I love December bow hunting

Be deliberate. This buck is quartering away. Take your time & shoot straight.

There was a time when the firearm deer season was terribly important to me, and although that still holds true to some degree, it turns out that I spend more time hunting with a bow during the Nov. 15-30 season that I do with a firearm.

The same holds true for the upcoming muzzle-loader season. I'll hunt a day or two with the frontloader, clean it out in good shape, and pick up the bow again. There's no two ways about it: I'd rather hunt with a bow than a firearm, and that is that.

What attracts me to this bow hunting gig? Many things, including:

December bpw hunting can be cold and snowy but often produces larger bucks.

I like my deer up close and personal. Preferably inside of 20 yards, and 15 yards is absolutely ideal. There is no room for mistakes when deer get that close, and it becomes much tougher shooting a deer with a bow once snow covers the ground.

I find it fascinating to watch deer at close range. Even I can see their long eye lashes and facial hair. Reading a deer's body language, and knowing what they are going to do, really lights my fire.

Once the weather turns cold, and snow begins to fall, deer hunting takes on a completely different aspect for me. The deer seem more concentrated, and there is the opportunity to obtain close-up looks at deer that may not be possible during other seasons.

Bow hunting means an accurately tuned bow, and experience drawing a bow with more clothing on. I normally reduce by draw weight by five pounds, and much prefer not having to struggle to come to full draw.

Cold weather stiffens muscles, and the added burden of too many clothes makes it all that more difficult to draw and shoot accurately without putting extra effort into pulling the bow. That extra effort is what often is noticed by deer.

I like the snow for trailing a wounded deer. I always use a Game Tracker string tracking device, but the snow always helps locate blood along a deer trail. The two -- snow and Game Tracker -- are an unbeatable combination for late-season bow hunters.

Using a Game Tracker, even on snow, increases the chances of recovering a deer.

There is no getting around it. Snow enables hunters to quickly spot an incoming animal. The foliage of October is gone, and when deer move, they are quickly seen. Spotting deer early in their approach allows hunters to get ready well in advance of a shot.

It goes without saying that pinpoint accuracy is required. Even though snow does help when blood trailing, there is no reason to take anything less than a perfect shot. High-percentage broadside or quartering-away shots are still required, and remember to pick the best shot and accept nothing less.

Winter bow hunting means being motionless and quiet. Watch the deer, and move only when the animal is preoccupied with something else. Demand nothing but the highest degree of skill from yourself, and always strive for a clean killing shot.

You know, I haven't shot a deer yet this year. It doesn't bother me because my idea of taking a deer means taking something that pleases me. I have no need to shoot a small buck, and would rather shoot a doe fawn than a small antlered buck.

I've passed up a few bucks, but not many, this year that were within my preferred range of 15 yards. There were a couple of basket-rack 8-points, and one nine-point, and some smaller bucks. None suited me for a variety of personal reasons, and I didn't shoot.

Watching deer up close is part of why I love the December bow season.

This sort of thing has happened before, and the season may pass without me taking a shot. I don't find that troubling at all. I hunt to satisfy myself, and a kill isn't what satisfies me. I hunt to be out there in fair and foul weather, and if or when the right opportunity presents itself with a desirable buck, I'll shoot.

Until then, I keep hunting. You see, there is no pressure on me to shoot a deer. There have been a large number of deer taken over 55+ years, and one more isn't important unless it satisfies an inner need that even I can't describe but I'll know it when I see it.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors