Wintry Whitetails

Keys to unlocking the secrets of late-season success in the deer woods.

Petersens Hunting Current Issue Dec. 25'/Jan. 26'

By Mark Kayser

When winter weather strikes, the warnings go out. Monitor conditions. Do not travel. Stay at home. School is canceled. These alerts and more stream across the bottom of TVs and beep notifications on your smartphone. Heed the warnings, but if the winter threat does not signify death or law breaking by venturing out, before, during and after, consider using the climatic happenings for your whitetail hunting benefit.

The advantages and disadvantages of a wintertime event occurring during your hunt are many. Disadvantages need little explanation. Icy roads, deep snow and whiteout conditions rob you of hunting days, especially when officials shut roadways and post “no travel” regulations. The advantages, on the other hand, could aid you in your tag-filling quest. As a native of the north country whitetail zone, winter hunts are common. Every few seasons a real whopper of a storm rolls in during the hunt but, with careful strategy, you can transition this wintery blunder into aiding your success in the field.

A hunt that took place several seasons back cemented my appreciation for the value of a sweeping snowstorm during hunting season. The notable value: diminished hunters due to the weather. A New York friend of mine begged for several years to join me on a South Dakota whitetail hunt on the Great Plains. As luck would have it, a rancher granted me permission to bring a friend and our hunt was set over Thanksgiving to give the New Yorker a few extra vacation hunting days. Some others also had permission to hunt the ranch, but I had hopes they might watch Thanksgiving weekend football over whitetail hunting, especially with an extended winter storm looming.

[Continue reading "Wintry Whitetails" in the Dec. 25'/Jan. 26' issue of Petersen's HUNTING]