HAVE A PLAN BEFORE HEADING AFIELD
Find the food source and you’ll find the deer: That old hunter’s adage is never truer than at this time of year. But you must know what the deer are feeding on when. For the past few years the acorn crop here in the mountains has been heavy. Not coincidentally, late-season hunting has also been hit or miss. With so much food available the deer could feed just about anywhere they chose. As a result they weren’t concentrated on any one food, which is a more typical scenario during the deep winter period.

As I write this in July, this year’s acorn crop is beginning to be affected by dry conditions. When the acorn crop is spotty or nonexistent, the deer will be feeding on secondary preferred food sources such as honeysuckle and greenbrier, and in such years the hunting can be vastly improved.

Prime examples of late-season upland feeding spots are remote honeysuckle or greenbrier thickets, a particular oak belt whose acorn fall was heavy enough to last into the deep winter, a low-growing sapling grove, or a green cropfield or planted food plot. The real key here is that in virtually any area there will be some spot that attracts and holds the deer.

Once you find that area, locate the access trails leading to and from the location. Remember that deer, bucks especially, will still tend to avoid openings during daylight. So if there is an area of dense cover in the vicinity of the food source it is likely a “security zone,” which deer may use, and there should be trails connecting the two. Deer also understand that with the leaves now off the trees they are more visible, so these trails may be through thicker cover.

IS THERE REALLY RUT ACTIVITY?
Yes, but it can be hit or miss. In areas whose buck:doe ratios are out of kilter, with too many does for the bucks to get the job done on the first go-round, all females not bred during the November primary period will “come in” again and again on a 28-day schedule. Finding a ready doe at this time of year is about as close to a “sure thing” as you will ever have in deer hunting. If you happen on one of those, especially in a remote location, she may well attract every buck in the area!

STAYING WARM AND DRY
Deep winter in Arkansas can be about as unpredictable as weather can possibly be. The good news is that in this day and time there’s really no reason for the modern hunter ever to be cold or wet, even during extreme periods. The past decade has brought us new words such as Thermax, Gore-Tex, Thinsulate and polypropylene. These are all “miracle” fabrics, or combinations thereof, that pretty much have ended the days of freezing on a deer stand. I prefer the various “fleece” outfits for hunting, because they are quieter. Choice of camouflage pattern is pretty much up to the individual, since there are many good ones. The key to effective use is “layering”: putting on several different layers of clothing rather than depending on one heavy garment. As the day warms, you can shed layers and remain comfortable, adding them in the evenings as the air cools.