> Is this
>hunt really just a bitter
>cold hunt for mediocre deer?
>
That was my experience, but I admit I did not give it a Hero try. After 3-4 days of bitter cold I said screw it and went home, better things to do in January. A lot of people are surprised how freaking cold that area can get, the first morning of the hunt my truck thermometer read -17 F. A few mornings later it was only -2 F. I did find one decent buck (guess about 170) but never got closer than ~100 yards. Crunchy snow made stalking nearly impossible, at least for me. I latter wondered if bear paws (or something similar) would work on crunchy snow. I did talk to one patient hunter who told me he had some success patterning specific bucks, then ambushing them, but it takes time. You will also see a lot guys roadhunting, yes I'm talking about bowhunters.
Good luck!