Deer Hunting on Snow

Strike out, taking your easy walking gait, until you hit a fresh track. Walk right along on it until it begins to zig-zag, then you must stop, look and listen. Mr. Deer is looking for a place to lie down. Now start hunting in earnest. Walk slowly and always be in a position to shoot. See that there is no snow in your sights or in your gun barrel.

The white spot on this deer indicates the best place for your first shot.

If you get a standing shot, take a very careful aim at the fore shoulder if possible.

Should you suddenly come on to running tracks you can walk as fast as you like until deer starts walking again. Then slow down and watch for zig-zag tracks. Always keep a sharp lookout on both sides of tracks as occasionally other deer come in from the side.

If a deer starts browsing note the direction of the wind. If the wind is not in your face, start circling so as to bring it in your face. Because you are wasting your time by following a deer that can scent you before you see him. 

Knowing your wind direction is still the best advice for dealing with scent. We can do whatever we can to de-scent ourselves (special clothing, breath sprays, etc.), but the most important thing is facing the wind, whether you are tracking deer or hunting from a tree stand. Set up multiple tree stands, so you have options depending on which way the wind is blowing.

For successful hunting the snow should be soft, dry and fluffy. If the snow is crunchy under your feet or is frozen and crusted, it is worse than no snow at all for good deer hunting.

It takes a little practice to determine the difference between fresh tracks and old tracks, but if snow falls during the night and you are out early in the morning it is fairly certain that you will strike fresh track if there are deer in the vicinity. 

I’d like to be able to track deer on bare snow, but I don’t have the time. Today the majority of successful hunters use tree stands. Place tree stands close to where the deer are eating, bedding, or rutting. I try to find where their trails converge because I double my chances