As I sit in my living room typing this hunting article, I am enjoying the warmth from my woodstove, and know full well it is currently in the teens outside. Last I looked it was 18 degrees. It is definitely cold enough to quickly freeze your extremities if you are not properly clothed. These low temperatures will not make deer hunting very comfortable if you are not well prepared. Even though it is cold outside, deer still have to eat and will venture out to get some chow. I mention this for deer season is still open till the end of January for Crossbow. I had contemplated possibly going crossbow hunting this Saturday evening, but the cold was not too encouraging. Plus I had rather stay home for now and tend to my sick 5 year old son, who looks to be making a quick recovery.

Now I do plan to do some late season crossbow hunting and I think you should too for I don’t think many hunters will be out working the woods. Fewer hunters in the woods will make the deer less spooked and allow a better chance of bagging one last deer.

Since sitting in a tree stand in these cold temperatures is not very comfortable, when you sit still for a long time your body temperature will start to fall. So in addition to not being comfortable, you may get overexposure which is something you should like to avoid. So what do you do in these last days of crossbow and not freeze your butt in the process? I recommend hunting what I call "Daniel Boone" style. It can be productive and keep you warm.

What I call "Daniel Boone" style is basically a very slow stalk through the woods. It reminds me of the time I was a kid watching Fess Parker in the Daniel Boone series as he would sneak up on game with a well concealed stalk. Of course Fess Parker always got his deer, but I had to develop a method that would allow me to get mine. What I developed is a trek into the thick laurel and I aim for a large tree for cover as I slowly stalk through the woods. Now if you have never stalked before and don’t know how fast you move, here is an example. Say you have your arm next to your side and have an itchy nose and need to scratch it. Well, once you start to move your arm to get that nose scratched, the total time should be no less than a minute. Plus while you are doing this slow movement, your eyes are constantly scanning the area for movement and your ears are listening for anything. If anything is detected, you must immediately cease movement and zero in on the game before they detect you. You also need to know where your feet will be placed that will make the minimum noise. One break of a twig will scare off your deer.

I usually stalk up to the tree I selected for cover, and wait a few minutes. If nothing is detected, I pick my next tree I will use for cover and re-start my slow stalk once again. This slow movement will stress your muscles and keep you warm. I have used this method and was able to get a shot at an 8 point buck.

So try some "Daniel Boone" style hunting. You have a good chance to bag that deer and will keep warm in the process. Get that deer and be safe.