Regardless of the region you hunt in, there comes a time after the testosterone-crazed rut when whitetails get their heads screwed on straight. They come back to their senses. And deer sightings start to dwindle. Especially in areas with few deer in the first place, the late season can really be rough. Despite the usual large deer numbers, this can even be true in Texas with many hunters enjoying extended seasons into February. For the period following the primary rut, sometimes you need to bend the rules a little – that is, unless you’re okay with little or no deer encounters. I’m not one that typically strays too far from conventional whitetail strategies, but I can certainly understand those that do during extremely slow hunting times. I especially have empathy for those that pay to hunt on private property. Especially late in the season when whitetails seem to vanish. After all, you’ve put down good money and it’s late in the fourth quarter. A Hail Mary can sometimes be in order.
Here are a few tactics that might be considered a little off-beat for some hunters. Though unconventional, the off-season is a good time to think about them instead of waiting to the last minute. Like with conventional methods, take time to plan ahead for your Plan B’s and C’s. These are tips that, if executed properly, can improve your results, if not salvage your season.
Get Jiffy with It – Spice Up Your Feeding Efforts
There aren’t many hunting topics more volatile than baiting deer and this article is in no way intended to spark any arguments. The fact is that, where legal,
hunting over corn, pellets, or other granular feed can sometimes be enhanced by trying new attractants. In these areas, feeding something different than your neighbors can be a real tie-breaker for deer hunting success. For example, in Texas, we’ve had luck feeding livestock protein pellets instead of or along with corn with great luck. The deer seem to really prefer the pellets. We’ve had similar luck with roasted soybeans. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of offering something different. Advantage us.
Perhaps the quirkiest DIY trick I employ is feeding peanut butter. Yeah, you heard me. No, I didn’t come up with this myself, rather I read about it on social media years ago. Let’s just say that I’m not too proud and will try just about anything legal. It’s as simple as cutting the bottom out of the jar and screwing the lid to a tree. In this way, you can simply screw the jar onto the tree and replace it once finished; and in my experience, it will be. Here, it’s not about drawing a ton of deer but providing new alternatives. Of course, make sure to study and understand your local feeding laws.
The Handmade Wooden Treestand
There are times when our stands simply don’t set us up for success. Do you ever find yourself scratching your head over where to locate your stands on some properties? Ever been baffled on where to hunt on a given tract of ground. Maybe the aerial photo you are looking at just doesn’t provide any ah-ha moments. Maybe you’re trying to select a tree stand location in a funnel or bottleneck but don’t know just where to put it. Back before the modern days of whitetail hunting and the gaggle of innovative products in the hunting industry, things were much different and getting on a big deer was harder. There weren’t portable tree stands or climbers. Back then, if they wanted to hunt up high, whitetail hunters were forced to carry lumber, hammers, nails, plywood, and the like and take the time to 
build a wooden tree house type of set-up. Remember this was a time when we also didn’t have ATVs or any means of carrying the supplies into the deep woods by hand. In those days hanging a tree stand took so much effort (and sometimes money) that anytime we erected one, we made dang sure it was placed in a good place to intercept deer. You just didn’t have the convenience of making a wrong tree stand location choice and then moving it.
With this in mind, when you are scouting the timber and find one of these old rotted out stands hanging from a tree, you are usually in an optimal hunting spot. These old tattered ghosts from the past tell a story and usually represent a logical destination. I still get a kick out of seeing remnants of old stands in suburban trees. In fact, my brother-in-law once had one in his backyard and I couldn’t help but visualize a guy in black and red plaid watching a buck cut a path right through the playscape and grilling area.
Consider this tactic as a head start.
Homestead Act
Whitetails often seem to feel comfortable cozying up to old farmhouses, barns, pens, and machinery. Though I don’t completely understand it, I do see some reasons for the attraction. Such areas are typically overgrown and have trees and shrubbery with new growth. Further, in these old homesteads, the structure itself provides deer with added comfort; and they’re often ignored. With a well-thought-out plan, these areas can be real honey holes. Though caution is required, check for sign and put up a trail camera or two. Chances are, you’ll be able to find a great stand location for ambushing deer. Just think, your next mature buck could be taken in direct sight of an old rusty tractor. Pretty cool.
Additional tip: sometimes the old homestead doesn’t have to be old at all…
Seek Civilization and Suburbia
For most of the nineties, I hunted on a small deer lease that was located on two sides by a somewhat busy easement road that was used by several landowners. The surrounding area, in general, was rich in whitetails but had off-the-charts hunting pressure. This was perhaps one of the best properties I ever hunted – once we learned to hunt it intelligently. There were a few positives about the region including high deer numbers and fantastic habitat. At only 70 acres, this place also had an ideal layout. For one, it was shoe-horned between ranches of 15,000 and 500 acres. The northwest corner of it featured a long draw that ended at a large creek. On the other side of the creek was literally hundreds of acres of consistent standing crops. This entailed a dependable evening travel route for many deer. The morning hunts weren’t half bad either, I might add.
The beauty of this tract, however, was often it’s upper section. Here, there was traffic, as well as occasional voices coming from a small farm and homestead across the road. Most of the area hunters (and there were many) purposely passed this area up and headed 
much deeper into the north-central Texas timber and brush. Interestingly, we were consistently able to take quality bucks in this ruckus-filled area. I’ve since seen this concept at work in other areas over the years and it’s really no surprise. Deer easily and commonly pattern hunters and, in these cases, will settle in near the predictable sounds and activity of humans. Therefore, on many occasions, we learned to abandon the secluded, yet crowded section from time to time and it paid dividends.
Along the same lines, a good method is to seek areas on the outskirts of town – and even in suburban pockets. The concept of suburban deer hunting isn’t exactly new. In fact, many hunters in states where it’s legal to do so, have taken trophy bucks in such settings. The fact is many whitetail bucks are growing to incredible sizes near (even within) population areas. Why? Because they’re basically unpressured. Join the movement. Consider scouting near town or between developments. Your first or next massive buck may be waiting for you there. These animals, accustomed to the sounds of humanity, have settled into a comfort zone; one absent of humans carelessly tromping around, much less flinging arrows.
Perhaps the most important tactic is to hunt as often as possible. Though we’re months from opening day, use this off-season to ponder more uncommon approaches. Prepare to hunt smart and, when faced with low deer sightings or hunting pressure, be willing color outside the lines. Pushing the envelope just might result in pulling a large buck up onto the truck bed.
