What I Found on my Trail Cameras - Where I'll Hunt Late Season | Bowhunting Whitetails w/ Bill Winke

[@KevinFlaherty-r9m]

Merry Christmas and happy new year to everyone out there.

[@shadowdawg04]

Nice to catch up here with you Bill - after my public land 10 (very nice one, so grateful) I was at home an had a heart attack. A couple stint and a life flight later I've had quintuple bypass... home few days now, nice just to listening to you expound on your experience here in the late season. Merry Christmas to you and your and everyone this year!

[@ericwolbert3256]

Always enjoy your videos! God bless you!

[@tfelich19]

Merry Christmas to you, Bill.

[@mspahn1967]

Going back to your video on yearlings coming in estrus around December 4 for a few days. I replied and told you I had a camera in northern Missouri blowing up with bucks. I actually drove north and hunted my stand and shot two very nice bucks about 20 mins apart on private land that I called in snort wheezing with my mouth. Best hunt I've ever had and I've been bow hunting 40 yrs. Definitely my favorite time to hunt 👍

[@bill-winke]

That is awesome. Congrats on a great hunt. Merry Christmas.

[@mspahn1967]

@bill-winke Thank you. Merry Christmas also.

[@mi_bowhunter80]

That farm in the future is going to be incredible!! With all the habitat improvements and all the added food. It's going to be killer Bill. I have watched you for so long! And I'm truly grateful for everything I have learned. So, thank you!!

[@lonniechartrand]

You sure have a lot of good looking "future prospects" there! I know your season did not go as planned, but it looks like you have some good numbers, with the proper buck to doe ratio. I hope you, Jordan, and family has a joyous Christmas season, and a happy new year!

[@Pwrcritter]

Welcome to the world of cell cams!

[@tedrickabus2087]

The nice thing about the revolver is that fixed cameras can give a false impression of no deer. I have two cameras 50 feet apart, facing opposite directions. One shows almost no deer, the other shows dozens of deer photos. So having a camera that can collect that 360 degree motion is awesome. Tells a more complete story. Alright Bill, you got me back on the horse... I was about to call it a season and you posted another video.... my wife said I have 6 more days, then I'm done as the granddaughter is coming for xmas next week. So if Bill AND my wife are telling me hunt, I'm doing it! Lol...

[@troybrake5686]

I got 3-360s and learn so much more about deer behavior, I run my with solar panels and on video! I got a giant 8 every night and some awesome footage that regular cams won't catch! I have had mine miss deer though, so that's a problem!

[@midwesternoutdoorsandnatur8272]

I’m reading lots of problems with them. Fogging up, etc. I like the idea, but may wait to see if bugs are worked out. Looks like it worked well for Bill.

[@tedrickabus2087]

I don't own one, just like the concept. Will check the reviews. Thx

[@FishMonger-d2c]

Where do all the mature bucks go this time of year? I run several cameras in multiple areas and haven't had a mature buck walk by in over 3 weeks.

[@tedrickabus2087]

Me too. The thick stuff. I'll be in search of buck bedding on public land this year while there's snow in the ground. They're done on my property after the first rut. Too much local pressure and not enough dense cover around my property to hold them. That is my quest for being able to continue hunting late season in 2025.

[@gouchmcdougal7831]

Information overload. Yes sir. There is some great stuff in this video. And yes. Can’t wait to hear the story again sir. Merry Christmas and may the Lord bless you guys/gals with the harvest of a mature whitetail!! Pray Big!! Luke 9:62

[@midwesternoutdoorsandnatur8272]

Started with a muddy and now have stealth cams on the command pro app. I agree Bill! Lots of useful information to pick up on. Looking forward to the Christmas episode! Merry Christmas all!

[@kelvin0689]

Enjoyed this episode. This is way more relatable to me as a Pennsylvania hunter than your southern Iowa farm. Makes it more enjoyable to watch, even though the bucks might be smaller and more scarce. I also use Stealth cell cams, thanks for showing how you use the data they provide.

[@2CanTan]

I have 5 cells around my stand area and bucks will be on one or 3 or none when I’m hunting. It’s crazy how many deer don’t get on cams mo matter how hidden they are. We run over 2 dozen cells on our 850 acre lease and scrapes , trails , plots and feeders and a lot of weeks will be action on scrapes and trails. It’s fun to watch the stages of the rut!

[@StevenSmith-7t391]

I think you can learn a lot about deer behavior but you still have to remember that the pictures show what was there, not what is or will be there. Great presentation Bill. Merry Christmas to you and yours. Peace.

[@ronmacdougall9612]

It is so different with all this technology today.Back when I started hunting I used to keep track of temp,wind,moon and scraps and rubs.And I also used a little green box with a watch and some strong thread in it,I use to put this on runways to give me a time when they were going through,the only problem was I had to reset all the time,lol.

[@kyhermit]

Ah yes, the "Trail Timer". I used one too

[@bill-winke]

I remember those also. Never used one though. I remember Roger Rotthaar stating that he attached a thread to a clock so when a deer hit the thread it stopped the clock. Man, we have come a long ways since then - for better or worse! Have a great day.

[@shane5154]

That would be a great episode maybe you can do that some time. I hunt 40 acres. So I am able to keep by paths clear so I can walk in with no noise. It seems that when I have walked in, in the dark it pushes the deer back if I walk into them. I will have to try walking in, in gray light. I am not sure how they will react. Thanks again Bill.

[@12GageWL]

Like always enjoy your videos

[@gregbunn4642]

Very good episode. 👍

[@brucealbright4405]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Bill. Look forward to the videos to come.

[@bill-winke]

Thanks Bruce. Merry Christmas to you too.

[@jmaas7626]

Excellent episode. Really shows the value of different food and locations. So strange how there is not much activity in the valley. Seemed the same as what you personally observed

[@joshjenkins7075]

Merry Christmas and God bless you and your family i love your insight and info great video.

[@dwbowhunterable]

Good episode. Thanks!

[@paulbernitt4280]

Merry CHRISTmas Bill! Unto us a Savior is born! Looking forward to your annual CHRISTmas Bible reading. Thank you for the footage. Living in AZ and owning hunting property across the river from you helps me stay connected to the Driftless area. Just got my skull mount back from the taxidermist and already of dreaming of my big buck in the truck in 2025. Can't come soon enough!

[@scotth9165]

You sold a bunch of 360 cameras with this video. Good luck to ya Bill.

[@grinder881]

I had heard that the reviews on the 360 were not positive sometimes. I had heard that they leaked. It is sounding like maybe those reviews were not accurate.

[@bill-winke]

They have worked really well for me, at least so far. Very cool technology for putting in a field or food plot.

[@EdwardHans-eb2xx]

Hello Bill, I've been checking cameras once a week. Noticed the deer shifted to the front of the farm I hunt. Also, like you were stating, about 1/3 of the pictures are during leal shooting light. One thing I found interesting was that on December 8th, I had a fair amount of daylight activity. I'm thinking that could have been to some doe's coming into estrous. Merry Christmas and good luck in the late season. P.S. see, the weather is going to be unseasonable warm for the start of the late season. Here in western iowa.

[@gavinbenz9034]

Woah these stealth cams show you some really important data. I might have to make the switch to these

[@troybrake5686]

You would regret it, shows so much more than traditional cams! I just put my 3rd one out today! My regular cells still have a place but they can't give you what these revolvers can! Bad thing is I have witnessed one not triggering on a deer right in front of it for 20 minutes right in the middle of the day, just makes me wonder what they truly miss! And they have gaps in time and the deer have never moved, I have had 10 to 15 min gaps with no triggers and there be 8 deer standing within 15 yards

[@jasoncarll8073]

is that a shed buck at 11:41 Bill? few bucks shed here in New Brunswick,

[@JamesRegis-g9j]

I wondered the same thing.

[@bill-winke]

I know there is one nice eight point that has shed one side already. Be careful if you are shooting does.

[@markc2036]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you as well. We're not getting any daylight as well maybe just 1 or 2 of does. They're mostly coming out 5 to 10 minutes left of legal shooting time. Does and young bucks. No pictures of coyotes? Lucky you! Enjoyed it.

[@alexpinnow6509]

The potential continues to grow on this farm...deer won't be going hungry that's for sure. Not to jump ahead to post season, but you'd have to think that all the food would be a sure fire ticket to a pile of sheds come spring.

[@bill-winke]

I am sure we will get some. I am excited to use the winter to put a plan together to hunt the Jordan Buck more aggressively assuming he survives. There is also a really nice non-typical looking buck that I haven't been mentioning much that will be old enough next year, again assuming he survives.

[@alexpinnow6509]

@bill-winke the Jordan buck would be quite the sight to see in the coming weeks. Best of success as you build a strategy!

[@usernamehere6061]

Bill, you need to seriously consider planting less food next year and allowing these areas to grow up into early successional habitat. You need to start using utilization cages and minimize your food plot acreage until you reach the balance for the deer density on your farm. You already mentioned these deer are not stressed so they don't have to come out in daylight to feed... less food in more strategic locations will make your success go way up. Also, you need to start running cameras in the timber and not just on food. You aren't gaining the intel you need from night photos. Assuming deer are moving in the timber in daylight hours you need to find out how they are moving through it.

[@dougharvey562]

I was thinking the same thing. No way to condense the deer; bedding to food. I would not shoot a doe, maybe a low potential older scrub buck.

[@JackFrostTheDeerHunter]

Do plan on changing any food plot or hunting strategies based on the camera Intel? I would love to see a video on your changes and why if you do.

[@elkmo41]

“Old Unreliable”!! Funny cam name!!

[@MrHutcher1]

Thanks for all the info Bill. I hunt Central KY and have found the deer to be more nocturnal this year than I have ever seen them. Obviously it has led to hunting being pretty slow, which sounds like has been the same experience for you and many of your viewers. Any thoughts as to why ? Thanks again for sharing so much of your farm and hunting experiences.

[@bodrulalam4050]

I’m impressed with your KZbin channel! The content you’re creating is top-notch and incredibly informative, and the way you present your topics is really helpful for your audience. May I know what the next video will be about?

[@shane5154]

Thanks Bill! Question... Should you go to your morning stand thirty minutes before the sun starts to come up or as it is coming up? What do you do?

[@bill-winke]

Shane, it is a very debatable topic and probably worth an entire episode but usually start walking as soon as I can see the ground without needing a flashlight to avoid breaking branches. Good luck and Merry Christmas.

[@MiloMiller-ut6ik]

I started taking Bills approach several years ago after he suggested it. I can say with confidence that it hav not spooked anymore deer and possibly less than when I would go in an hour early.

[@elkmo41]

Thought on valley plot… nights on open tops allows them to detect danger easier, consistent wind direction. High winds less so. Similar idea to geese always landing on the crown of hills in ag fields. Perhaps maybe???

[@kylekrzewina1135]

Please continue to do the Christmas reading. Too many forget.

[@justinpeyla7308]

I would hunt more late season but in far northern Minnesota, it seems a lot of bucks shed by the middle of December. I know of a couple young bucks that both shed before the 14th and one more mature buck just shed a few days ago. When do bucks shed around you? Do you have ver have the issue of bucks shedding during season before you get a chance to kill them?

[@jeffasdell6325]

You should have some good ones next year for sure.

[@adampierce5007]

I like the idea of drilling sorghum into beans. Any tips on row spacing or offsetting rows to avoid damaging beans? Or is it not something to be worried about?

[@bill-winke]

Adam, the beans seem to take the abuse pretty well. I have been surprised how well they hold up to it but I think if they were really tall or thick it would likely be harder on them. My favorite strategy is drilling the Winter-Greens into beans in areas where the deer have eaten them down. That seems to work really well here. If the beans are looking good I usually don't drill into them in late July at brassica planting time. But I do think you could drill into even a solid stand of beans at sorghum planting time in early June. I think I would plant the sorghum in 30 inch rows in that case. Good luck.

[@basschatter3896]

Bill what became of some of the other ground you had scouted early season?

[@bill-winke]

When it came right down to it they never invited me to hunt and I didn't feel like putting them on the spot by asking. They knew I was looking for spots and by not coming right out and granting permission I assumed they didn't want me in there. I am pretty careful about stuff like that. Since I know just about everyone in this area I am probably more cautious about stepping on toes than I would be if I was less connected. I will lock down a couple spots for sure by next season.

[@stevedenoyer5956]

I’m curious what you’ll see next season? Will these 2.5/3.5 year olds stick around? So you have an opportunity to grow them to the 5 and 6 year age class that you’re targeting?

[@bill-winke]

Steve, I sure hope they stick around. That's what I am banking on. Have a great day and a Merry Christmas.

[@elkmo41]

Curious on the thought about mature bucks pushed onto the farm during rifle season..wouldn’t they show up, hang around perhaps 24hrs and then gravitate back to their “core” if they were to show? Very small window of opportunity. I would equate it to a fall harvesting outside of the rut on a neighbors??

[@bill-winke]

My thought is that they would stay because I have so much food, but that doesn't seem to be happening. There are a few new bucks on the farm, as far as I can tell, but none are mature.

[@marchhair01]

Interesting data. Do u think the bucks are bedded closer to the plots used in daylight? Seems like they’d be closer to the best food. Thanks for sharing.

[@bill-winke]

Yes. I think the daylight activity is much higher in the ones closest to the timber.

[@garretts1604]

Bill- have you arrived at any conclusions on how cell cameras impact your deer or how they react (yet)?

[@bill-winke]

Unless I start using them more aggressively, I don't think they will take the challenge out of it. I have stated a few times that all I really want is to know where a mature buck is living. I don't want to know a whole lot more than that. The rest I want to figure out using knowledge about deer and general hunting skills. But I really enjoy learning more about deer behavior and there is no better way to learn than with a bunch of cell cameras. So there is a balance here that I will need to strike long-term. I definitely can see that. already.

[@JasonGirten]

Did you set up camera around the apple trees

[@jontrappe5037]

Bill, many public land hunters talk about mature bucks bedding within view of parking lots. Do you think some of the bucks might be doing the same with you because the house is visible from several bedding areas?

[@museum52]

Hello Bill, just wondering what happened to the Jordan buck? Do you think he got killed in the firearm season?

[@bill-winke]

I don't think he did but I am not 100% sure. He disappeared last year in December also. Very hard deer to figure out. If he survives we will give him another try next year. Thanks for the comment. Merry Christmas.

[@museum52]

I have had history with a lot of bucks that will do the same thing as last year to the day. Maybe next year he won't be a ghost deer and you can use this year's photos to help with his pattern. Thanks for replying and Merry Christmas as well..

[@whisperingoutdoors]

Good video

[@michaelTroendle]

I’m no expert at all. I wonder if more switchgrass and screens around the feilds so the deer can’t see out would make them more daylight prone? Great show always enjoy watching

[@elkmo41]

I am experiencing an identical scenario currently on my Kansas farm.

[@Daniel-mc2ei]

How many acres is your farm?

[@michaelhenry8002]

Any update on Thor?

[@JayN4GO]

The net return isn’t looking great on the farm but that may change at any given year.

[@MollyDogg1234]

Do you think maybe that your farm just lacks the mineral content in the soil / and or the herd genetics needed, to produce large racked bucks? Or do you think it just needs more time to get the bucks that are residing there, to an older age class?

[@jomama969]

Looks like he’s got a ton of young studs. Have to keep in mind this farm was dominated mostly by a cattle farming operation when he bought it. Deer probably did not use it much. It will take some time to get deer on it constantly in my opinion.

[@bill-winke]

I think it just needs a couple more years then things should start getting interesting. Thanks for the comment. Merry Christmas.

[@PBAdventures146]

You said the last Whitetail watch video was your last one, but this was the ultimate Whitetail watch.. literally 😂... obviously these bucks are surviving. Do you have any idea where they may be going when they leave your farm?

[@sambricker4731]

Really liked this episode . I take it you are a cell cam fan now? They are fun. Still really surprised nothing more mature has shown up, you have big acres and plenty of food and cover. What about that 3 y/o that you had on cam earlier in that fall that was really wide and had like double brows, he disappeared? What are the coyote numbers like there? Should do an episode of some of the other random critters you get on cam. Up in the northeast corner wouldn’t surprise me if a black bear wonders through.

[@bill-winke]

He is still around. In fact, I am pretty sure he was on at least one of these photos. Easier to see when not flipping through them so fast. During the past year we have had tons of coyotes, a few bobcats, even a badger on camera. Guys from the US Fish and Wildlife saw a mountain lion. Neighbors saw him too. There was a bear about a mile away during the summer but he must have moseyed back north because no one has seen him lately. Have a great day and Merry Christmas.

[@sambricker4731]

@ that’s great bill, such a neat area of the state. Thanks for all you do

[@upatree10]

Based on all of those pics, I was surprised at the lack of coyotes. Is that due to low numbers of coyotes, or did you just not show those pics? Merry Christmas Bill, and I’m looking forward to the reading of the Christmas Story!

[@bill-winke]

I didn't show anything but the deer pics. There might have been four or five coyote pics that I deleted. Have a great day. Merry Christmas.

[@Bullbluegill]

have you ever hunted over a cam or near a cam that you swear the cam "should" have taken a pic? I run tactacam reveals and I KNOW they miss a ton of deer not to mention many pics taken that aren't received on my phone for one reason or another. I realize stealth cam is a sponsor of yours but I'd appreciate any honest feedback.

[@bill-winke]

I haven't had the chance to hunt around many of these spots since I put these cameras out so I am not sure how the Stealth are doing in that regard. I did see that happening with a developmental SD camera I was testing (lots of action on the plot while we sat there yet the camera picked up very little) so I know it is possible. I reported back to them that their cameras need a bit more work.

[@edwardclark5211]

Dream Big brother 🙏

[@acelove3667]

I think maybe need to make the woods thicker need more underbrush

[@alecbrown6802]

Man I feel bad for your battery bill each month!

[@bill-winke]

Alec, most are on solar panels. Stealth sells some pretty affordable ones. www.stealthcam.com/products/sol-pak/ That has worked well for me.

[@Huntoutdoors1]

Thanks for shareing and I I wonder if its the same for you the closer to the human travel and activity points no matter how good the food would seem like at most places I hunt show far less activity like your stuff close to the drives and building or the Tree plot and where the travel roads are to where you hunt . Just a thought .

[@sureguy8124]

These deers here are naturally scared to come out in open fields. I would put half of the cameras in bedding areas. This way I know exactly where they are. Northern Iowa deers are definitely different from southern Iowa. Seems the northern deers are more a wary, wild, smarter than their southern cousins (your old farm). I feel you can't change it their DNA.

[@hoaoutdoors]

Looks like you have a pile of really nice 2 and 3 year olds. Should be great in a year or two

[@bill-winke]

Agreed. You have only seen a fraction of them. If they survive it will be interesting around here in a couple years.

[@PDS_37]

16 cameras... thats got to be a tax write off LOL

[@bill-winke]

They gave them to me to test. I have learned a lot about them so far. Those Revolvers are really cool.

[@ArcheryOnly]

Hey Bill, where’s the fat buck at? Lol

[@bill-winke]

Man, I wish I knew. He disappeared in early October. Hopefully he's back next year early like he was this year.

[@ArcheryOnly]

@ seems crazy that your farm is probably most ideal in the general vicinity, at least within 2-3 properties and they just up and leave or aren’t there yet. Wasn’t your farm mostly cattle ground before you got it? You’d think with low pressure around, there would be some older class bucks.

[@paullindgren1051]

I’m dreaming for a nice buck but when you go to the woods all you see is guys everywhere 😢

[@kylemartin3420]

And you still won't kill nothing

[@bill-winke]

No Karl, I am pretty sure you are right about that.

[@michaelTroendle]

I’m no expert at all. I wonder if more switchgrass and screens around the feilds so the deer can’t see out would make them more daylight prone? Great show always enjoy watching