Happy New Year

Happy new year to everyone from Snow Camp Outdoors!

December Rut

I have two main things to say about hunting in December, hunt does to find the bucks.  And, hunt food plots, because deer need the food to help them stay alive during the winter.  This also ties into hunting does to find bucks.  The does who are in estrus will go to a food plot, which attracts bucks to that food plot.  But the bucks also need food, so they will be there anyway, which they will be looking for does in estrus still.  All of this sort of works out together and ties into each other.

What is the Secondary/December Rut?
Every hunter knows what the rut is, it is when the peak mating happens, when bucks go crazy.  Many hunters put all their hunting money into this 1 or 2 week long period and forget about the rest of the season.  I know that adults have to take off or hunt on weekends, so I be a little easier on them.  But many, as I said, might hunt a little before, during, and a little after the rut.  Then they forget about it, it's over.
But the secondary rut is right around the corner!  Not all does get bred in the November rut, so some does come into heat a second time around the middle of December.  Now, there won't be quite as much action as the fist rut, because there are less deer around.

Tactics

• Hunt food plots and areas with a lot of deer activity.
• Use tools, deer calls, scents, and other things that you would use during the first rut (why not, its the second one, so use the same stuff).

So, in brief, the Secondary (or December) rut happens in mid December.  Use calls, scents, etc.  Hunt around food plots and any area that has a lot of deer activity going around.  Hunt does to find bucks.  

Lastly, have a great rest of the hunting season and year. 

Multi-Species Hunting

There are a couple places that you can hunt multiple game species in one area.  Pretty cool huh?

Orchards
In an apple and/or persimmon orchard you can find deer and squirrel.  Crows and squirrels will also check out cherry orchards.

Food plots or other fields
In winter, if clovers are still around in a food plot, both rabbits and deer will come to those.  Wheat- if an area in a wheat field has been cut, doves will come and if there is still wheat standing, deer will also feed on wheat.  Corn- deer and squirrels will come and eat corn, but squirrels will most likely be around the edges of the fields.  Turkeys will also feed in some food plots.


Forests
During the acorn season, deer, and squirrels will definitely be in the oak stands, and turkeys might also join them in the search for acorns.  Squirrels and deer will also feed on beech nuts and squirrels will eat hickory nuts.  Deer also might eat hickory nuts.