Tough Times for Hunters?

[MeatGETTER24]

Hey i was curious what some of your guys' strategy is when you're deer hunting and the weather isnt cooperating(rain,wind, etc) do you sit and wait it out??? do you leave?? is there a spot you KNOW the deer go? whats your guys' take? thanks!

[Gobble]

Stick with it. The animals don't get in their cars and leave or go in the house. Their still in the woods, just take the time to locate them. Many times in bad weather people assume that the animals bed down and sit tight, that just isn't the case. I shot my 4 pt buck this year on the rainiest day in early Nov and the deer were really on the move. Stay out longer (pack a lunch, water) and stay in the woods as long as you can, its a game of numbers and the longer you are in the woods the better the chance you will have of bagging an animal

 

[Dmanmastertracker]

Hey i was curious what some of your guys' strategy is when you're deer hunting and the weather isnt cooperating(rain,wind, etc) do you sit and wait it out??? do you leave?? is there a spot you KNOW the deer go? whats your guys' take? thanks!

Depends a lot on: what your hunting, snow vs/ rain, etc.. Blacktail, in heavy snow like we recently had that is not normal for this area tend to hunker down where there is the least amount of snow, generally in the deepest cover making it more difficult to get at them. The rain is a different story, blacktail have no issue with rain and will move around more in the rain than they will during drier periods. Whitetail do not seem to mind the snow as much and seem to move more in it than blacktail, or mule deer  .

[Antlershed]

Hey i was curious what some of your guys' strategy is when you're deer hunting and the weather isnt cooperating(rain,wind, etc) do you sit and wait it out??? do you leave?? is there a spot you KNOW the deer go? whats your guys' take? thanks!

Depends a lot on: what your hunting, snow vs/ rain, etc.. Blacktail, in heavy snow like we recently had that is not normal for this area tend to hunker down where there is the least amount of snow, generally in the deepest cover making it more difficult to get at them. The rain is a different story, blacktail have no issue with rain and will move around more in the rain than they will during drier periods. Whitetail do not seem to mind the snow as much and seem to move more in it than blacktail, or mule deer  .

I have to disagree. I hunted the snow we just had in the late archery season, and I saw deer every day, moving out in the clearcuts. They have to move around to find the little food that is exposed. I was seeing deer moving out in the open pretty much all day long too. My favorite weather to hunt blacktail in though, is rain/wind. They just seem to be everywhere.

[Dmanmastertracker]

Hey i was curious what some of your guys' strategy is when you're deer hunting and the weather isnt cooperating(rain,wind, etc) do you sit and wait it out??? do you leave?? is there a spot you KNOW the deer go? whats your guys' take? thanks!

Depends a lot on: what your hunting, snow vs/ rain, etc.. Blacktail, in heavy snow like we recently had that is not normal for this area tend to hunker down where there is the least amount of snow, generally in the deepest cover making it more difficult to get at them. The rain is a different story, blacktail have no issue with rain and will move around more in the rain than they will during drier periods. Whitetail do not seem to mind the snow as much and seem to move more in it than blacktail, or mule deer  .

I have to disagree. I hunted the snow we just had in the late archery season, and I saw deer every day, moving out in the clearcuts. They have to move around to find the little food that is exposed. I was seeing deer moving out in the open pretty much all day long too. My favorite weather to hunt blacktail in though, is rain/wind. They just seem to be everywhere.

Then you didn't have 30" of snow on the ground. 


 

[Antlershed]

Nope. Had probably close to 20" though.

[Dmanmastertracker]

 Here's a good excerpt from a study on blacktial and mule deer in BC.

 E C O L O G I C A L R E L A T I O N S H I P S
Mule and Black-tailed deer have difficulty moving
through snow deeper than 30 cm, so they cannot sur-
vive in British Columbia’s
extensive alpine and sub-
alpine zones in winter. In
summer, most deer migrate
to higher elevations to take
advantage of nutritious new
growth, but some remain at
low elevations all year.
Old-growth forests form
a key part of the winter
range for coastal Black-tailed
Deer in British Columbia
and are critical for their sur-
vival. They provide shelter,
intercept snow so that it is
shallower, and provide for-
age in the form of broken
branches and the lichens that grow on them. On the
southeast coast of Vancouver Island and the islands in
Georgia Strait, old-growth cover is not critical because
snowfall is usually shallow and brief. But northward
and at higher elevations, it becomes increasingly
important. Here, steep, south- to west-facing sites
provide the best winter range.

[Huntbear]

I much prefer to hunt blackies in stormy weather, no matter if it is raining or snowing.  Dry weather in my opinion is the worst for sneaking around on the wet side. 

[Dmanmastertracker]

 As it just starts to snow can be real good if you get right to the snow line. I saw the largest group of blacktail I've ever seen hunting, with several bucks in it the last day of general one year, right at the snow line at about 3,200 feet. At least 16 deer, my reticle was blown unknown to me until I tried to sight in one of the rear bucks .

[ron9909]

I like the the rain and wind while bt hunting. I head to the clearcuts or thinned out timber during bad weather. I was told by a old timer that deer and elk have trouble hearing and smelling in thick timber when there is bad weather,so they head to open areas to use there sight. Dont know how true it is but I sure see alot more deer in clearcuts during bad weather.

[7mag.]

I get all excited when a good storm blows in during deer season. I have the most success hunting Blacktails when it is raining sideways. It gets even better the second or third day into a longer storm. A change in the weather is also a good time, like when it starts snowing for the first time in a while, that half hour to an hour is when you will see some blackies on the move. I really like it when it has been raining for a couple of days and the rivers are flooding, look out, the deer will be moving. When the wind is blowing and the trees are creeking and popping, they stay out of the timber and clearcuts and hide out in the re-prod. Just what I've found to be more succesful for me.

[270Shooter]

On the eastside in yakima we hardly ever get any weather during deer season, I is usually about 45-50 and sunny, with a full moon . So I usually just hit the thick stuff. I know they will be on the steep north facing hills. I just move through very slowly and glass.

[wilsongideon]

Simple fact- the deer are out there rain shine or snow the more time you put out the better your chances. . . .personally I love hunting on a rainy day if its foggy it can suck but Seems like bucks like to move a little bit more.  only times it tough when to know what to do is in constantly changing gusting winds.  if its just a steady wind thats golden.       Story time. . . went out end of general season last year and it was a pretty nasty day it was raining and had fog moving in and out of the canyon we were hunting . . .there was a steady wind that made the rain just nasty as we hiked up a finger towards the ridgeline.  towards the top the wind starting whipping and pelted us with rain driven so hard it hust . . .this wasnt any fun this was just nasty so we abandon our plan and bailed off the side onto some benches below with some small washes and the like with scattered timber. . . .soon as we dropped off we were completly out of the wind it seemed like the temp raised 10 degrees. I was thinking if I was a deer I would be in these benches where I am out of the wind. we started pushing the brush working our way back and forth down the benches doing alot of hiking in a small area. . . .about the third bench down we spotted a decent 3x4 which at the time suited my standards and we dumped him.       point use the weather to your advantage but if your in deer country just putting the time on the hill and the binos you will see more mulies.