Photo by Mark Werner

Once upon a time, late-season deer hunting in Illinois was considered a sport designed for diehards and fanatics. That time is long past. Today's healthy and abundant whitetail populations, combined with expanded seasons and liberal weapons options, leave little reason for an empty freezer in the Prairie State.

Tom Micetich, deer project manager for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, appropriately set the tone for our discussion about chasing venison in winter.

"Late-season opportunities abound throughout the state," he said. "Reduced hunting pressure and the concentration of deer around limited available food sources make late-season hunting quite enjoyable. Of course, the weather will play a key role in your pleasure afield, so dress accordingly."

Thermal underwear isn't the only consideration. A fundamental lesson taught first-year business majors is that there are three keys to success. That lesson easily equates to enjoying a successful late-season hunt. So what are those three important keys? Location, location and location!

"Late-winter deer tend to be bunched, so hunters will endure 'all or none' situations," explained Micetich. "You may not see any deer or you might see dozens. I guess that's why they call it hunting!"

This question of seeing deer is a primary reason why hunters don't hunt during late winter. This is a critical issue primarily because of a long-standing fallacy about late-season deer. Somewhere down the line, hunters came up with the notion that whitetails pack their bags and leave the country for parts unknown right after the first shotgun blasts of fall fill the air. Well, I'm here to tell you, Odocoileus virginianus is not wintering in the tropics!

The Good Witch told Dorothy to always remember, "There's no place like home," and deer believe in that same philosophy. Micetich was right when he explained you "may not" see any deer. There are few guarantees in hunting and there is always the possibility of going home empty-handed.

But one guarantee does exist in the world of the hunting -- if you don't get off the couch, you won't be filling any tags.

Bowhunting statistics bear out the fact that when you go, specifically, isn't nearly so important as you might think. What is important is that you just get into the field.

There are distinct disadvantages that accompany a hunt with stick and string, especially after shotgun-toting hunters have educated deer about man's ominous presence. Nonetheless, archers still manage to kill deer on every single day of the late season. In addition to that fact, there is a pattern in their success.

During the last two years, data indicates a deer was killed on every day during the late-season archery period. Also apparent is a common rise and fall in the number of animals taken when comparing the last two seasons. These similarities are obvious even when examining each season over the last 10 years.

The similarities in harvest results are no accident. Peak performance occurs on weekends, during the Christmas and New Year's holidays, and just before the final buzzer. This is significant because it illustrates quite clearly that more deer are killed when more hunters get into the field.

Most folks take the time to hunt only when the demands of work allow, and that generally translates to weekends. Additionally, family gatherings, traditional outings and those couple extra days away from the office during the holidays are usually a hunting advantage and, of course, we always seem to be able to make a little extra time as the clock runs out on an empty tag.