Late-season whitetail hunting can be as good or better than what you found earlier in the fall. Odocoileus virginianus, known more affectionately as the white-tailed deer, is still alive and well on public forests and lands throughout the state.

Liberal regulations and seasons are providing good winter shooting this year. The statewide muzzleloader season lasts 10 days and provides great blackpowder shooting. A four-day antlerless hunt that is open in most of the state runs Dec. 11-14.

Shooters were understandably nervous on the opener about the deer prospects in parts of the state that were under water last June. The news was good, though, and the whitetail population wasn't hurt at all.

"Wisconsin was a mess, but it won't affect the deer," wildlife biologist Tom Isaac said. "Deer will simply head for higher ground during floods and high water. At the worse case scenario, they're good swimmers."

Isaac didn't look for the decrease in the number of deer that other wildlife populations are suffering.

The highest concentrations of deer are in the east-central and southern regions of the state. Not that there's a shortage of deer elsewhere. During the DNR's 2007 estimations of deer densities in Wisconsin, it was found that whitetails sometimes reached numbers as high as 100 deer per square mile.

Here's a look at hotspots that will be great places to bag a deer this month.

JACKSON MARSH WA
Washington County
Jackson Marsh is Isaac's late-season pick for his neck of the woods.

"There's usually not a lot of snow on the ground, but the walking can be tough," he said. "If the ground isn't completely frozen, get out the waders or the boots and get into the deeper cover. That's where the deer will be."

Deer numbers are high in the area due to the heavy winter cover. Most of the marsh consists of lowland cedar, ash and maple with some areas of thick undergrowth and brush. Ponds and creeks meander through higher ground around the edges of the area. A deer couldn't ask for more.

Portable deer stands are legal and provide good observation points on thick, marshy ground. Just remember to remove the stand every night.

Caution should be a part of everyone's field gear. Pheasant and rabbit hunters will be moving through the marsh during the month and care needs to be taken to avoid accidents. Good target acquisition is necessary.

There is good road access into the interior of the area. Isaac recommends looking for out-of-the-way deer that are holding away from the usual hunter locations. Drive down dead-end or cul-de-sac roads in the marsh and start hunting from there.

Jackson Marsh is near Milwaukee and picks up a fair amount of hunting pressure. Parking lots are plowed when the snow isn't heavy. If the snow is keeping most hunters out, the deer will be closer to the vehicle access points.

The area is open throughout the muzzleloading season, the December antlerless hunt as well as being a shotgun season unit from Dec. 1 through Dec. 10. Jackson Marsh is in the 77m metro unit. If last year's harvest of 2,739 deer is any indication, the shooting should be good.