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There is no doubt that by now most of the deer in your hunting area have become quite reclusive after being hunted for two weeks by a barrage of gun hunters. After opening day, the general firearms deer season can be one of the hardest times to take a deer. Deer catch on quickly and after only a day or so of the onslaught they realize what’s up and go on the down-low until the madness is over.
The good news, however, is that once the general firearms season ends at sundown tonight, Indiana’s deer season will be closed entirely for five days, then opens again Saturday for black powder and bowhunters. This rest, coupled with far fewer hunters in the woods, allows the deer herd to return to some sense of normalcy.
Consider this: according to Indiana’s Department of Natural Resources, 36 percent of the annual deer harvest is taken on opening day of the general firearms season, with the vast majority of the deer harvest taking place during the firearms season in general. This means that most hunters have gotten their deer by now. The weather during the muzzleloader and late archery seasons can sometimes be downright brutal, keeping many would-be hunters indoors.
Another plus to hunting this season is that the main breeding phase of the white-tailed deer in the Midwest occurs in mid-November. Any of the does that were not successfully bred will come back in estrous 28 days later. Yearling does which were not in estrous in November will come into estrous at this time as well. So, a second rut, or breeding period, occurs in early to mid-December. Although not as pronounced or intense as the November rut, this can still be a good time to catch bucks looking for any does that have come back into heat.
Especially in the later days of the black powder and late archery seasons, concentrate on hunting food sources. Deer in general, but especially bucks, have to obey their stomachs this time of year if they want to survive the winter. During the rigors of the rut, bucks may go two weeks or more without eating as they are constantly on the move in search of receptive does, losing as much 20 percent to 25 percent of their body weight.
Muzzleloader and late archery seasons can be some of the most brutal and challenging, but they can also pay off big. Whether you kill a deer or not, just being in the woods enduring the conditions while enjoying the shear nakedness of the landscape drenched in wintery bliss should make the hunt worth it.
