William Debnam was only in his second year of bowhunting when he killed his No. 1 target buck in Ouachita Parish. He was 10 years old, pulling a Diamond Edge 320 set at 41 pounds, and sitting on the kind of post-storm food pattern every bowhunter hopes to find.

The shot came at 10 yards. William put it in the lungs, and the buck only made it about 50 yards before going down. After a big ice storm, the cold had deer moving predictably to food, and he was ready when his target finally came close.

Cold fronts make food feel smaller

After ice, hard rain, or a sharp temperature drop, deer do not waste as much movement. They want the food source that costs the least energy and feels safe enough to reach before dark. That is when bowhunters need to think tighter, slower, and closer.

𐂂 Hunt the food source deer can reach with the least exposure.

𐂂 Set up where the trail pinches down, not where the whole field opens up.

𐂂 For a bow shot, 10 yards is not luck. It is the reward for choosing the right corner before the deer arrive.

Dale's note: A 10-yard shot still needs a clean follow-up. A lighted nock helps young bowhunters see arrow flight and recover the arrow when light is fading.

Dale's note: First bow bucks are made before season. A backyard target that handles broadheads and field points lets a hunter build the confidence to hold steady when the real deer walks in close.