How you change your practices to hunt deer in the snow, has a major influence on if you will find success during the late season or not. Crusting snow, ice and frozen food sources all determine the amount of energy that deer need to expend and where they move, when the snow begins to pile up.
Tips For Hunting Deer In The Snow
Since a teenager in the mid 80s, I have experienced decades of cherished annual memories of hunting deer in the snow. The extreme cold, the bitter winds, the expanded deer herds and the amount of sign to be discovered in the snow, has created some magical times. However, hunting in the snow requires a somewhat different set of deer hunting tactics, if your goal is to consistently find success. Here are my top 5 tips for hunting deer in the snow:
1. Avoiding Frozen Whitetail Food Sources
If it's crusty, hard and frozen, the cost of energy burned to reach the food source, may be too much to spend.
2. Daytime Deer Browse Is Critical
Briars, hardwood regen, shrub tips and diverse upland mixtures are all great sources of important Winter whitetail food sources.
3. Wet Snow Equals Great Deer Hunting
Wet snow equals soft food, great movement conditions and less energy spent to stay warm.
4. Morning Whitetail Warm-up Opportunities
Morning lows of 35 degrees or higher that follow single digits, teens and twenties, can also include a huge boost in morning deer movements!
5. Evening Deer Energy Build-ups
When the conditions are cold, high volume food sources are available thru the snow and deer are putting the feed bag on, it's time to sit over your favorite food source and enjoy the latest snow event!
