The author took this big East Tennessee trophy buck in December of last year's hunting season. Photo courtesy of Travis Faulkner

A little more than a month ago, just about every back road in the country was covered with muddy trucks and 4-wheelers during the November gun season. Bright orange vests dotted the steep mountainsides like ornaments on a heavily decorated Christmas tree. Deer hunters everywhere were fired up and overly anxious to place their cross hairs on a heavy-tined buck that would surely be the envy of all their friends. It's funny how during the early segments of deer season it can be a difficult task to even find a good place to hang a tree stand without bumping into another hunter.

But by the time December rolls around, the eagerness and excitement associated with deer hunting typically hits rock bottom. Bone-chilling temperatures along with a combination of snow and icy roads have a unique way of keeping many hunters at home during the remaining weeks of the season. Let's face it, intense scouting and logging countless hours in the field long before opening day can easily generate late-season burnout even for die-hard deer hunters.

However, opting to stay out of the deer woods during December and January can be an enormous mistake and potentially cost you a filled tag. In fact, over the past few years, hunting the mountain country of East Tennessee during the late season has enabled me to dramatically expand my trophy room.

Without question, choosing to stay in the woods during the cold winter months has significantly improved my relationship with my taxidermist. On the other hand, my wife sometimes feels that hunting all season long has had the opposite effect on our relationship!

Hunting during the late season can be very demanding and poses several different challenges for deer hunters. In order to be successful during this stage of the game, you must have the right mindset long before you leave home. This involves accepting the fact that you may face grueling cold temperatures and long hours in the stand without seeing a great deal of deer activity on some outings. There have been days when the highlight of my hunt was simply watching a hungry gray squirrel bounce around my tree stand searching for hickory nuts beneath a thick blanket of winter frost and leaves.

In situations like these, a hunter must keep in mind that it only takes one hunt to drop a monster buck. Remember, your odds of filling your tag drastically improve by simply being in the stand and staying in the woods. You will never shoot a trophy-class buck while lying on the couch eating potato chips and watching the Outdoor Channel. Without question, you can see some monster bucks when you view hunting shows, but unfortunately, you will not be the one squeezing the trigger.

Now's the time to climb out of that easy chair and begin mentally preparing yourself for late-season hunting. Don't allow plummeting temperatures, adverse winter weather, fatigue or burnout knock you out of a golden hunting opportunity. Having the right frame of mind and following a proven game plan will allow you to fill that remaining deer tag during the last part of East Tennessee's deer season. Let's get started!

EAST TENNESSEE'S HOTSPOTS
One of the most important aspects of deer hunting is simply concentrating your efforts in areas that traditionally yield high numbers of deer. The first step in having a good game plan is realizing that where you hunt can be as important as how you hunt. Let's turn to Daryl Ratajczak, the big game program coordinator for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) for some inside information relating to where the hotspots will be this December.

"The top five counties in East Tennessee for deer harvest are Hawkins, which recorded a total harvest of 2,356, and Claiborne checked in 1,668. Scott added 1,266; Johnson chipped in with 1,205 and Morgan rounded out the list with 1,179. Hawkins and Claiborne counties account for a considerable amount of the East Tennessee deer harvest because of their location in the ridge and valley physiographic area of Tennessee. In other words, this area encompasses a lot of farmland in the valleys," Ratajczak explained.