Steve Bartylla will bring you along as he bowhunts on a late season doe hunt at the end of the year.

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Late Season Wisconsin Deerhunt - 2000
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 |

Day 1 

Late season has always been one of my favorite times to bow hunt. Without question, the two aspects of bow hunting that appeal to me the most are the solitude of the sport and the challenge. Late season offers both of these in ample amounts. Once the snow begins to really fly and the temperatures drop, the hunters seem to literally vanish from the woods. In the north woods of Wisconsin, this provides all the solitude a hunter hope for. The area we were hunting consists of seemingly endless miles of wilderness. 

Along with this, the fact that these northern whitetail`s population is at a low point for the hunting season and these remaining deer have been kicked around an entire season adds to the challenge. Throw in the fact that the zone we are hunting allowed two extra firearms seasons for does this past year, that this had been the coldest December since the late 80s and received well above average snow depths and you have all the ingredients for a very challenging doe hunt. 

My brother Joe, Tim Sanders, one of our cameramen, and myself had all made trips up to Joe’s cabin previously to our 3 day hunt the last weekend in December. Our goals had been to scout and hang stands for our final trip of the season. During our scouting trips we keyed on finding young clear cuts that were located near thick, thermal cover. At this time of year, big woods whitetails key on browse and cover. The combination of the two is critical to the deer’s chances of surviving the brutal winter conditions that they must endure. Finding stand sites on the trails that connect the browse and cover is the key to success under these conditions. Therefore, that was precisely what we each did. 

Friday Afternoon’s hunt:

Tim’s stand was located in a funnel. To the east was a large swamp, to the west was very young and spares pine plantation. His stand sat in the 45 yard wide swat of mature pines that led from a very dense stand of pines (thermal cover) to a 3 year old clear cut (great browse). After a mainly uneventful sit and only a few minutes of legal shooting hours left, Tim watched a large bodied spike ventured through his shooting lane. He passed the shot opportunity. 

Joe, setup in a transition zone between heavy pines and browse, saw two fawns about a half hour before dark. They were extremely jumpy and cautious, something we observed consistently from every deer we saw during our trip.

My stand was located on the heaviest trail I found during my earlier scouting trip. It led from what had been a mature stand of poplar. An intense windstorm had leveled the area, leaving the 40 acre area overflowing with fresh tops and browse. I set my stand right on the edge of a grove of pines so thick that walking in them was nearly impossible. I zipped, not seeing a thing.

Tomorrow: What do you do on a winter’s day when deer aren’t moving? You stir things up a bit. 
 

One of the greatest challenges facing a late season bow hunter in the north is staying warm. Along with a warm hat, The Heater Body Suit (http://www.heaterbodysuit.com/) is the ultimate for beating the cold.  This year I have hunted and sub zero conditions and been every bit as comfortable as if I was sitting on my couch at home. The benefits to that are many and I do hope I never have to hunt late season again without one.

For those looking for every advantage in understanding whitetail deer, Steve Bartylla's column Becoming A Student Of Whitetail Deer is a must read.