Let it snow

I watched from my ground blind as a freak late-October snow squall piled up three inches of soft snow in an hour. I didn’t know what this would mean to my hunt, but I wasn’t cold, so I decided to stay out. A ghost-like shape passed by me at 30 yards. In the whiteout conditions, I couldn’t tell if it had antlers or not, but I could see it looking back, so I assumed it was a pre-estrus doe trailed by a buck. In five minutes, another deer appeared with its nose to the ground in her tracks. Bingo! But, I still couldn’t see antlers and didn’t have an antlerless tag. They were headed for a brushy thicket of conifers, so I gave them a 15-minute head start, then began a slow stalk. The snow muffled my steps and let me get within 30 yards of the pair standing in a little opening. I could see antlers and got my bow up on the buck. What next? My sight pins were covered in sticky snow. I lowered my bow to brush them off. The doe spotted that movement, blew a warning, and trotted off with the buck in tow. This, my first experience of deer hunt­ing in snow many years ago, showed me that snow presented both advantages and pitfalls. Overall, snow offers more benefits to the hunter than the hunted. For example, deer are more visible against a white background, and move more when there is snow on the ground. Plus, tracks reveal movement, blood tracking is easier, as is dragging a deer, and there is less risk of meat spoiling. So, when I wake up to a win­ter wonderland during deer season, some of the childhood first-snow magic comes back to me. Don’t forget the cons Don’t ignore the hazards of hunting in snow and cold. If you bowhunt, make sure warm, bulky clothes don’t interfere with your draw. Devise a system of moisture-wicking layers and strategically placed chemical heaters under your camo to keep warm. Practice shooting while wearing the clothes you will hunt in. Be sure you can feel your release through your gloves. Make sure your face mask or hat doesn’t interfere with your anchor point. While in the stand with snow falling, draw the bow once an hour after carefully scanning for deer. This will keep your muscles from seizing in the cold and