Staying warm when it's cold is a key component of comfortable late season or winter hunting. First look at the weather conditions and then at what you will be doing. Of course the temperature reading is fundamental. Obviously, really cold weather requires really warm clothes. However, if it's windy or damp, even a relatively high ambient temperature can still feel plenty cold. In such situations, garments that are wind- and waterproof are just as important, and maybe more important, as pure insulation. Also consider your activity. Will you be actively walking or sitting still? The more you move, the more body heat you will generate on your own and the less insulation you will need. Sitting still for long periods in the wind and the cold demands really warm clothes. The best bet is to layer your undergarments. That way you can put on or take off layers to match both the current conditions and your immediate activity level.

After the rut, putting up with heavy hunting pressure and heading into the depth of winter, a buck has only one thing on his mind -- survival. At this time, buck survival consists of two things: surviving the last few days of hunting season and finding enough food to replenish his rut-drained energy reserves so he can make it through the winter.

For late-season success look to tough terrain and dense cover. If there is good food adjacent to such a hideaway, you may be on to something. Particularly in cold climates, the need for calories will prompt buck movement. However, don't expect a "survivor" buck to get careless. Look for foodstuffs in small, well-protected patches. A late-season survivor buck seldom walks out into a big field to graze.

When you find a promising late-season location, hunt hard, long and cautiously. Whatever you did in the early part of the season, you have to do a lot better now because your quarry is a lot smarter.

Wintertime outdoorsmen often encounter sheet ice over bodies of water. It is tempting to walk on the ice rather that through snow and brush. It is particularly tempting when a detour across a frozen pond is a shortcut back to camp.

This is very dangerous. It takes a long period of subfreezing temperatures to build ice that will support a grown human's weight. In the north, where ice-fishing is popular, this is well understood and everyone is appropriately cautious. However, in warmer locales, a sudden sharp freeze can tempt the unwary onto the ice.

Just because the ice near the shore seems solid, it doesn't mean the ice farther out is equally strong. Falling through the ice, particularly some distance from shore, is very dangerous. It's almost impossible to climb back out and help has a hard time getting to you.

If you don't live in true ice country and understand when and where it is safe, stay off the ice.

Want to see lots of deer sign? Deer sign that is plain as day? Take a walk in the winter woods. When the leaves are down and the cover is at its barest, deer sign stands out as if it is lighted in neon. Trails, last fall's rubs and even a few scrapes are very evident.

You also see the "big picture." You get a larger view of your hunting area and how all the now readily visible sign relates to the terrain. If you've never seen your hunting area at maximum visibility with all the foliage gone, you will probably be surprised at how real distances differ from what you had perceived.

Look for sheds, explore buck sanctuary areas, learn the entire trail pattern, including a big buck's "escape hatches" from heavy cover. Even if the resident dominant buck was taken during the season, "prime real estate" won't go unoccupied for long. Post-season scouting can be the most informative look you get at your deer-hunting area.

Picking an all-around shotgun, one gun that does it all, is much easier these days. Interchangeable, screw-in choke tubes have tremendously increased shotgun versatility. Today's shotgunner can have it all, or at least most of it, in one gun. With a pouch of standard choke tubes, including improved-cylinder, modified and full, the wingshooter can cover all the bases at all reasonable ranges. Add an extra-full "turkey" choke and you're ready for the big birds. There are even rifled choke tube extensions that will turn a standard smoothbore into a passable slug gun. The 12 gauge does it all very well while a 20 gives up a bit of range and performance for turkey and slug-shooting at deer. Most modern guns, 12 and 20, come with a three-inch chamber and some 12s feature the long 3 1/2-inch chamber for the 12-gauge "super" magnum. A pump gun is likely the lighter and cheaper option. An autoloader adds some weight and expense but it takes the edge off recoil.