Aside from the cold, late-season bowhunting adds several challenges. The excellent news is that preparation will prevent those challenges from spoiling your late-season success plans.
by Jace Bauserman
My affinity for hunting waterfowl and upland means November’s final day is typically my last “deer day” for the year. However, the birds must wait if I have an unpunched ungulate tag in my pocket.
Though it’s not my favorite time of year to chase deer, I’ve logged many hours in treestands and ground blinds during the late season. During my 25 years of bowhunting, I’ve had two late-season blunders and witnessed another.
Let me toss myself under the bus first.
The buck was big. The brute was rut-worn and wanted to pack on the calories. I’d patterned the bucks’ food-to-bed and bed-to-food routines and was ready to strike. Mother Nature helped; she sent a biting north wind and a severe temperature drop.
I hadn’t had to break out any late-season hunt gear in years, but I did on this hunt. As good as Sitka’s Fanatic Bibs and Jacket are, they add some bulk overall. The shot on the 150-plus inch buck was only 32.5 yards. I was smiling when I pressed my Hoyt into action. I had scrunched down in my blind chair to clear the window, and when I cut the Easton 5mm FMJ loose, I heard a whhaap and felt a slap on my forearm. I’d neglected to put a compression shooting sleeve or arm guard on, which cost me a big buck.
A few years later, during a severe December snowstorm, I had to stop a buck in a small opening. A late-cycling doe was in estrous, and every buck in the county ran her under my treestand. It was a fabulous morning. Sadly for me, I didn’t take the time to get familiar with my hunt gear. The bibs had a pair of pockets inside the front-leg cargo pockets. When I pushed my rangefinder into my right cargo pocket, it fell into the second pocket. At the time, I didn’t realize there was a second pocket. I could feel my rangefinder but couldn’t access it. That was a helpless feeling. The buck was gone before I gave up on accessing my rangefinder and tried to guess the yardage.
My good buddy braved the icy temps and made an all-day late-season sit. When his target buck wandered through, he was so cold that he couldn’t pull his bow back. He tried three times but couldn’t make it happen. It cost him that buck.
Don’t fret. There are ways to avoid these late-season mishaps. Heed these four late-season tips, and you’ll punch that tag.
Keep Shooting Your Bow
One of the biggest mistakes bowhunters make is they stop their regular practice sessions. It’s easy to do. The outside temperatures are frigid, snow is likely on the ground, and if you’re like me, your hunting attention turns to waterfowl and upland pursuits.
If you have a deer tag in your pocket and plan to keep hunting, you must make it a point to keep shooting your bow. Regular practice sessions are a must. And while you don’t need to sling carbon for hours like you would during the spring and summer, you still need to stay on top of your game.
I make it a point to shoot at least three arrows per day. Somedays, it’s only three. The trick is not rushing to shoot arrows to shoot arrows. Everything from your pre-shot routine to your draw to your anchor and your execution should be perfect. Make every arrow you shoot in practice count.
Practice In Your Late-Season Gear
Don’t be me! Be sure to practice in your late-season gear. I highly recommend practicing in your late-season gear from sitting, standing, and kneeling positions. Also, even if it’s in your yard, hang a treestand and shoot from it with your late-season gear on your body. If you don’t have a tree suitable for a stand, crawl up on your roof. It would help if you made sure you can effectively bend at the waist and that your bowstring isn’t slapping your jacket sleeve. You must ensure you can get into your pair of anchor points and learn your late-season gear ins and outs (pockets, buttons, zippers, etc.).
Get Cold & Execute
You don’t have to torture yourself, but it’s essential to know if you can pull back your bow when your muscles are cold. Having the best cold-weather hunt gear you can afford is pivotal. However, even top-tier hunt gear can’t always stop Mother Nature. I dress sparsely and spend time outside a couple of times each winter. When I feel winter’s chill, I practice drawing my bow from sitting, standing, and kneeling positions. Typically, I drop my bow’s poundage a tad during the late season. When muscles are cold, pulling back weight is much more difficult.
Also, as you practice in the cold, you expose your bow, rest, sight, etc. to the freezing elements. Some bowhunting gear is better than others when the Mercury drops. You want to make sure your gear is up to the challenge. If wintertime gear fails, it should be during practice and not in the field.
Have A System
Late-season hunt gear adds some challenges. Try putting on all your gear before you walk to your treestand or blind, and you’ll be a sweaty mess when you arrive. Make sure you plan ahead of time. Learn where to attach your outer-layer jacket and, possibly, even your heavy fleece-lined bibs to your pack so you can dress at your tree.
I’m a chest bino harness guy; however, during the late season, the chest bino harness is just one more item that adds bulk. Plus, getting the harness over your head, through a couple of pairs of hoots, etc., and securing it around your torso is tough. Develop an optic plan that doesn’t involve a chest harness.
Go through your pack and all of your gear. Make sure everything is functioning correctly. Every item in your bag, from food to hand warmers to calls, should have an exact place in the pack. My go-to whitetail pack is ALPS’ Impulse. This pack delivers comfort, function, and organization in spades.
Get a container for your favorite hot drink and take it with you. My go-to is Yeti’s 18-Ounce HotShot Bottle. Sipping on a warm cup of Joe or hot chocolate helps keep you mentally sharp.
Final Thoughts
If the weather cooperates and you put in your time in the woods, late can be great. Just make sure you’re ready to put a razor-sharp broadhead where it needs to go when your late-season moment of truth arrives.
