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Late Season Whitetails… Larry Weishuhn

Writer's picture: Jeff RiceJeff Rice


I live in Texas where thankfully we have a State program known as the “Managed Land Deer Permit” (MLDP) which allows those who hunt properties under that program to continue hunting whitetails until the end of February.  Properties under that program are issued both buck and antlerless permits based on deer populations which reside on the property; based on buck to doe ratios, fawn survival rates, deer densities, range conditions, short and long term goals and objectives on the property.  Hunters who hunt such properties do not use the tags on the State’s hunting license to tag bucks and does.  They are required to use “MLDP tags” issued to the landowner or their agent.

 

I am extremely fortunate to hunt at least two such ranches till the end of February.  One is a western Texas lease and the other is in northeast Texas.  The latter I also work with their wildlife management program.  The western property is where I am part of a “hunting lease”.  Each of the “lease holders” is issued a set number of both bucks and antlered deer tags.  During early fall 2024 I was issued 6 buck tags and 9 doe tags.  I can either personally shoot all 14 deer, or invite guests to accompany me and allow them to shoot deer. 

 

Earlier this past fall I invited my brother Glenn to hunt with me on the lease.  During that hunt he shot an extremely nice 8-point.  I also rattled in an ancient 8-point which I took. That when bucks were readily responding to rattling horns.  Today, that is no longer the case. For the most part the rut is now long past.  However, there may be some exceptions as some of the current 6-month old does fawns start having their first estrus.  Some of the the ranches I have dealt with in the past, as the consulting wildlife biologist, we had as high 70% of the doe fawns born the previous spring have their first estrus during late January thru the end of February, this on Texas ranches.  This because on those ranches we have nutritional programs where a deer never went hungry because of native and planted forages, fruits and nuts, and, in some instances supplemental feed.

Do not expect to see many bucks chasing does during late January thru February.  In some areas bucks have already started casting their antlers. Thankfully the two ranches I hunt under the MLDP, bucks generally do not cast antlers until after March 15th.

 

On the ranches I hunt late season, the key to finding both late season bucks and does is “food”, pure and simple.  Mast crops are gone, even in those areas where we had a tremendous “acorn crops”. 

 

Colder than normal temperatures have “frosted” some of the native winter vegetation.  Food plots, those planted with turnip and radishes, as well as triticale (a wheat – rye cross that is one of the best winter food plot plants possible – more drought and cold tolerant than any wheat, oats or ryes) are now the best places to hunt.  That is if property has food plots….

 

The ranch I hunt in western Texas, while having fertile soil, does not receive sufficient rainfall to insure food plots will grow.  Some years, sufficient rainfall might fall, but that is the exception to the normal.  On that property I depend on “putting out” Vineyard Max attractant, a mixture of cracked corn, rice bran and hammer-milled grape skins (a bi-product of the wine industry). Both the rice bran and grape skins from reds and whites provide needed energy! 

 

Research conducted several years ago by ADM, the parent company of Moorman Mineral, and the Los Cazadores Hunting Headquarters, owned at the time by five friends and I, through Texas A&M University, showed energy is essentially as important as protein to the health and welfare of whitetail deer, particularly during winter months when the energy level of native plants are low.

 

During winter, which certainly includes late January and all of February, deer crave food sources which are high in energy.  Vineyard Max fulfills that role.

 

Interestingly I have “put out” Vineyard Max (www.vineyardmax.net), with its strong grape aroma in numerous areas where whitetails have not previously “experienced” grapes or grapevines, corn or rice in any form or fashion.  Amazingly deer were immediately attracted to the unique blend, both bucks and does.  Using Vineyard Max, where baiting is legal I have taken several really nice bucks as well as several does.  It’s an important part of my whitetail hunting.

 



 

Each year on my western Texas lease I have to take several does.  Not wanting to shoot in the immediate areas where we normally hunt bucks, I use Vineyard Max far away from established deer stands.  There I put out what amounts to three or four handfuls of Vineyard Max, then sit back and wait for deer to arrive. I usually do not have to wait very long.  This truly amazes me because normally deer are quite finicky about new “smells” and new foods.

 

During the 2023 hunting season I used Vineyard Max to help me take several does and bucks during the late season. I have used it successfully numerous times this year as well, particularly when targeting does.  Doing so I also was able to attract numerous bucks, which were otherwise extremely wary.  I passed on nearly all of those bucks, because I was targeting specific individuals, and not necessarily the largest antlered bucks.

 

One of the things I really appreciate about Texas’ MLDP program is that I can hunt until the last days of February, thus I can pass on bucks I hope would breed at least one or more does before trying to hunt them.  On both properties mentioned, there are at least two bucks I plan to pursue during February. I will use a variety of hunting tools, which includes Mossberg Patriot Predators (www.mossberg.com) in 6.5 PRC and 7mm PRC rifles. Both are topped with Stealth Vision 3-18x44 and 5-20x50 scopes (www.stealthvision.com). Both extremely accurately shoot appropriate Hornady Precision Hunter (www.hornady.com) ammo. I also will be hunting with two Rossi lever actions in .44 Mag and .30-30 Win, using Hornady ammo; as well as with my .454 Casull and .44 Mag Taurus Raging Hunter revolvers shooting Hornady 240-grain XTP Custom ammo. The two are topped with older 2.5-7x Simmons and Thompsons/Center long-eye relief scopes, respectively. 

 



 

Additionally, during this late season, I will be hunting with a Ten Point crossbow, a first for me.  I plan on using that same rig later in October to hunt black bear on the Choctaw Hunting Lodge (www.choctawhuntinglodge.com) during their archery season, and maybe on a spring black bear hunt, if an opportunity occurs.

 

With the aforementioned Vineyard Max attractant, I can position deer where I have proper shot placement.  With the handguns I plan on having Vineyard Max 50 to 75-yards away.  And I will place the attractant so I can hunt that spot regardless of the wind direction. I will do the same for my open-sight Rossi lever actions.  With the crossbow, even though I know it lethal at a greater distance, I plan on hunting within 25 to 35-yards of the Vineyard Max.   With my Mossberg rifles thanks to their accuracy with my Stealth Vision scopes and appropriate Hornady ammo I know I can take shots out to 600-yards and far more. But, my objective is always to get as close as possible before pulling the trigger.

 

Hopefully you, like me, will have the opportunity to hunt late season, well into February this year.  If not consider doing so in 2026.

 

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