Hunt Advisor Reports: Tips For December Deer

It’s not over!

For much of the state, the excitement of peak rutting activity has waned, but there’s plenty of deer hunting opportunity that remains. The GON team of Hunt Advisors provide reports on how November played out in their areas, along with tips and tactics for December success.

NORTH GEORGIA

Chattahoochee National Forest: Tim Dangar, of Ball Ground, reports, “The big moon in November was not our friend in the mountains—little activity in daytime, a lot at night. Acorns are still there for the taking, and the trees that were getting attention in late October are still pretty good now. If you have access to a clover patch in the mountains, an early morning or late evening sit would be my preference.

“I hunted a clover patch on Blue Ridge WMA Nov. 20. It happened to be a weather transition day. Wet, still and warm till around 1 p.m., and then the sun came out and wind set in and the temp dropped 20 degrees by dark. I watched 12 does eat clover for about an hour that morning. I was hoping a buck or two would come in and check them, but it did not happen. I think the rut is late this year with the best still to come. I did see a small buck right at dark, but knowing I had to negotiate a raging stream due to heavy overnight rain; I decided to let him grow.

“Talking about the rut, my brother lives in the mountain foothills, and he’s been watching anywhere from eight to 12 does in his yard or at the edge of his woods. No rut sign till Nov. 21, which was our first cold morning, and two good bucks were busting the does and running them around. That is a good thing. We got a cold front predicted for late this week, should be good for hunting. I plan to hunt Coopers Creek WMA this week, can’t wait! Till next time, stay calm and hunt on!”

 

Fulton County: Justin Mizell, of Cumming, reports, “November was filled with new bucks showing up, bucks chasing does, and action-packed hunts. The beginning of November and the end of October were great times for rattling and grunting. The bucks were cruising and looking to establish their place in the pecking order. I rattled quite a bit and had some nice young bucks come in ready to fight! As November progressed, the bucks didn’t seem to care about grunt calls… they had one thing on their mind, which was a hot doe! My cameras were showing blurry pictures of deer running by and rarely showing the big bucks that I knew were in the area. I would get a picture of a blurry doe, and the 10-second delay on the camera wouldn’t catch the buck behind her. I tried to hunt travel corridors and bottoms, because I knew the bucks would be checking bottoms and moving through pinch points and travel corridors to get there. I kept corn out and saw some bucks stop by for one or two mouthfuls before walking away in search of a hot doe. On these hunts I noticed that a lot of the action I was seeing wasn’t being caught by the trail camera. This time of year I really try to just get out and hunt regardless of what the cameras are showing.

“I decided to try a last-minute hunt on Nov. 1. It was overcast and the weather looked very ‘bucky,’ as me and my friend Chase Turner like to say. I was able to connect with a nice typical 10 in Gwinnett County. He was with a few does but really wasn’t working them. I rattled and grunted before he came in, but I think he was coming in to the food more than anything.

“My plan for late season is going to be feeding and finding really thick bedding areas. The woods are pretty bare since most of the leaves have fallen off of the trees, so finding good trees to hide in is tough. Since I only bowhunt, my plan is to use my saddle so I can use the tree to hide my draw. I will also look for trees with smaller cedar or other evergreen trees in front of them so I can hide behind the smaller trees. If I don’t have those options, then I will climb higher than usual to stay above the buck’s field of view. While chasing won’t be as prevalent as it was in November, I do expect so see some chasing in December. The does that aren’t bred in November will go into heat again in December. Occasionally I will see bucks return to their summer spots in the late season, so shifting your cameras back to your summer spots may yield a nice surprise. A lot of guys hang it up after Thanksgiving, but December can be a really great time to kill a buck. True, the hunting is harder as the deer are on high alert, the weather is usually fairly cold, and it’s tough to hide in the bare trees. The good news is that if you missed the rut, don’t worry about it. You still have plenty of time to take a nice buck! Good luck guys and God Bless!”

Madison County: Keith Ingram, of Comer, reports, “Well, the season has played out pretty much as usual here in Madison County. I took a nice 9-pointer on the evening of Oct. 30 as the pre-rut was really ramping up, and the bucks were on their feet and cruising. As early to mid November rolled around, the rut was really cranking up. I was seeing bucks chasing from the tree and on my camera. It was some of the best rutting I’ve seen in a few years, but that could be because I’m spending more time in the woods—my first season retired.”

“I will continue to hunt my favorite spots and enjoy the colder weather that’s finally arrived. Stay close to your food sources, and as many does that there are now days, there could be a buck behind any one of them through the next few weeks.

“Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and Christmas and everyone has a safe and Happy New Year.”

MIDDLE GEORGIA

Fayette & Meriwether Counties: Jeff Scurry, of Peachtree City, reports, “I’ve seen lots of deer during the early weeks of November. Lots of does and young bucks—2.5-year-old and younger. The first weeks were unseasonably warm, which in my opinion slowed down the buck movement. I did see from Nov. 8 through the 15th a few bucks tend does. Those bucks were 3.5 year olds. With the large number of does in my areas, no 4.5 and older bucks were seen from the stand. I think that’s due to less travel outside the mature bucks core areas.

“I think the second rut in my areas will be great. It’s usually between Dec. 8-15. This time of year, focus on food. That’s where the does will be, and the bucks will be after them. The rut phase this year seemed to have dragged out and didn’t hit all at once like in some years. With the large number of does, there will be a good second rut, and if you have a large number of does in your area, focus on food during that time to bag a great late-season buck.”

Lamar County: Joshua Andrews, of Barnesville, reports, “As November rolled around, things continued to be uneventful, with little to no deer movement and very few does in the area. The quality and quantity of deer remained far less than what I would consider typical for the property. But as usual, with patience and persistence, November once again paid off. I was able to experience my daughter shooting her first deer, along with a very nice 8-point as her second deer. Far better than the second deer that I harvested as a kid, I must say. Still, with no evidence of anything that I would consider a shooter, I continue to hunt with hopes that the rut would bring something through. With no wasted opportunity in the stand, on Nov. 20 I was once again reminded that you never know what may come through. A nice 8-point that I had never laid eyes on before decided to show himself. While he wasn’t my biggest, it was just what I needed after the rough season so far. It’s not always about antler size but the journey and effort you put in to make it all happen.

“With two other kids in the family looking to harvest their first deer, as we go into December my hopes are that any of the bucks in the area will seek out food and cover after the rut to replenish themselves. Simply put, we will be focused on food sources, whether it be food plots or feeders going toward the end of season. While I was never a big fan of legalized baiting, I’m afraid it’s almost necessary now because more than likely, just over the property line your neighbor has a nice offering that the deer will remain more interested in if you don’t have anything to offer. This is especially true if you are hunting a smaller property.

“As a final note, I thoroughly enjoy chasing mature deer and trying to get a step ahead of them. However, I try to remind myself not to solely put all my efforts into harvesting the biggest deer in the area to the point of extreme frustration, but to slow down, enjoy His creation and share my passion for hunting.”

Putnam County: Dwayne Britt, of Bishop, reports, “Just another crazy season. Not as much chasing this year compared to years past; however, I’ve seen more bucks cruising this year than ever before. We have an abundant amount of 2-year-old bucks this year, but limited amount of mature bucks were seen. The weather was not very cooperative, as much of the rut was rainy and warm. The bucks are still active, but they seemed to not be as intense. The acorn crop was much smaller this year, as well. Food plots finally came back as we received much needed rain.

“As the rut winds down, bucks are moving back to the food sources and are still checking for that last estrus doe. I’m seeing bucks show up at feeders or food sources and actually eating, but still searching for a hot doe. Look for thick transition areas like briar patches or thick pines near food sources for late-season bucks. For morning hunts, find crossroads in these thick areas that you can hunt without encroaching too much into the area, and maybe catch a buck coming back from a food source. Or try hunting these areas in the middle of the day. Food plots are also usually good in the evenings, especially if hunting pressure as eased in the area.

“Good luck, and Merry Christmas!”

 

 

 

 

SOUTH GEORGIA

Crisp County: Jodi Manders, of, Cordele, reports, “I hope everyone has been able to get out and enjoy hunting this season. We sure have. I’ve been in the woods almost every day and have seen deer almost every time. Early season didn’t look to promising, but just like always, the first week in November things began to pick up. We were seeing more deer movement, young bucks pushing does and a few mature bucks following and chasing. Scrape lines are still being used a good bit. We had two mature bucks taken on our place the first week of November. We are still seeing bucks chasing. We have seen lots of deer this year. The warm days didn’t seem to slow them down any, and for sure they seemed to like the cold mornings. They have been eating our food plots down pretty good.

“Looking into December, we expect things to slow down, and the deer will go back to being nocturnal, but we will still hunt the travel routes and those food plots. Those mature bucks will definitely be harder to find but not impossible. We have seen and taken some good bucks in December. Just maybe, one will step out in the daylight. There’s still plenty of time to fill the freezer or get that trophy buck. Y’all keep hunting and God Bless!”

 

Harris County: Jimmy Harper, of Hamilton, reports, “The one thing you can always count on in the deer woods is that every season will be at least a little different from every other one. Yes, there will certainly be similarities from season to season, which we can use to be more successful in our deer hunting pursuits, but there will always be differences, which serve to make hunting more interesting and keep it challenging. November of 2024 proved to be very different in many ways from what Harris County deer hunters usually experience, yet the deer hunting overall was still very good.

“As I write this on the last Sunday in November, we still haven’t had any freezing temperatures in Harris County, and no hard frosts at all, which is almost unheard of by this time. This highly unusually weather has meant the leaves have remained on the hardwood trees much longer than usual, providing sustained travel cover and growing browse for the deer, plus summer food plots—at least the ones which weren’t wiped out by the late-summer drought—have remained green and attractive. On the flip side, we finally got some measurable rain at the beginning of November. So, with no frost in the long-range forecast, we rolled the dice and planted the remainder of our cool-season food plots into the softened, wet ground the first week of November, which is the latest in the year we’ve ever planted food plots. Those food plots are now growing well and will provide beneficial late-season food for our deer herd—and great places to hunt on cold December and January afternoons.

“We usually have some warm weather during the month of November, but I honestly can’t remember a year when we had the prolonged warm temperatures that November 2024 brought us in Harris County. Because of that, there was a significant concern among the deer hunters in our area that daytime deer movement during the rut would be suppressed, but that just didn’t happen on the properties we hunted. Daytime deer movement was still good throughout the entire rutting period, with afternoons being slightly better than mornings for buck movement. On our largest Harris County hunting tract, a 791-acre timber company lease, Nov. 9 was THE day to be in the deer woods this season. We have quality-buck restrictions on this property, which exceed those officially in place for Harris County itself, and no bucks had been killed on this tract prior to this day. But on Nov. 9, it was like a switch had been turned on, and the bucks got the message, with three mature bucks hitting the dirt by the end of the day! Branten Kreuzkamp started the day off by shooting a big, 183-lb., 4 1/2-year-old 8-pointer early in the morning, followed by Joe Harper killing a stud 205-lb., 5 1/2-year-old 8-pointer late in the afternoon, and Drew Dumas capped the day off by harvesting a beautiful 165-lb., 3 1/2-year-old 8-pointer just before dark. The common denominator to all of these bucks being killed were the bucks being with a doe either in heat or very close to it. But just as quickly as that increased deer activity and associated buck harvest happened, it turned back off as the bucks (and does) entered the lockdown period for the next seven to 10 days. As our deer herd started to exit that lockdown period, another of our hunting club members, Ron Hamby, killed a cruising 3 1/2-year-old 10-pointer on the afternoon of Nov. 18. Since that date, observed deer movement have continued to slowly pick back up, especially older bucks searching for the last few remaining does to go into heat.

“Speaking of the last does to go into heat… on Halloween morning, and then on multiple occasions in the days following that, my sons and I observed a very healthy fawn, completely covered in very distinctive white spots, feeding with a yearling doe. Back-dating when this fawn would have been born, and when his yearling doe mother would have been bred, resulted in a likely breeding date of early January! So, while I don’t specifically hunt ‘the second rut,’ or base any of my hunting tactics on it or any late breeding activity, there is obviously some rutting activity that occurs throughout the entire deer season in Harris County, especially where doe fawns who reach a viable breeding weight during the fall and winter are concerned.

“Now that December is here and the vast majority of rut activity is over for another year, our Harris County deer herd will begin to focus on recovering from the rut and preparing for the upcoming cold, winter weather. I’ll be changing my hunting tactics and methods, as well. Since the deer will be focused on their food, so will I.

“I’ll spend some time hunting directly on current deer food sources—food plots, red oaks dropping fresh acorns and corn feeders­—but the majority of my time will be spent hunting trails just off of those food sources and leading to them, because bucks are usually very skittish and afraid of coming into the open late in the season. And yes, I still hope and plan to kill a good buck! Also, instead of hunting both mornings and afternoons as I did during November, I’ll be hunting almost exclusively in the afternoons for the remainder of the season. It’s very difficult to access an active food source in the morning, especially in the late season, and the last thing I want to do is spook every deer on my Harris County properties!

“Finally, you’ll notice I mentioned hunting over corn feeders. Whether you like them or not, these hunting ‘tools’ are a great way to thin your deer herd late in the season and be selective while doing so, put a doe or two in the freezer, and consistently attract fairly easy target animals if you want to get a youngster involved in our wonderful sport, which I hope you do! And if your freezer is already full, I’d encourage you to share some of your excess venison with family and friends this holiday season. Or, if you have some surplus does on your hunting land, which most of us do, you can drop a few does before the season ends and donate them to Hunters for the Hungry. You’ll be helping others by providing them with some much-needed lean protein meat, plus you’ll feel great about doing it!

“Merry Christmas!”

Twiggs County: Richie Green, of Jeffersonville, reports, “Well, the weather wasn’t perfect like we want it, but the deer didn’t mind from the camera’s point of view. I was about right with my rut prediction from last month. My cameras were on fire from Nov. 4 until the 18th with bucks following does day and night. But if you missed it, there is always a good second rut around the same dates in December. You just have to be where the does are. Or bring the does where you want them to be.

“I was hunting bigger deer in another state when the rut was wide open down here, so I missed the first phase. But I’m looking forward to the next one. Someone who didn’t miss it was a friend of mine from the upper end of Twiggs named Alan Sanders. He has been working on his land for the past few years to hold does and bucks, and man it paid off this year. He killed two nice ones to tag out. Now it’s doe patrol.

“Alan said, ‘Two mid-November bucks—first one on the 13th was sporting antlers with a heavy base and long tines. He was traveling a classic rut pinch-point moving into a crosswind. The second one on the 16th was a nice 8-point that came out late that morning while hunting a stand for the first time this year.’ Alan said that little cool snap did the trick.

“Mitchell Williams killed an awesome looking deer in Wilkinson County with a third beam coming off the base of the left antler. Or you might just call it a sticker, but it’s cool either way. He said a doe came in, then a spike and a 6-point, and the one he shot came in right behind. ‘I slipped in the stand about 5 when I got off work, and he was dead by 5:38,’ Mitchell said.

“It’s been a good year for a lot of people and might get good for some more if the weather will act like fall and not spring. Maybe we need to move the months back and leave the clocks alone.

“I don’t know about the rest of y’all out there, but the bucks are looking better and better every year on my leases, and we’re seeing a lot of button heads to come along later. It’s been a lot better year than some of the recent years in that category, so something happened for the good, and I hope it continues.

“Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas, ’cause we got our country back big time.”