"Years of high water mean the deer get pushed to the edges of the timber. Then, we have to be extra careful to provide them areas of sanctuary where they have no pressure," Bly explained. "Meanwhile, in dry years, we know that the deer will stay farther back in the bottoms. So, we have to be more patient than usual and hope that the rains will eventually come and get the deer working closer to the edges. We may go farther in the woods, but we still won't go back in those places where we know the deer will be bedding."

Not many days go by without someone sitting a stand, Bly said, so the family's hunters become highly knowledgeable of their herd.

"Seeing the deer over and over allows us to know them. This means we can be highly selective in what animals we want to take out of the herd or leave in it. If we're waiting for a mature buck or an older doe, we know that continuing to wait usually will pay off.

"Keeping notes from season to season -- whether mentally or in a logbook -- means we can reasonably know what certain deer are going to do and where they are going to be based on the weather, the stand location, the wind and the day. You can pretty much mark it on the calendar."

If you get to hunt a Bayou Country farm, you can learn a lot from asking the farmer or his workers about what they've seen to figure out something about how to hunt deer there, Bly said. Also, pay attention to where old stands are placed to provide some clues as to where to hunt. Chances are, the fellow who put that stand there years ago knew a little bit about how to hunt the property.

A FINAL PIECE OF ADVICE
Regarding deer hunting after the season-opening rush, Miller said, "My advice to a late-season hunter is that December is a great time to be in the woods. The bugs are gone and many of the hunters are home, too."

Referring to an AGFC chart, he illustrated this point by showing that 83.2 percent of the average annual deer harvest in Arkansas occurs in October and November. "This means less competition in the woods," during December, Miller concluded.

While not all of the following Bayou Country WMAs and NWRs offer a late-season muzzleloader hunt, Miller and Dugger felt they were definitely worthy of mention for those deer hunters still seeking time in the woods and more opportunities to fill a tag -- even if restricted to bowhunting. Those areas include: Bayou Meto, Cypress Bayou, Ethel, Henry Gray/Hurricane Lake, Mike Freeze/Wattensaw, Prairie Bayou, Rex Hancock/Black Swamp, Steve N. Wilson/Raft Creek Bottoms and Trusten Holder WMAs. The NWRs in the area are Bald Knob, Cache River and White River.

For more information on the WMAs, visit www.agfc.com and click on the "Public Land" link under "Data, Facts and Maps." From there, you'll click on "Wildlife Management Areas" and scroll down the alphabetized list. Further information on the NWRs can be found the same way by following the links.

Before heading out, remember to check the 2009-2010 AGFC Hunting Regulation Guidebook. Deer hunting rules vary by zone, and some of the public lands have further restrictive regulations in place.