The unmistakable roar of a rifle echoes through the Alaskan wilderness, signaling the thrill of a successful hunt. When reaching the top of a hollow, the sight of a companion kneeling beside a robust eight-pointer showcases the effectiveness of strategic hunting techniques.

To maximize late-season buck hunting success, focus on linear-shaped hollows that deer naturally prefer for security and cover. These long, narrow funnels serve as natural travel routes for mature bucks, making them ideal for drives.

Pinpoint Your Route

The most effective hollows for driving deer feature feeding or staging areas near the bottom and secure bedding spots at the top. These can range from 150 yards to half a mile in length. While the topography provides some natural security, additional cover such as deadfalls, conifers, brambles, or sapling thickets enhances the area’s effectiveness.

Go With the Traffic

Understanding deer movement patterns is crucial. In the morning, deer ascend from lowland feeding areas to high bedding cover, while in the afternoon, they typically reverse this pattern. By timing drives accordingly, hunters can effectively push bucks in their natural direction, enhancing the likelihood of a successful encounter.

This strategy also leverages natural thermals, which rise in the morning and settle in the evening. This phenomenon helps carry the driver’s scent towards the quarry while dissipating the odor of posted hunters.

Identify the Exits

While some deer may travel to the top or bottom of the hollow, others will exit at strategic locations where they feel secure. It is essential to position hunters to cover as many of these exits as possible. Bucks often escape where a strip of brush leads out of the hollow, so placing a hunter on the downwind side is advantageous, especially in a crosswind scenario.

Another critical observation point is where a smaller side crease or depression juts out, providing a low area for a cautious buck to slip away. Additionally, benches just below the peak serve as natural exit points, particularly during morning drives when bucks aim to avoid being silhouetted at the ridge’s top. In the afternoon, these areas become quick escape routes as deer sense pressure from above.

Finally, the top and bottom of the hollow are crucial exit points. The top is particularly favored if a saddle offers a low crossing point over the ridge, while bucks may run to the bottom in the afternoon, especially if key cover or a staging area is present.

Start Your Engines

Once the strategy is established and exits are secured, the drive can commence. Each hunter must be aware of their companions’ locations and wear sufficient blaze orange for visibility.

Drivers should push with the thermals at their back, moving slowly and quietly without shouting or whistling. Periodic pauses near brush and blowdowns can help push deer, as the movement and scent of hunters encourage bucks to ease away at a walking pace or slow trot, providing excellent targets for posted hunters.

This method led to a successful shot for a hunting companion, resulting in a hefty eight-point buck on the ground.

For those hunting solo this season, it is essential to be aware of common mistakes. Here are seven late deer season pitfalls to avoid to increase the chances of tagging a trophy buck.