Post Rut Hunting (Dec)

This year will be the first year I have hunted "post rut" if you will. I typically only hunt during firearms in Nov. but have a bow now and hunted several times through Oct/Nov. I will be hunting through Dec this year with my bow and was curious if anyone had any quick tips on better set ups, etc. I Will be hunting public ground with a climber. I guess the big one is food sources right now? North West part of the state...finally got cold here.

Deer won't move far from food sources so get close to them. Public land after gun seasons gets pretty tough with a bow so keep your expectations in line. Also, keep in mind that muzzleloader is open for the next 3 weekends/2 weeks so orange is the fashion choice

There is also a late antlerless gun season in most counties between Christmas and New Year's.

Good luck, it is a fun time to be in the woods. Most folks have gone home for the season and if you are on the food, you are on the deer. Plus the chance for hunting in the snow takes it to another level.

+1 on what John said.

Find the out of the way spots. Small hard to get to woods. Thickets. No parking close etc. If you find the right one, you might find a nice bucks hide out. Afternoons are usually better late season.

Going to echo what's already been said. Late season to me is evening only hunting; archery anyway. The key is finding where the food is and then locating the bedding area associated with the food source. It's my opinion you'll want to get off the food a little bit but between the bedding and food. I look for a pinch point and set up there. Another key point is getting in and out without detection. If you bust the deer off the food when leaving it's over.

Not going to offer any tips because from my experience what applies in one spot might not apply 5 miles away.
But I will say, the biggest bucks I've ever seen have been in December.

And then there's the second rut. It may perk back up.

All great points. I have a lot of experience hunting in December, but little results.

I saw a Buck Tending a Doe Yesterday So I'm saying 2nd rut is now

My 2 cents on public ground It can be tough to narrow down an area for food cause there is so many acorns all around in a large place like Hoosier Natl. I usally move around until i find a pocket of does then set up close where i can cover a lot of ground. Ive hunted clear cuts in the past and realized there is so many places deer can hide in a large woods, I couldn't just set on a clear cut. My daughter and i set up Saturday in an area where we saw some does. By 10:30 we seen 7 does and 2 small bucks,so we had a pretty good day. The bucks were not shooters but i belive hanging around the does will give us a good chance to see a nice buck. You never know 2nd rut might kick in on one of those does and bring in a good buck. I see most my deer between 10 and 12 in december.

I shot my 2nd biggest buck ever in December several years ago with a muzzleloader. I love late season - the colder the better. But, I have no experience hunting public ground. I have a couple acres of standing corn and can't wait for the end of this week. Looks like Thursday and Friday will be epic - highs of 25 and 26 with mid teens at night.

Here is the buck I killed in December of '09. Wind chill was way below zero with blowing snow...

Yeah, I remember when Larry Sent me that picture...