The “I Wish” Period of Deer Hunting

In this episode of Trail Cameras Weekly, Weston Schrank discusses the “I Wish” period of deer hunting season. It’s frustrating to see but after a giant card pull across the properties, only one mature buck seems to be on his feet.

The “ I wish” period in the late season is the period that a lot of good bucks are hitting the ground during the late season, and it’s frustrating especially when you’re not seeing anything on your hunts or on your cameras. This year was an “I wish” year for Weston. With a very late start receiving permission to hunt two great properties 15 days or so before the season opened destroyed any chance of installing food plots that would have been needed to be successful during the late season.

A lot of hunters are in the same boat as they’re in the I wish mindset, saying… “I wish I had standing beans, I wish I had brassicas, I wish standing corn, rye, something to pull in late season bucks”.
As the late season progresses hunters will see a growing dependency on any late season food sources from bucks, more frigid temperatures, and above all the ending of a state’s gun season which means a long awaited break from hunting pressure. These variable coupled with trail camera intel and hunting observations could mean encounters with bucks! So don’t give up on the season just yet, and take the frustration of the “I wish” period of deer hunting and use it to make plans for next season!