7/27/2023 0 Comments Cold weather pop up blind tips![]() ![]() The last factor to consider is how to get into and out of the blind. Winds will of course change and shift, so be sure that the blind is safely downwind or crosswind of the targeted food and bedding areas. In Michigan we usually get cold NW winds from December on through the winter. Also, consider the prevailing winds for the hunting location and time of year. Knowing a wise old buck likes to travel by quartering into the wind, keep his preferences in mind. Late season deer may be exhausted and starving, but they're not stupid. Once a hot food source is found and bedding areas are located, the third step to setting the perfect ground blind is to consider the wind. I generally do all my scouting immediately AFTER the season ends- so I do not have to worry about bumping deer, if a hunter doesn’t want to wait until the post season, they can simply scout around the food source to see where tracks are coming from, or sit near it one night with binoculars to glass and observe. The last thing anyone wants to do is scare a bedded buck to a neighbor waiting with a gun. This physical scouting in and of itself may be a bit risky- depending on the time of day and what hunting seasons are still happening. Finding the bedding cover isn't hard- just go to the food source and backtrack until deer beds are discovered. Other areas of potential bedding cover could be fence rows, brushy draws, thick stands of prairie grass, dense woods, etc. I automatically look for thermal cover- such as pines with branches growing close to the ground of cedars. Look at calorie count as a bank account, where the goal is to save as many as possible to spend in the future.Ĭonsidering how unmotivated the deer are to walk great distances this time of year, try to find a bedding area close to the food. While saving calories, the deer are also trying to burn as few as possible. Survival depends on calories, and their goal this time of year is to pack on as many as possible. “Lazy” probably isn't the right word, “efficient” would be a better description. Beddingĭeer are lazier than people realize and step two is to find where the deer are bedding. Find the food and the deer wont be too far off. Deer may still be frequenting the oak flats hoping to score on a last minute acorn or two. Also- if there was a nice acorn crop in the fall, there are probably still a few leftover that the squirrels haven't stowed away. In my area there are a lot of alfalfa fields and it never fails- each snowy late season deer will be digging around in the hay for a bite or two of some greens as well. Deer crave the extra calories that the high carb corn provides and will also gobble up any last chance protein from a bean field. I'll also target standing crop fields- but the chances of them still standing come Mid-December are rare- so I don’t count on it. I like to sit near picked beans and corn. Harvested or standing crop fields will be a big draw for hungry deer. It goes without saying that the late season is the time of year when deer try to fatten back up from a vigorous rut in preparation for another long winter. Depending on the location, this could vary. Step one in the late season blind checklist is finding the preferred food source. ![]() The proof of my calculations were in my results, and now the fat nine point proudly hangs on my wall. I had taken several things into account, and after weighing them all against each other, found what I believe to be an ideal setup. ![]() My ground blind setup was perfect- and not by mistake. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |