From VDGIF Files
David Merritt operates Spring Lake Archery Park, as well as a pro shop (Spring Lake Archery Supply) in Moneta, Virginia. David is also a most knowledgeable bowhunter. Here, he weighs in on late season strategies.
“Whether someone is looking for a buck or a doe, deer movement revolves around food,” he says, “I think there are four major food sources a bowhunter, or any hunter should be aware of in late season: chestnut oak acorns, honeysuckle, clover, and various grasses in fields.”
One of the best strategies to take a late season doe is to find a south facing slope with honeysuckle.
Perhaps because they have a high tannic acid content, chestnut oak acorns often are among the last nuts for wildlife to consume. They are also the largest acorns in Virginia, so deer are among the few creatures that eat them.
A late season snow is a great time to take advantage of more visible tracks.
“Honeysuckle is a huge deal as a late season food source,” continues David. “One of the best strategies to take a late season doe is to find a south facing slope with honeysuckle growing on it. The deer will eat both the stems and leaves, and, what’s more, they can bed in that same area because of how thick honeysuckle can grow.
“A clover-based food plot can also be a great place to set up. White clover is always a draw, but I think food plots with red clover are better. It just seems that the crimson varieties remain vibrant a little while longer into the winter.”
Last, continues the Bedford County sportsman, hunters should look for agricultural or field areas – but not just any such area.
“An opening that receives full sun is going to have grasses that are greener and more appealing to deer,” he says. “Clover, wheat, rye, or just about any kind of grass can be a food source there.”
David’s 17-year-old son Archer is also an accomplished bowhunter. In fact, the young man was 12-years old when he won his first national title, and in 2014, came within one point of making the US Team in the first FITA Tournament that he ever competed in. Matthews and Black Eagle Arrows are among the companies that sponsor him. Archer relates that locating funnels are a major part of his late season strategy.
“For mid-December to early January hunting, a creek crossing is a fantastic funnel,” he says, “One side will likely be undercut and relatively flat, and the other end of the crossing might have a little rise, but still be flatter than the rest of the bank in the area. If you find well-worn trails and droppings in that type of place, set up there for sure.
“Also quite good are what I call man-made funnels. They might be a fencerow or a small, narrow woodlot that a farmer has left standing between two agricultural fields or cow pastures, for example. If the woodlot is between two pastures, the deer will follow the same trails that the cows do.”
Archer lists gullies as another major late season funnel.
“Especially in Virginia’s mountains and rolling hills country, gullies are a big deal,” he says. “Deer don’t like to walk uphill any more than we do, so they’ll use gullies as travel ways. The best stand site will be where the gully sort of fizzles out and meets some other kind of habitat.
“The major challenge for hunting any of these funnels is to set up without spooking the deer. The deer have just been through the pressure of the muzzleloader and gun seasons. If we bump them out of these areas now, we won’t likely get a second chance.”
For more information on the Merritt’s archery park and shop: splafarm@aol.com. They also offer a tracking dog service with their Plott hound.
