Delta deer hunter Louie Sewell loves to hunt cutover in the late season, and that’s exactly where he was on a hunt late last season. He scanned the thick cutover surrounding his stand while searching for the flick of an ear, a twitch of a tail, or the glint of an antler.
Sewell didn’t have long to wait. He quickly spotted that glint off an antler and raised his .270 short magnum, centered the crosshairs on the buck and squeezed of a shot.
Ka-boom! The rifle roared and the buck dropped instantly.
“Usually the late season is the best in our area near Greenville, with the rut starting around the middle of December and the hunting just gets better and better through January,” said Sewell, a veteran of many deer wars who has killed more than his share of deer. He still relishes the chance to get outdoors on a late season deer hunt.
“We had very few deer here in the late 40s and 50s, but we’re on the DMAP program now and we have plenty of deer to hunt,” said Sewell, who has killed some of his best deer ever in recent years.
“I like to hunt the cutovers from the middle of December on through the January late season hunt,” Sewell said. “Anderson-Tully (timber company) cut a lot of the timber in there and the deer really move in it. I like to take a ladder stand where I can see spots out in it the cutover and then catch them moving through. Deer really like that cutover.”
Whether the deer are browsing through cutover thickets searching for food or using it for cover, they’re right at home in the thick stuff. Hunters like Sewell who take advantage of that knowledge and are able to view the openings from lofty vantage points increase their chance for success.
A secondary rut may occur during the late January hunt and then it’s really something. With most of the browse and acorns gone, the does have to stay on the move, and the few that do cycle back into estrus increase the competition among bucks.
“It’s really exciting to see six of seven bucks all chasing one doe,” Sewell said. “It really gets good then.”
After the regular deer season ends, the late season primitive weapon hunt begins. Primitive weapons suit Sewell just fine.
“I love to shoot that muzzleloader and I usually wait until that last season to shoot my last buck,” he said. “We still have some acorns and pecans on the ground during the late season, but the deer usually move pretty well searching for something to eat, and that’s when they are vulnerable.”
During the last couple of years Sewell has killed a couple of 145- to 150-class 10 pointers with the biggest pushing the scales to 215 pounds.
If you’re looking to harvest a trophy buck, take Sewell’s advice and situate your stand near a thicket or cutover area and stay in the woods. Chances are you’ll have a chance to harvest a nice buck too.
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