Northeast Pennsylvania White Belly Deer Forecast: December 1
One week of the rifle season is nearly in the books; Sunday hunting is over for the season and seven days remain for hunters to score. Conditions for this week look to be in the decent range, but like I’ve been saying since rifle season started, the forecast means very little with the hunting pressure that is going on.
So what is going on with our deer herd right now? A lot of deer are now herded up in groups and times may be slow. Many deer have turned most of their feeding times to nighttime conditions and, in the case of some deer, they may have gone nearly exclusively nocturnal. We have been blessed with some very cold temperatures to keep the deer moving, and Friday and Saturday morning continue that trend.
On Saturday evening, we will experience a slight uptick in temperature. I would imagine that deer movement that night will be slow and hunting pressure will slowly decrease as hunters either give up or tag out.
So what about the buck? Deer breeding is still going on and buck are still searching for the last remaining doe to be bred. This is especially true in areas with a lot of doe. But the buck and doe have been running recklessly since the beginning of the month and it is time for the deer and especially the buck to begin to recover. They will recover by resting and feeding.
To maximize the recovery, most buck will be by a food source and travel short distances. They have to eat and the cold temperatures we have seen for the last week will increase the importance of food. Corn, soybeans and alfalfa are some of the best crops to focus on if you can find them.
Several spots around where I hunt still have standing corn. The standing corn provides cover and a great food source. First light and last light along with mid-day should provide your greatest opportunity to put a slob to sleep.
With very few doe still to be bred scent and calling techniques can be rather productive. I have to be honest with you, that I have very limited success with scents and calling techniques. I’ve turned a buck around and got him to come back to allow a shot but for the most part, I haven’t seen that dream scenario where I grunt or rattle and in flies a monster 30 seconds later.
Primarily, I have used these techniques during the rut. Should we give them a shot in this late-season timeframe? At this point, if you haven’t harvested a buck, why not throw the kitchen sink at them? I never thought about it this way but if there are very few doe left to be bred, putting out doe estrous during this time just might be ideal. I’ve also been leery of using scent at my spots with the fear of stinking the place up. Well if it doesn’t happen this week for you in your spot, you won’t get another chance to hunt your spot until the day after Christmas, so let it rip.
As always, check our Vendettasportsmedia.com for your sports information, and check out the White Belly Cartel store for some cool gear and Christmas gifts. Good luck to all, and remember, hunting for 10 weeks and getting a last-minute buck will be rather rewarding.
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