The truth is that deer hunting isn’t black and white. Short of using a decoy - which isn’t a common late-season tactic - this isn’t actionable information for hunters though. They make mock scrapes in key areas that are advantageous for hunting, or near cameras where they can gather intel.ĭeer use posturing and other varieties of body language to transfer messages, too. These guys create situations to take advantage of this behavior. “So, if that buck comes in there and makes a rub or hits that scrape, other bucks know who it is, and if he isn’t from that area.” “By smelling each other, they know exactly who it is,” Mike says. But they definitely still communicate via body language and scent. That said, by the late season, dropping testosterone, hunting pressure and lack of will to confront rival bucks causes these deer to get quieter. Make some mock scrapes to hunt near and post trail cameras over. Every deer in the woods is freaking out and wondering what’s going on in the world, as the Dukarts put it. Of course, the rut kickstarts this behavior. They’re not only letting the does know they’re there but also letting the other bucks.” They’re rubbing glands on everything they can find. “This definitely increases and becomes the dominant way for them to communicate. “One of the things that I’ve been picking up on with trail cameras, and also just throughout the years, is the amount of communication via scent, scrapes and rubs,” Mike says. notice other forms of communication really pick up after deer have been pressured. In other words, it’s probably best to lay off the grunt-snort-wheezes, and other battle cry and war whoop vocalizations, too. Their minds are a little clearer than they were a few weeks ago.” “Once all of that pressure kicks in, from a communication standpoint, the more natural you can be the better. “I think scent and visual cues are some of the things that pick up during (and after) gun seasons,” J.J. They also respond better to calling later in the year. This gives deer a safe zone, because he’s certain that whitetails almost always filter into areas that offer less pressure. However, to minimize impact on their own grounds, Mike prefers to leave his hunting properties alone during times of heavy pressure. Seeing a deer and trying to naturally call or communicate with it is 100% harder once they start getting pressured.” We don’t get to interact with them a whole lot because they’re overcalled and over-pressured. “All of this human pressure (and guns) that’s going on in their normal habitat completely changes their behavior. “In Minnesota, gun season opens up when they start becoming the most boisterous and active (pre-rut and rut),” Mike says. However, it’s usually in the form of body language, not vocalizations. Bucks can be aggressive during the late season, too. It takes a toll on deer, and these animals respond to that. That translates to a lot of applied hunting pressure throughout the last two months of the year. Of course, most states’ gun seasons fall in November and December.
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