How to Hunt With a Bow & Arrow in Snow

When hunting season begins, hunters think about good weather and bountiful animals to chase and hunt. As the seasons turn, winter brings about more of a challenge, as the cold creeps in and snow blankets the terrain. With white cover everywhere around, bowhunting can prove to be more of a challenge, both physically and environmentally. Following a few key steps can keep you and your bow out of the cold and in the hunt.

Instructions

    • 1

      Find your hunting area's winter food supply. Whether it be acorns, corn or winter wheat, where the food is, the animals will be. Curt Wells, a contributor to Bowhunter Magazine and Bowsite, an online bowhunting resource, suggests asking landowners where the deer are in winter. "They will know and may even give permission to a late season bowhunter, especially if they have already tagged their own venison," Wells advises. "Cruise roads looking for major deer crossings, hike back into the bush and take a map and GPS receiver. When you find some feeding activity, set a waypoint and/or mark your map."

    • 2

      Find your prey's travel routes. Animals, according to Wells, travel farther from bedding to feeding areas in the winter than they do at any other time, perhaps to keep as far away from human beings as possible.

    • 3

      Set up your ambush point back toward your prey's bedding area. Wells suggests "looking for a place where the well-traveled trail ... widens out and scatters for a bit, probably in some heavier cover, then narrows down and continues to the main feeding area. Don't get too close to the bedding area because it's difficult to be quiet in the winter, and deer are extraordinarily spooky."

    • 4

      Place your stand farther from the trail and higher than you would during the peak of bowhunting season, using the quietest and most comfortable stand you have.

    • 5

      Wear as much white clothing as you have for hunting, making certain it's warm enough for hours outdoors. If you wear gloves, make certain they provide enough dexterity to aim and shoot your bow and arrow without any interference from fingertips or loose fabric.