To make matters worse, I slipped on a patch of ice and slammed my rifle into the hard, frozen ground the day before I was supposed to meet Leon for our Saturday hunt. I was very concerned about my scope, but Leon had an extra rifle. He loaned me a Remington Model 700 .270, and off we went.

When we arrived at the property a number of club members were camping for the weekend. Due to the bitter cold, not a single one of them hunted that morning. Leon and I had the whole place to ourselves. Naturally, I went to the spot where I'd seen the big rubs near the creek. Leon directed me to a crude wooden platform about twelve feet off the ground, and up I climbed.

It was cold. The weather in Georgia is typically extremely humid, and when the mercury hits 12 degrees, it feels like -20. It was a wet cold that penetrated your bones. However, I didn't have to sit on that cold stand for long. Shortly after daylight, a beautiful, mature 8-point buck came out of a nearby thicket, crossed a swampy area and loped right by my stand. It was an easy shot and he didn't go far.

When I reached my buck he had a solid coat of ice clinging to his chest and underside as he had just crossed a section of swamp. He was probably 41⁄2-years-old and netted 131 B&C points. For that area, he was indeed a trophy. In fact, after we got him field-dressed, loaded in the truck and back to camp around 9:30 a.m., the other club members were just beginning to stir. They were furious that an invited guest had killed "their" buck. Apparently, the buck had been seen several times earlier in the season.

In late season, the nastier the weather, the greater your chances of seeing a mature buck. You've got to dress warm, and you should plan to hunt all day. Many hunters prefer to hunt directly over late-season food sources (food plots) this time of year. I prefer to set up in the woods near primary trails close to known bedding areas or sanctuaries. For one thing, if you set up on the edge of a food plot, you're going to see a lot of does and family groups, so the chances of getting busted are very good.

Although you could see a good buck at any time of day, in most cases older bucks don't begin to move from their daytime bedding areas until just before dark. Oftentimes, they'll stay in the edge of the woods until it's too dark to hunt, so by setting up on a trail inside the woods, your chances of seeing a shooter buck are much better.

The key is to get to your stand without being detected. This strategy works much better for late-afternoon hunting, so if you can get to your stand undetected several hours before dark, get ready for some unforgettable action.