Dec 23, 2023 5 min read

I love winter. I love snow. I love hunting, fishing, scouting, skiing, woods walking, picking Christmas trees, birding, all in the cold. It makes me feel alive.

Let me be emphatic: I do not like coaching baseball in the cold.

I hear lots of folks complaining the minute the thermometer dips below 60 degrees and they begin ridiculous conversations with statements like “I’m moving to Florida.” Hey, I’ve got nothing against Florida. It has some of the best gun laws in the nation. I just love my four seasons, and right after fall I’d claim winter as my second favorite season.

I spent three winters in the high country of Colorado as a ski bum and they were some of the best times I can recall outdoors. Dressed properly for the cold, I can’t think of a better way to spend time with my kid than being in the great outdoors, possibly followed by a good meal in front of a fireplace.

So what is there to like about the cold weather that we experience from December until some time in April? For one thing, pheasant season. To start the winter off, hunting pheasants in the cold is more enjoyable to me. The number of birds we have seen and harvested has been low this year. My dog has reached the point that she can no longer hunt birds like she used to. While we haven’t exactly had a banner year in the pheasant department, I like hunting pheasants better when you’re not sweating profusely. A little snow falling in the air makes it that much better. Cold weather makes me want to keep moving. I especially like the crunch of the snow under foot.

If you can find a nice little piece of water that is not frozen over, duck hunting is about as much fun as you can have in winter. Duck hunting is like controlled loafing but with just enough work in the setup and tear down that it is not for the completely lazy fellow. I have taken loafing to new heights by locating some areas where I can toss my stringer of four or five decoys onto the water and drink coffee for a couple of hours without interruption. The occasionally pesky duck will invade my spread every once in a while and I feel obliged to pull the trigger now and again. This has nothing to do with my lousy calling, by the way. Duck hunting is a rather peaceful way in which to enjoy a sunrise and a thermos of coffee. I can’t say I know a great deal about ducks but I always have a swell time on the water.

Squirrel hunting is another of those pursuits that I really enjoy but don’t do often enough. I most enjoy squirrel hunting with a .22 rifle, stalking about the woods, practicing my deer hunting techniques on the squirrel population. A good squirrel pie is always an incentive for a morning’s hunt. I’m not sure what happens to the myriad of squirrels that populate the woods when I am not interested in them. As I sit on my deer stand I am all but trampled by rogue squirrels. On the first morning I decide to pursue squirrels, none will be about the forest floor. The beauty of squirrel hunting, especially in the cold, is the fact that you can quit any time you want and still not feel like you’re missing out because the season is so long. Nothing feels quite so woodsman-like as hefting a limit of squirrels over your shoulder and walking home to prepare the evening’s supper.

Muzzleloader season may be the most social of all the hunting pursuits. I enjoy getting together with the gang and pushing deer for one another. There is no urgency to kill deer as there is during the rifle season. It is more of a social event than a hunt. Going forth the morning of the hunt, no one really expects to take a deer nor is totally disappointed when returning empty-handed. Shot opportunities are fewer with a smoke pole, reliability of ignition is always a factor and deer tend to offer more moving shots than standing still, broadside. Any way you slice it, it’s still a lot of fun. Taking a walk with your gun isn’t the worst way to spend a morning. And if you still need to add some meat to the freezer, you can always sit the traditional stand.

Even if you don’t feel like hunting this late season, it’s still a great time to scout for next year. I am always amazed at how open the woods are in the middle of winter. One can see travel routes, escape paths, sanctuaries and late-season food sources more readily when the leaves are down and a light skiff of snow covers the ground.

So grab a bunch of hand warmers, don an extra layer or two and get out there in it before the cold weather escapes us. Before you know it July will be upon us and the backs of your knees will be sweating.

Dave Bates writes a weekly outdoors column for the Observer-Reporter. He can be reached at alphaomegashootingsolutions@gmail.com