hunting in "nasty" weather

[kabic]

The Winter weather advisory for Monday & Tuesday reminded me of an article from the Nov 2013 of Deer and Deer Hunting entitled "Why Big Bucks Move in Nasty Weather"

It was written by a guy from Michigan who used the phrase "heavy consequential hunting pressure" a couple times too many in the article. The jist of the article was bucks move in bad weather because too many hunters decide to stay home and the bucks some how learn or are conditioned that this is a safe time to move during daylight.

Any of you guys have any positive experiences hunting in sleet or snow? I was planning on taking Monday off and start muzzle loader hunting on Tuesday. Now I wonder if I should go out Monday afternoon....

 

[Bill]

No offense to the writer. But the same thing was printed in 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, you get it.

When I was single in college, we moved on Thursday night. Back then most students had class from Monday to Thursday. Thursday meant the chicks didn't have anything pressing due on Friday. We stalked from Thursday eve til Saturday eve. On Sunday eve they had shit to do, we slept in.

We really didn't care what the the weather was, if there was a chance they were out, we were too.

And in theory our brain is bigger. Since deer don't use money, follow the smell.

Just sayin. Don't over think it, cause they can't.

Opposable thumbs kinda stuff.

 

[younggun1849]

I'd say they move because of the disruption in weather as opposed to because people aren't out hunting. One of my favorite hunting scenarios is when a rain/snow storm moves through in the early afternoon, and stops an hour or two before dark. Seems to always get the deer on their feet early.

 

[dipper]

Just like any deer scenerio, one deer might move while ten don't. Or ten deer will move and one won't. You can dream of 100 reasons why.....or why not???? It's hunting, plain and simple.
I haven't been seeing squat the last 3 days. Deer are sitting super tight. I'll wait till the end of the week, regardless of weather.

 

[tooln]

During Bow my best hunts were while raining.

 

[shawnv]

I've had days where they sat put and other where they were moving like crazy during nasty weather. Deer can only go so long without feeding so a lot I think has to do what they did the previous day or two. If you can hunt then I'd say hunt.

 

[Bill]

Here's my question. I hinted at it "poorly" in my first post.

The author of the article Kabic read obviously gave deer the abilility to have cognitive thought. If A happens, then B will happen. Bad weather happens causing hunters to stay home.

I don't think a critter can have cognitive reasoning like that.

Thoughts?

 

[shawnv]

Here's my question. I poorly hinted at it "poorly" in my first post.

The author of the article Kabic read obviously gave deer the abilility to have cognitive thought. If A happens, then B will happen. Bad weather happens causing hunters to stay home.

I don't think a critter can have cognitive reasoning like that.

Thoughts?

It's more of a reactionary process than cognitive thought.

 

[bueller]

I've had great hunts on crappy days, but have also had some really terrible hunts on the same type of day. Same goes for good weather. Sometimes the deer show, sometimes they don't.

 

[dipper]

Here's my question. I hinted at it "poorly" in my first post.

The author of the article Kabic read obviously gave deer the abilility to have cognitive thought. If A happens, then B will happen. Bad weather happens causing hunters to stay home.

I don't think a critter can have cognitive reasoning like that.

Thoughts?

U should write an article;)

 

[Natty Bumppo]

Some of my best hunts and best successes have been on windy-snowy days. I don't sit. These kinds of days are great opportunities to get down and track bucks Larry Benoit style. When it's windy they can't hear you coming. And if the wind is in your face they can't smell you. If you go slow enough, as if the deer could be around any tree, it's really just a matter of time and your skill as a hunter until you see him. Of course you've got to have enough big woods to do this.

 

[Tree Spud]

Not that I am overly religious, but a rainy day is God's recommendation to go take a nap ...;)

 

[bueller]

Some of my best hunts and best successes have been on windy-snowy days. I don't sit. These kinds of days are great opportunities to get down and track bucks Larry Benoit style. When it's windy they can't hear you coming. And if the wind is in your face they can't smell you. If you go slow enough, as if the deer could be around any tree, it's really just a matter of time and your skill as a hunter until you see him. Of course you've got to have enough big woods to do this.

I live still hunting/stalking. A steady rain is another favorite of mine as the soaking wet woods are silent, but you don't have tracks in the snow to follow.

 

[scott44]

I've had great hunts on crappy days, but have also had some really terrible hunts on the same type of day. Same goes for good weather. Sometimes the deer show, sometimes they don't.

This is what I've had also, the older I get the less of these bad days I seem to hunt.

 

[bwoods11]

I think deer have memories and cognitive thought.
.... Simply watch deer react to opening morning of the gun season.

 

[wiscwhip]

I think deer have memories and cognitive thought.
.... Simply watch deer react to opening morning of the gun season.

You just said it yourself, the key word is "react". Deer and other critters are simply reacting to the inputs they receive from their environment at the time they are receiving them. To suggest they have memories and cognitive thoughts is to suggest they sit around the corn pile with their buddies the week before Thanksgiving and make plans about how they will elude the influx of hunters that will be hitting the woods in a few days, it just doesn't happen like that. Simply a reaction to external stimulus that is completely instinctual and primeval, nothing magical or calculating about any of it.

 

[j-bird]

I have never killed a deer in "bad" weather. I tend to wait it out and try to be in a stand when the weather breaks - the longer the weather has kept the deer bedded the better. Give it an hour and deer will be on their feet then. I especially like this in the evening. I don't have the land to stalk a deer so that is out of the question. I don;t have the woods and 95% of the time the corn is even harvested before the season even starts so no stalking the standing corn either. If it's bad enough for me to stay home there is a fair chance the deer are staying home too! I have hunted in some really dumb conditions before - even involved in a ground strike of lightning once. If my stand is swaying or it's pouring to the point I can't see or it's so cold my beard is freezing - what's the point? It tells me at that point the deer are smarter than me! I have also figured out that the deer don't read the same books we do, they don't know the "rules" and thus why they don't play fair!!!!

 

[kabic]

Well I decided to go hunting this afternoon. Not nasty yet just windy. I put a ground blind in a little triangle of corn that was left standing. .hopefully Mr Big decides to come out of the pines across the road and get a snack before it starts to rain sleet or snow.

 

[dipper]

Well I decided to go hunting this afternoon. Not nasty yet just windy. I put a ground blind in a little triangle of corn that was left standing. .hopefully Mr Big decides to come out of the pines across the road and get a snack before it starts to rain sleet or snow.

Go get them!!!
As with fishing, a bad day hunting beats a good day at work every time!

 

[kabic]

Precipitation has started. .little under 40 minutes left to hunt.