So what is the best way to bring deer out after the rut? They seem like the deer vanish.

There's no doubt that deer, and especially mature bucks, don't move quite as much after the rut is over.  Here in the Midwest, we've found the best tactic for late season hunting is to focus on food sources and hope for cold weather.  If that's not an option, you can always resort to the same tactics you would use during the pre-rut, which is finding where they are bedding and sneaking in as close to them as possible.  Just be careful - it's not quite as easy to move around when the foliage is dead and the leaves are super crunchy.