In this episode, Matt Hartsky breaks down exactly how to glass mule deer efficiently when daylight is limited — a challenge every late-season hunter faces. Once December arrives, the sun hangs low, mornings brighten slowly, evenings disappear fast, and the usable windows where mature bucks actually move get brutally short. If you’re not in position before gray light hits, you lose the highest-value minutes of the entire day. And when bucks are conserving energy, bedding tight, and feeding in surgical little windows, missing those early minutes can cost you the only mature deer you might see. Matt walks you through why short days completely change the glassing game, how to prioritize the morning versus evening windows, and how thermals, light angles, and compressed movement patterns shape everything you see — or fail to see — on a slope. You’ll learn how to choose the right vantage before daylight, how to triage a basin fast at first glow, how to grid a hillside with discipline, when to re-glass pockets as light shifts, and how to read tracks, disturbed snow, benches, cuts, and bedding signatures even when deer aren’t visible. He also breaks down mid-day micro-movement, weather-driven visibility changes, storm-cycle opportunities, and how to know when to sit tight or relocate — all in the context of short winter days where every minute matters. This is a complete system for late-season mule deer glassing, built around discipline, patience, and knowing exactly where to spend your time.