Late Season Bowhunting is a hard time to hunt deer, but it can be very rewarding. Late season bowhunting can be very cold. Here are some tips to help you stay warm and be succesful.

Staying Warm is definitely important if you want to late season bowhunt. If you live in the north the temperature drops below zero often and can be bitter cold without the right clothing. I wear two layers of long underwear and a warm hunting pant on my legs. On the top I wear a long underwear shirt, a turtleneck, sweatshirt, insulated flannel, and a fleece hunting coat. This usually keeps me warm. If it gets really cold it works good to ducktape handwarmers on your shirt.

For your feet a warm pair of socks and boots are a must. Disposable foot warmers also work very good at keeping your feet warm. Another extra for your feet are bootblankets from Icebreaker. These zip over your boots and have thinsulate insulation. A handwarmer around your waist is good also. I have a big glove on my left hand that has a place to put your right hand in. This works very good because I usually have a fanny pack around my waist. It also keeps my hand warm when it is on my bow. A thick glove is a must because your hand will get very cold hanging on to your bow. A bowholder is a good idea if you hunt from a treestand. Your hands are free and warm, and your bow is right by you for the shot.

Finding deer in the winter can be hard. Some deer may leave the area because of gunhunters or because of food. Bucks can be vulnerable at this time though. Bucks will be where the does are. A good place to find deer is where there is still corn or some other kind of farmers crop up. Ask farmers if they know of anyplace where they still have crops up, or where no one gunhunted at. Also look for places like ravines where deer could get out of the wind. These are prime places where you are almost guaranteed to see deer. The does will be wherever there is food. The bucks will follow the does and try to find some does coming back into estrus. Does will come into second estrus if not bred succesfully in their first estrus about mid December.

There are not many tactics for late season. Doe scents can be very effective though on bucks. If you do any calling probably doe bleats are the best. Grunting aggresively can be effective but may scare off some bucks. Your best bet would be to call every ten to fifteen minutes. You should doe bleat or do a social grunt call. Still hunting is good in the late season if you can not stay warm. You must walk very quiet and slow. Snowshoes can be helpful if you walk in very deep snow. A good pair of binoculars are good for looking for deer or determining how big the deer is while still hunting.

Always make sure you are safe while bowhunting. If you climb up a stand always wear a safety belt. Be careful not to slip on snow or ice when climbing up to your treestand. Wear some blaze orange if there is a muzzleloading or deer gun season going on while you are bowhunting. . . . . . . . . Dinger

The Differences In Modern Bows

First let me talk about the modern Two-Cam Bow With Aggressive Cams. The definite advantage here is speed. These bows range from $250-$1500. The difference in price just depends on the quality of the materials used in the bow. Most two-cam bows with aggressive cams are made for speed. What you give up here could be accuracy. Two-cam bows that shoot over 240 feet per second may be hard to tune with broadheads. You may find your broadhead arrows fly all over the place. Another problem that can happen is that your cams may come out of tune. If your cams don't roll over at the same time you will lose speed and may have a wobbly arrow. Golden Eagle has helped with this. Instead of having yokes which may brake or come out of tune, Golden Eagle has Xact timing. With this you just take an Allen wrench on each cam and adjust the setting the same as the other cam. If your cams are in tune you will get the maximum speed from your bow and flat arrow trajectory. I have heard good things about this. Still, with an aggressive two-cam bow you get speed. If you buy a bow like this make sure you have plenty of time to work with it. Also buy a quality brand name and have someone at a store help you or someone that knows a lot about bows. The leaders in speed bows are Hoyt, Browning, Jennings, High Country, PSE, and XI.

One-Cam Bows are fairly new and are very popular. A one-cam bow has one big cam on the bottom limb and an idler wheel on the top. It is usually moderately priced. Price range is about $300-$1000 and maybe more. It is known to be quieter and more forgiving than a two-cam bow. With a one-cam bow you do not have to tune the cam or the wheel. The cam gives it the power and the wheel goes along with it, kind of like a bicycle. You do lose some speed but it is not too much. Most of the one-cam bows shoot 230 feet per second or a little more. This type of bow is good for someone who does not have a lot of time to spend working on their bows. It is a good bow also for a serious hunter or 3D shooter. The leaders in one-cam technology are Bear/Jennings, and Mathews.

Bows with Two Energy Wheels are the easiest bows to pick up and shoot. These are the slowest bows though. These bows have two small wheels. This is probably the best bow to start out with. Two energy wheel bows are pretty much problem free. They are very easy for the new bowhunter to shoot. These bows are the slowest though, but remember that shot placement is more important than speed. I highly recommend this bow for the beginning bowhunter. These bows are usually not too much money, which is another positive. Price range would be about $120-$300. There are some that are probably more, but most are in this range. Almost every bow company makes a bow like this. Looking at one of the brand names I have listed with the other kinds of bows would be good, and the XI Silverhawk, and the Hoyt Mystic are two good beginning two wheel bows.

Split Limbs are a new thing with bows since last year. Advantages are that they make the bow a little bit lighter and usually quiet the bow. A disadvantage is that they are more expensive. If you like the looks and you have the extra money buy them. Hoyt and High Country started the split limbs. Now Browning and Jennings also have them.

There are a lot of choices when choosing a bow. You are sure to find a bow which is for you. Feel free to email me if you have any questions at dinger@bowhunting.net. . . . . .Paul Thedinga