Brock Windoft found that the surprise snowfall last week provided a good contrast for the last day of the NYS deer hunting season. Photo by Ryan McChesney

Each year, when the final gong sounds for the end of the NYS Big Game Hunting Season, hunters everywhere feel they have missed the boat or have somehow missed their chance for a great 2023 deer hunt.

That was not the case for Brock Windoft last Tuesday, the final day of the 9-day NYS Late Archery/Muzzleloader Big Game Hunting Season.

Hunting with his buddy, Ryan McChesney, the duo started a simple, slow walk-stop-look hunting pace, beginning on opposite ends of the property.

Following the 10-12 inch snowfall dump from the night before, they still-hunted toward each other with a planned central meeting point. Windoft says, “We just took one or two steps at a time. We took our time stopping, scanning, and looking for a deer. You know, at this time of year, if you see the deer before they see you and the wind is right, it is pretty much game over.” Hunter advantage. “We worked from both ends with the hope that if he or I scared a deer, hopefully, it would end up trotting by one of us.”

Windoft continued, “Ryan said he had a few opportunities but never had a great shot. I ended up just seeing this one doe bedded against some raspberry/pricker bushes on the edge of a hemlock clearing. I went slow and methodical, creeping between the trees, keeping the trees and bushes between her and me, moving when the wind was blowing or during other natural forest noises. I was able to get about 45-50 yards from her, and that was that. I took the shot. It was a great “last day” of the season!”

Windoft hunts with a Savage ML-10 muzzleloader, one of the few muzzleloaders that shoot pelletized rifle powder instead of black powder. There is no smoke plume, so typical of most muzzleloaders. Windoft said, “My ML10 uses 44 grains of pelletized rifle powder behind a 250-grain, .45 caliber, ballistic-tipped Hornady sabot. The sabot takes up the .050 inches of the 50 caliber barrel.” Windofts adds, “This bullet and grain combo in this special firearm is very reliable, and with no plume of smoke when you shoot, I never lost sight of the result of my shot.”

Lamenting about his roots and grandfather, Windoft added, “My grandfather killed many deer in leather boots and wool. Today, we have the best technology and materials. So I try to remember every time I set afield, if my grandpa did it back then, there is no excuse why I can’t make it happen now! We never got to hunt together much; his knees and hips were failing when I hit my teens and really got into it. But I’ll never forget our walks when I was little. We never walked far or fast but always saw a deer or two. I learned woodsmanship and patience from him. Today, I wear Duluth Trading Company thermal long underwear, some expensive Wig-Wam socks with my Muck boots, and Field and Stream “brush beater” pants – that’s what I call them. They’re like a rip-proof upland bird hunting pants. My jacket is a nice North Face quarter-zip, light jacket, and over the top, an orange vest, of course. And, too, maybe one glove on my right hand. Nothing on the left, usually in my pocket because that’s my shooting hand.”

When all of these sorts of details for success are shared, there is nothing more to say except, “Thank you, kind sir.” The slow, meandering walk-hunt style appeals to all hunters – it’s not hard work. It may be especially favored by hunters getting up in age, too. In this case, with skittish, end-of-the-season deer mostly hiding after the usual deer hunting season, it is one of the only methods to hunt and be successful, short of conducting an organized drive.

Santa says it must be Christmas because if you are a hunter with archery gear, a crossbow, or a muzzleloader, NYS provides one more extended test program hunting season. The NYS Holiday Deer Season will run from Tuesday, Dec. 26 (2023), through Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. Hunting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise through 30 minutes after sunset for each hunting day. If you see a snowmobile, please wave a friendly gesture. Remember, if you plan to use a crossbow, you need a muzzleloader license and a crossbow certificate signature from the game syllabus.

Merry Christmas!