I hiked, sweating, a mile and climbed into a ground blind at 2:00 p.m on a warm, windy December Afternoon. Around 4:00 the wind laid and my tent blind stopped flapping. Two does came out and started to feed. Over the next hour, 6 more does and a 4-pointer joined them.

With 20 minutes of legal shooting light left, I glassed deep into the tree shadows behind the does and spotted tall tines. When you spot a shooter, no need to look longer, you just know. The giant ambled in like he owned the joint and checked a doe on his left, then pushed a couple does to his right. The second he stopped broadside, I killed him with one bullet.

No matter where you hunt, days or even weeks of unseasonably warm to hot weather are here to stay, not only in the pre-rut but also sometimes in December. Stop your complaining about it and go hunting. Some giant whitetails are killed on warm, windy days by hunters who stay positive and grind it out. I shot that 165-inch brute (in the picture) on one of the worst weather days of the 2022 rifle season in southeast Kansas.

Spot a Big Buck Early

“I glassed deep into the shadows behind the does and spotted tall tines…”

Eighty percent of the time a shooter buck will pop out into a field from the same general direction the does entered 20 minutes or so earlier. Cast a wide view all around with your binoculars, but concentrate on the spot where most does show up early because that is where a big buck will likely pop out.

Glass hard behind and around the does and small bucks, and scour the brush and shadows for the flash of large antlers. Try to spot a big deer early, before he pops up and surprises you. That way you can shift your body and bow or gun into position while he’s out there a good way. Then you can watch the buck as he comes in, calm your nerves and get ready. Take the first good, clear shot a giant gives you. If you’re tentative and tarry, a big buck is apt to get away.