Late Season Whitetails

Late Season Whitetails by James L. Bruner
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After the rut a lot of hunters call it a year regardless of whether they have scored or tanked in filling their tags. In northern climates the whether can turn frigid quickly during the later parts of November and this is one reason why many hunters opt to stay at home. Couple this with a recent firearms season and it’s easy to understand why a large majority of hunters feel that the hunt is over for yet another year. But there is a lot to be said about hunting the late seasons.

Because so many hunters subscribe to the same mindset as mentioned above you can capitalize on numerous hunting areas where you will find little, if not non-existent, hunting pressures. And don’t fall into that category of hunters who believe a second rutting phase never occurs in a particular hunting area. This late season phonomenon is not reliant on the bucks visible presence because, just as earlier in the season, a buck will travel to the receptive doe.

On a late season hunt here in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan I sat in my treestand, fingers seemingly froze in position around my trigger release. My arms felt as if they would create a creaking noise if in fact I had to draw my bow. Everything is foreign in this type of situation and dealing with the weather is imperative for success. I had only been on the stand an hour and a half when the woods came alive with more deer than I had seen at one time during the previous days. It was complete chaos as a doe had obviously come into estrus and attracted several bucks into the area as her scent traveled effortlessly through the cold thin air.

The doe was being trailed in fast procession by all three bucks of whom seemed to have little concern over one another. The doe appeared panicked with no recognizable signs of relenting to the actual breeding process. As I sat and watched my field of view was a mere 30 yards in width. I would hear the deers hooves on the frozen ground most times before visually spotting each animal. At one vital point the biggest buck and the doe both stopped directly in front of my stand at 25 yards facing towards me. The steam from their muzzle and heaving of their ribs showed the obvious presence of exhaustion. I knew at one point they would have to turn broadside and decided to draw my bow. Lets check that last statement. Tried to draw my bow. It felt like I was trying to pull a locomotive train backwards with one hand. I had made that one rookie mistake in a bowhunters first years of hunting the cold weather season by packing on too many layers of thick bulky clothing. Factoring in the excitement of the moment and the frigid weather spelled certain disaster. After my third attempt to draw the bow the two smaller smaller bucks came in and the chase was on once again as all the deer scattered this time not to re-appear in my field of vision. Although that may have been over 25 years ago, I learned a valuable lesson.

Here are a few tips for cold weather hunts.

Clothing
A lot can be said about clothing and the thought that staying warm is priority. Granted, retaining body heat is essential but performing in that same clothing is detrimental to the actual process of making a deadly shot.

Too many people bulk up layers of clothing that create a camouflaged-looking Michelin Man. You may stay warm but in reality this is going to create restrictions when drawing your bow. You may inadvertently create contact points, such as the forearm or chest area, where your bowstring will drag or slap across the fabric of extra clothing. My advise would be to spend a little extra on the right type of quality clothing that will allow you to create as few layers as possible while still remaining protected from the elements. Looking at this from a monetary position, those who have purchased many moderately priced hunting garments probably could have bought a very good quality outfit that will in turn last longer through the years. Undergarments or layering material is essential for the baselayer. Wool and fleece are both terrific at trapping air and allowing your body to warm these fabrics naturally. A windproof garment or similar tightly-woven article of clothing as outerwear will trap and hold that generated heat longer. The end result of any purchase should be to buy the best that you can afford. For most hunters this is not a single year purchase as the clothing will be able to accomodate many years of field activity unless physical growth is still predominant.

Practice
A common instance of late season hunting is lack of practice with your bow. It’s not a hidden issue that equipment, and people, perform differently in fluctuating temperatures. Need an extreme example? Your brain can be reduced to that of a 6 year old, or worse, without proper equipment while attempting to conquer Mount Everest. Although this is due to mainly to oxygen levels, the cold weather also plays a part in the equation. Obviously we arent going to see those extremes but it serves as an example of a humans body reacting to different temperatures. You can shoot your bow all summer and throughout the fall but if you’re not replicating the current hunting conditions, then you have lost that edge.

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