabots, propelled by 150-grains of Hodgdon’s Pyrodex.

    snowOn another occasion, I chipped a hole into the frozen ground and laid down under a pile of corn stalks. That was the same set-up I used that last afternoon of the season when I was questioned by the neighboring farmer. One other time, the buck came into the far end of the field at seven minutes before sundown (legal shooting time in Iowa is official sunup until official sundown). The buck fed to within 220-yards of where I was lying in wait. Had he not been shielded by does, I might have taken a poke at him then, but I didn’t. Not wanting to let him know my position, I laid on the frozen ground until it was really dark before leaving my “hide.” I didn’t want to give away where I was waiting for him.

    Then came the last afternoon of the season. I crawled into my hide nearly three hours before sundown. It was cold— horribly cold—and spitting snow. A stout, Arctic wind blew from the north. A full hour before sundown, does began coming into the field. At 40 minutes before sundown, a monstrous-bodied deer walked in. He headed directly toward where I lay hidden, then stopped 20 paces away. He was so close that I could see reddish spots on his head where his massive rack had previously been attached. It was likely that “my” buck had shed his antlers just in the last few hours or so.

    So, when questioned by the grinning farmer, I knew that he well knew full well why I had not shot THE buck!

    A couple of weeks later, when I was back home in Texas, I got a call from that farmer. “You know that buck you hunted, the big eight,” he knowingly asked. “Found his sheds. Found them both where he jumped the barbedwire fence coming into my place, about a quarter mile from where you hunted.” He continued, “You were right, his antlers are huge. My son scored just horns, no spread. Want to guess what they scored?” (I wanted to know, but also did not want to know!) “Giving him a 20-inside spread…182! Pretty big eight-point!”

    Pretty big eight-point indeed, I thought!

    whitetails

    Looking at the Bright Side

    Disappointing? Well, YEAH! But, in many ways, a win. A successful hunt. No doubt that on that last afternoon, I could have shot the buck I had hunted for numerous days. I decided I had essentially bested him by hunting a late-season food source, anyway. By then, most ground vegetation was covered with several inches of snow. The rather large field of harvested corn provided some feed, corn that, for whatever reason, fell to the ground rather into the grain trailer, later covered with snow.

    Turkeys scratched through the snow to look for the kernels of corn that “escaped” the harvest. Deer did the same and followed the turkeys. Interestingly, on several previous occasions when I have hunted back in the woods in the Midwest, I followed turkeys as they scratched under oak trees looking for snow-covered acorns. Hungry Whitetailed deer closely followed the turkeys.

    Value in Forage Crops

    deer-huntingMany years ago I occasionally leased hunting land in the Midwest that was devoted and managed for row crops and timber production. When possible, I would buy part of the row crop, be it corn or soybeans at the current pricing. Then, I’d have the farmer simply leave those rows standing for late-season wildlife food sources. Farmers had a good idea of what their crop yield was per row. I paid them on per-row basis; my cost was based on production per row and the current price per bushel or pound.

    I hunted another buck in Central Iowa years ago. I initially watched him being chased across a frozen lake by a pack of local mongrels. He was wide and long mainbeamed. He had eight points, plus a split brow and a short drop-tine on his left side. Had he been closer I would have taken a shot, but he was more than 200 yards away and moving really fast. Realizing I was not going to get a shot, I switched to my 10x binoculars. Instead, I got a really good look at his antlers, thinking he would gross in the mid-170’s B&C.

    I caught up with him the last afternoon of late muzzleloader season only minutes before sundown. Toby Bridges and I were still hunting in a long finger of trees and brush. The finger was about 20 yards wide, then fell quickly and deeply into creek bottoms on either side. The wind was stout to say the least, and it was blowing directly in our face.

    When I spotted the buck, he was bedded under a cedar 25 paces away. He stood up and I raised the .50 MK-85. (Back then, I often hunted with, or on, hunts set up by Tony Knight, who did much to bring back muzzleloader hunting when in 1985 he introduced his version of the inline muzzleloader—changing the world of muzzleloader rifles!)

    deerI sent a 250-grain Hornady SST Sabot the buck’s way. Mortally hit, he staggered and fell sliding downslope. Before the smoke cleared, I ran to him, grabbed him by an antler, and held on tightly trying to keep him from sliding farther downslope. I knew he was big of body (he later field-dressed at 247 pounds) and I did not want to have to drag him up the slope.

    Making certain he was down for good after a prayer of thanks, I admired his rack. He was the same buck I had seen earlier being chased by dogs across the frozen lake. That night back at camp, we measured his main beams. They were, 30½ on one side and 31½ on the other. He had a 27-inch inside spread. His antlers later gross-scored 178 B&C and netted about 160. He had uneven matching tine lengths. I did not care! He remains one of my all-time favorite Whitetails, and certainly the buck with the longest main beams I have ever taken.

    He had also truly been a last-minute Whitetail, taken during the waning moments of the season. My hunting near a food source had led to his undoing. The tall finger ridge had creeks on either side. Just beyond the creeks were harvested grain fields of corn and soybean, with a decent amount of food that did not make it onto the farmer’s grain trailer. All were late season hunt food sources!

    Yes, Honeysuckle as Good Browse

    Years ago, I hunted heavily forested country pine plantations, large areas of planted pines of varying heights. Tall, thickly planted pines seldom have deer browse growing underneath their boughs. Biologically, these areas are pretty much a desert. However, on the edge of these pines and where younger pine trees exist along with various browse species are areas that provide late winter forages for deer.

    One of the plants often found in these areas is Japanese honeysuckle. Before you throw up your hands in disgust and think, “This guy’s an idiot because he’s talking about honeysuckle as a deer food source,” let me say: To the contrary! Most species of honeysuckle are not good deer browse. But deer do eat Japanese honeysuckle. In part of the South and Southeast, this viney plant is one of the very few plants that produces green forage during the winter. Based on my personal experiences in numerous areas, Japanese honeysuckle is not only a desired wintertime browse of Whitetail deer, but it also responds well to fertilization. Deer seek out fertilized plants over unfertilized plants. I create “natural” winter food plots by fertilizing (using 13-13-13) patches of Japanese honeysuckle and, in doing so, produce more forage and a higher quality forage. Hunting areas where I have fertilized patches, or even where I’ve had individual Japanese honeysuckle plants, have led to the undoing of several mature last-moment bucks.

    catching-up-deer

    Thus far I have addressed primarily hunting late-season food sources. In deep Southern Texas, the famed South Texas Brush Country, our current Texas Managed Lands Deer Permits (MLDP) season allows hunting Whitetails on such permitted properties through the end of February.

    Traditionally the Whitetail rut in the Texas Brush Country begins about mid-December and often lasts into mid-January. But that does not factor in doe fawns having their first estrus cycle in late January and sometimes even into February.

    We did some research several years ago on extremely well-managed ranches where deer never went hungry a day of their lives. We learned that in these locations, as high as 80% of the doe fawns born in late June and July had their first estrus cycle in late January and early February, creating somewhat of a secondary rut. This is a situation when, on occasion, bucks that have been extremely secretive throughout the year and who are primarily nocturnal start making appearances during daylight hours.

    If one is fortunate enough to hunt the winter season on these ranches, there is a really good chance of taking a true old monarch of the brush, i.e., “muy grande.”

    Hunting such places takes patience and knowing where to hunt. Sites of food availability are still the primary places to look for young does. Bucks frequent these places for two reasons: hunger and sex (the two greatest motivators for movement).

    Better Late Than Never

    Late season hunting? There is still time in some states.

    Just because the deer hunting season is closed in your area, you can still use this time to head to the deer woods to learn all you can about the local deer herd and where they live during the winter. In some areas, bucks in January or February have started casting or shedding their antlers. Late winter is an ideal time to do some scouting if you can’t hunt.

    In late winter, I head to areas I avoided during the hunting season, such as sanctuaries that were set aside and other areas where I get to hunt. I look for rubs and scrapes and especially for shed antlers.

    whitetails-hunting

    Finding shed antlers from mature Whitetails tells me where they were at the moment their antlers were cast. Interestingly, on properties where I have been involved as a wildlife biologist and/or hunter, we have often taken particular bucks whose cast antlers were found in late winter/early spring. They were discovered within 100 yards of where we found their sheds the following hunting season.

    Winter? Hunt deer where you can! If deer season is closed due to some predator hunting (specifically coyotes), your taking a coyote might just save the buck fawn that can grow into the buck of a lifetime. Along the way, do a bit of scouting in preparation for next fall. The time has never been better to do so!

    By Larry Weishuhn

    hunting January 2022 whitetail
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleNew Products
    Next Article Patterning Whitetails: Is it Possible to Learn and Predict Deer Movement?
    Avatar photo
    Larry Weishuhn
    • Website

    Professional wildlife biologist, outdoor writer, book author, television personality, podcaster and after-dinner speaker Larry Weishuhn, aka “Mr. Whitetail”, has spent a lifetime outdoors. He has established quality deer management programs on well over 10,000,000 acres, written well over 3,000 feature articles and numerous books, has appeared in hundreds of television shows, has hunted deer and other big game throughout North America and the rest of the world. Larry co-hosts the weekly digital/tv show “A Sportsman’s Life” on CarbonTV.com, does a weekly podcast “DSC’s Campfires with Larry Weishuhn”, many blogs and articles each month and serves as an Ambassador for Dallas Safari Club, as well as being a partner in H3 Whitetail Solutions.

    Related Posts

    15 Best Late-Season Deer Food Plots

    February 13, 2023

    Offseason Wintertime Whitetail Prep

    December 30, 2022

    Process your own deer

    October 21, 2022

    Spot-and-Stalk Whitetail Hunt with my Dad

    October 14, 2022

    Outsmarted – for Many Seasons – by “That Darned Old Buck!”

    August 4, 2022

    Creating Great Experiences For The Next Generation

    April 2, 2022
    Don't Miss
    Fishing

    Our Picks: Best Fly Fishing Vests

    September 26, 2023By Zach Raynsford13 Mins Read

    Owning a fly vest is a personal choice. You don’t really have to have one to fly-fish. You can still go fly-fishing with a rod, reel, line and a few flies and in truth that is all you really need. As we mature into the sport though we tend to collect “stuff”. This “stuff” consists of everything from lengths of once-used monofilament leader and torn up old flies on still-good hooks, to extra spools of specialty fly lines that we only actually use once a decade but still insist on carrying with us at all times. Packing all this paraphernalia around in the pockets of our fishing jacket just doesn’t work after a while and that’s when we finally decide that we should invest in a fly vest; after all, what good is all this great stuff if we can’t find what we need when we need it?

    Some ‘Roosies’ for the Ladies

    August 23, 2023

    Year-Round Maine Outdoorswoman: Jesika Lucarelli, Great Mountain Guide Service

    August 23, 2023

    Getting High on Alberta Bighorn Sheep

    August 23, 2023

    Subscribe to Updates

    Be the first to know about new issues, premium industry gear discounts, access to exclusive content, & more!

    Stay In Touch
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    about
    NAO is the window into the outside environment for readers pursuing their passions in hunting, fishing, camping, canoeing/kayaking, rock climbing, and all pursuits in the outdoors on the North American continent. We will present stories, tips and techniques to be a better outdoorsman, and be completely at home in the outdoor environment for a day, week, or a lifetime.
    Recent Articles
    • Our Picks: Best Fly Fishing Vests
    • Some ‘Roosies’ for the Ladies
    • Year-Round Maine Outdoorswoman: Jesika Lucarelli, Great Mountain Guide Service
    • Getting High on Alberta Bighorn Sheep
    • Playing the Wind: The Adventures of Abby and Shaundi         
    Quick Links
    • Current Issue
    • Authors
    • Partners
    • Advertise With Us
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    Useful Tools
    • Join Our Newsletter
    • Save On Gear
    • Hunting Resources
    • Where to Hunt
    • Where to Shoot
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    © 2023 Outdoor Specialty Media. Designed by Crossroads Marketing.
    • North American Outdoorsman
    • North American Deer Hunter
    • North American Bowhunter
    • Crossbow Magazine

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.