HOW TO TIPS
Some hunters still -- and surprisingly, at least to me -- don't consider the taking of a doe a major accomplishment. But as for me, I consider a mature doe a very difficult quarry to outwit in December.

"I think that harvesting an adult doe with a muzzleloader is a tremendous challenge and one that any hunter should be proud of accomplishing," biologist Ryan said.

If you're interested in going after a mature doe, or a buck for that matter, this season, here are some tips.

One of the reasons many West Virginians look forward to hunting the muzzleloader season is the opportunity to track deer to their beds or feeding areas. There is something very elemental and invigorating in one's sporting soul to trail a deer for long distances across the white stuff. One of the most thrilling hunts I have had was the one mentioned at the beginning of this story where I inched along for hundreds of yards after a whitetail.

Without doubt, a major frustration concerning tracking is determining how fresh a track is. Tracks made in fairly hard, crusty snow often are impossibly hard to decipher as to their age. An aid in aging is for hunters to look for droppings along the course of a trail. Although moisture can be absorbed by deer droppings and thus belie their freshness, hunters can still gain insight into the age of tracks if droppings nearby appear to be fresh. And even if the droppings are old, the presence of various droppings can very well indicate that the deer have been using the area for a considerable period of time. Then a hunter might be better off taking a stand in the area instead of following trails.

I had hunted the muzzleloader season for too many years before I realized the importance of dressing warmly. Two areas of concern especially stand out -- feet and head. Several years ago, I bought two pairs of boots, one with 1,200 grams of Thinsulate, the other with 800. I once asked a boot company executive whether there was a guideline in his company's literature when hunters should don boots with 800, 1,200 or an even higher number of grams of Thinsulate. The executive told me that no such formula existed and if it did, it would be worthless.

His reasoning was that individuals vary so much in their ability to withstand cold, that no arbitrary number of Thinsulate grams could be listed as the correct one for a particular temperature. Some hunters may want to do like I did and buy several pairs of winter boots.

Another aspect concerning keeping our feet warm is to wear heavy socks. Some hunters prefer wool models, and I have come to particularly prefer some merino wool socks that I obtained several years ago. During the wintertime, always avoid cotton socks because they do not wick away moisture.

A hunter whose head is warm will be much more likely to stay afield longer and, at the same time, watch for deer much more attentively. I have two hats that I use for December muzzleloader hunting. One of them is a blaze orange model that has a Gore Tex shell and a water-resistant outer layer. The other is a thick wool hat that features long earflaps that tuck under my chin. The latter is the one I prefer when air temperatures drop under 20 degrees and when I am likely to spend hours sitting still.

The December muzzleloading season is quite possibly the most challenging time all year to kill a West Virginia whitetail. But that challenge is also why this season is certainly one of the most invigorating times all year to be afield.