It's that time of the deer season when the last day of the season is closer than the first. Whether you are a muzzleloader or bowhunter, whatever tags unfilled are going to have to be filled quickly before another season passes.

The author (left) and friend Pete Alfano pose with a nice buck taken with a muzzleloader. Photo by Ron Hustvedt Jr.

The rut can be unpredictable at times, but for the most part, it is over and the bucks are getting busy with their delayed winter preparations. Does are busy themselves grouping up with each other and getting into their winter family groups. It's the grand reunion after the hectic action of the fall mating season.

Another thing about this time of the year is that the woods are quiet for a wide variety of reasons. One of those reasons is there are fewer people in the woods. All those firearms-only hunters are long gone, sitting in their easy chairs instead of heading out to the woods each morning. Another reason is that the leaves are mostly gone from the trees and brush and any snow that has fallen has quieted the ground significantly.

Taken as a whole, it's a very different scenario than it was at the beginning of the season or even a few weeks ago. Deer hunters that have never taken advantage of post-firearms season hunting are definitely missing out. Luckily, there's every opportunity to still get out and try your hand at late-season whitetail hunting.

CALMER, QUIETER WOODS
Mark Cook is always busy during the open-water fishing and fall hunting season as the owner of Bluewater Bait and Sports in Bemidji. As luck would have it, things seem to settle down just in time for the muzzleloader season. It's after the busy rifle and waterfowling seasons and most anglers are waiting for the lakes to freeze over.

"Muzzleloader season is my preferred time of the year because I like to have the woods to myself and there is a total lack of hunting pressure meaning you have to go and find them rather than sit there waiting for them to come to you," Cook said.

His passion for muzzleloading is apparent in his bait shop that features an extensive supply of muzzleloading equipment. He has participated in the Minnesota muzzleloader season since it first began and still prefers to shoot traditional smoothbore muskets.

That's one of the unique features of the late-season hunt. While the firearms season has hunters selecting a shotgun or rifle depending on the part of the state they are hunting, the late season's archers and muzzleloaders are engaging in debates about what's better -- traditional or modern equipment.

For archers, the discussion centers on traditional longbows versus modern compound bows. For muzzleloaders, the argument is about traditional smoothbore muskets versus modern inline rifles. It is definitely not a season for the light-hearted with the colder weather, and great debates are what keep the mind busy while trying to stay warm during the hunt.

While the woods are quieter to the advantage of deer hunters, it's also much more of an advantage to deer, which already have better hearing than any of us. The sound from the branch you snapped in October was muffled by the leaves and would sound like a cymbal crash on a cold December morning.

With such potentially challenging conditions, where can a hunter go to find deer this time of the year?