Strictly Whitetails

Late season hunting in Michigan is often tough business. Recently a friend told me “putting down any antlers in Michigan is nearly impossible.” So why is it that I find the burning inner feeling to hunt like it was the rut? Is it the clock ticking away telling me there are only five days of the season left? Or it is a false sense of optimism? Or maybe it is just a get away from the crazy holiday schedule? Whatever, it doesn’t matter.

The late season has always been a miserable time for me to hunt. I finally realized that I don’t dislike the late season I dislike the cold. But with proper gear the cold become easier to tolerate. Two years ago I forgot my hunting jacket during an out of state hunt. And of course the mercury dropped to nearly zero with 25 mph winds blowing through me. Since then I have upgraded. No more cotton t-shirts and sweet shirts. I have been using Under Armour base layers and Arctic Shield Outer Gear. And the outer gear I had on was not the stuff rated for cold weather, it was the H4 series. This super thin gear kept me warm.

In tonight blistery 25 degree weather and snow blowing sideways I was toasty. The only part of me that was cold were my hands. And that’s my fault for not wearing proper gloves.

Tonight was a success. I spent some time reflecting on the past season. Thinking about the past rut, bucks that came and went. The weather was beautiful, snow falling while I sat over an amazing spot. But like many late season hunts nothing came out of the thicket. Not even the morsels of corn left in the field could entice the hungry bellies.

Only a few days left in the season. Get out one last time to kill the late season blues, it’s a long wait until next October.