Late season bowhunting (or muzzleloading) can be a great chance for a good buck. More trophy deer survive the guns season than many people realize and winter snow and temperatures often concentrate whitetail deer near food sources. The challenge of late season is staying warm and effective on stand in freezing temperatures and bundling up isn’t necessarily the answer. A few years back I had the chance to hunt the western border of North Dakota and one of those famed “Arctic clippers” docked the day after my arrival. Thinking I was well prepared I suited up in my Michelin Tire outfit and headed out. I soon learned that the puffy down was great insulation… maybe too good as perspiration built the farther I progressed. Finally on stand, I watched a big 8-point buck pass behind me. Using a grunt tube I gave several calls and the buck came as if on a frozen rope (pun intended) and stopped at 20 yards, broadside. Unfortunately, my bow string caught my puffy sleeve and sent the arrow two feet to the left, missing the buck by a mile and leaving me aghast as muffing the slam-dunk shot.
Keeping warm in late season follows the old advice about “hunting smarter” not harder. First, plan your access route so that you don’t spook deer on the way in. Hunters are quickly seen moving against a white background and it may make more sense to concentrate on an evening stand rather than the early morning sit. In really cold weather, deer tend to move more as the weather warms and you only have to prepare for a few hours in the cold. Next, be sure to practice wearing your cold weather gear so that you don’t make the same mistake I did on that North Dakota buck. Be sure that your bow string clears your shooting arm and that your gloves can provide a clean, crisp release. Use those chemical hand warmers, putting one or more in your shirt pocket so that the warmth is contained by insulating clothes. Tyler Ridenour does a great job of breaking the keep-warm process into 9 steps in this post from the Realtree website. Follow his tips and you can be toasty when Frosty comes to town.
Bowhunting in mild weather is certainly enjoyable but all too often the hottest action is found when temperatures drop. Unfortunately, shooting a bow well while wearing bulky, traditional cold weather hunting gear can be difficult. These nine images will depict what I’ve found to be the best system for staying warm during bitter cold bowhunts while still having the ability to shoot.
