Hunting Changing Weather Patterns
Posted By
Clifford Neames
at
12/4/2009 12:00:00 AM
Hunting Changing Weather Patterns
Whitetails live out in the elements
, so they have to adapt to changing weather patterns in order to survive. Learning what they do during periods of change will help you key in on where, and when, you should be hunting them.
Here’s a few common winter weather patterns, and a little insight into what deer will be doing when they occur.
Almost anyone who has hunted much knows that cold clear conditions, with little wind, are about as good as it gets for deer hunting.
But, what about those days when the wind is howling?
Look for thick areas and the backside of ridges, which offer protection from heavy gusts, and you should locate whitetails. A slope facing the sun will hold bedded deer, so be sure to check them out. Of course, if the wind is strong enough to be knocking limbs out of the trees, you are probably better off in the camp, planning your next hunt.
Rainy days are not always a total loss. A mist or slight sprinkle will hardly affect whitetail movement, and offers a great opportunity for a still hunt. Try slipping along slowly into the wind, and let the rain aid in covering the sound of your footsteps. A steady downpour will usually shut them down until it breaks. But, you really want to be on your stand right when it does. Bucks will be on their feet immediately!
Snowfall is just frozen rain, and the same rules apply. But, it makes seeing anything that moves in the woods a lot easier. You may be able to spot deer at quite a distance, but they can see you just as easily. And, you can bet they will be checking their backtrack, because they seem to know they can easily be followed.
Sometimes, a cold front will begin moving in, and temps are predicted to fall fast to well below freezing. Get to a food plot, or any major feeding area early, and be ready. Deer will be feeding heavily ahead of the freeze, and may be out in the open during the middle of the day.
Cold temperatures, below twenty degrees, are death in the south. And, you will sit for hours freezing and seeing very little if you decide that you just have to hunt. But, in Illinois, bucks are used to cold weather, and move readily when the thermometer reads below freezing.
I like to watch frozen CRP fields, on those days, because anything coming through them sounds like a freight train.
Plus, the sight of long white tines above the weeds tends to warm me up quickly!
Pro Tip: A brushed in blind makes a mighty fine stand in inclement weather.
Set them up far enough ahead of your hunt that the deer get used to them.
Being out of the wind and rain will increase the odds that you will stay long enough to fill your tag! And, a propane heater can raise the temp inside to a very comfortable level.
