Crappy Weather Bucks

[predatorG]

I figured we have a thread for every other type of buck. 2 points, big black tail bucks, good memory bucks, 5 points, etc.

I figured that after years of telling people and hearing people say that the best time to hunt big bucks is the worst weather, I might as well make a thread dedicated. This thread is perfect for any bucks killed in rain, snow, lightning, mud, and terrible condition that was so miserable you can’t help but love it. I’d love to see some good bucks and some good stories!

[JakeLand]

Last years buck , the only crappy downpour windy day of modern season . He was bedded on a steep cut about 7 miles from the truck

[7mmfan]

Sure, guess I'll start. Halloween must have been.... 2015? It was crappy out. It was like Forest Gump rain, raining down, raining sideways, raining up. The wind was blowing hard most of the morning, and then the front hit and it got wild for about an hour with lots of trees coming down around me. I stuck to the clear cuts during this time. I was slowly still hunting through the cut, bumped down across a skid road and out to a landing and was glassing the bowl beneath me. Down in it, out of the wind was this buck with a doe. They weren't to far away, 150 yards or so.

I crawled out onto a log pile, and got a good rest. I had flipped my scope caps open earlier when I had come upon a couple deer, so now when I opened them my scope was all fogged up. I decided that I could make the shot and focused really hard, squeeeeezing the trigger. BANG! The smoke cleared and the buck was still standing there.    I frantically tried to find some dryish piece of cloth on me and wiped the scope down. I got back up there and he was just tending the doe who was already back to feeding. This time I had a clear view so I squeeeeeeezed the trigger again. BANG! This time when the smoke cleared, there was a buck on his back with feet in the air. 

As I began working my way around the bowl, I was finding all kinds of buck rubs. Not just rubs, but serious stuff like whole trees broken in half or ripped out of the ground. Stuff I'd never seen before. I was having a hard time believing my buck was responsible for it. As I neared my buck, a doe burst out of the brush about 40 yards out and trotted out onto the open hillside. Close in tow behind her was the absolute largest Blacktail buck that I have ever seen. He had a boxy frame, a few inches beyond his ears. Not as tall as he was wide, but oh so heavy. 4 points and big dagger eye guards. But what really struck me was his body size. His body size was bigger than any deer, mule deer or otherwise that I had seen. The only way I can think to adequately describe it is "slobbish". Just fat and enormous. He was clearly full rut and his neck was as big around as a horse. Just an unreal deer. I got to stand there and watch him saunter off into the brush with his lady friend. He had been there the whole time, just shielded from obvious view. If I'd been patient and really picked that area apart I may have spotted him.

Anyway, I failed to mention that I was about 7 miles back on a closed road on my bike, and after getting the deer all processed and to my bike for the trip out, I realized I had a flat tire, and no spare. Luckily I had a friend close by that was willing to ride in with a spare tube and a cart and we wheeled him right out. In the rain.

[bigmacc]

I have had very successful hunts during monsoon type rain storms and heavy winds, even after a heavy snow then warm ups. I love hunting during a thaw or warm up, especially if a lot of snow is in the trees, after a few days or so if the sun comes and it warms up snow will start dropping off the trees in clumps, deer will get a bit nervous and get out of the thickets and trees to get away from the constant dripping and snow and ice dropping all around them, probably my favorite hunting weather is the days after a snow when it warms up. They tend to move more and be seen more.

[boneaddict]

I think the big black tail thread will mostly cover this topic.   I think nasty weather is mandatory.

[NRA4LIFE]

I love hunting in horrible weather.  Keeps all the Nancy's out of the woods.

[Colby Otto]

I love hunting in horrible weather.  Keeps all the Nancy's out of the woods.

Its true!!

[Turner89]

I think the big black tail thread will mostly cover this topic.   I think nasty weather is mandatory.

   

Halloween 2011  was day 3 of constant rain. I'd found a cut with some nasty rubs and big tracks. I'd been sitting on a big rock over looking a clearcut for the past 2 days dark to dark and getting soaked. Both days there was a decent 2 point hanging out below me,  but he wasn't responsible for the rubs or tracks. 
 Halloween morning I got up at 3am and was at the gate by 3:30am. It was an absolute down pour.  I packed a complete change of clothes and brought a tarp this time.  I got to my spot at about 4:45 and stripped everything off,  put on the dry clothes and wrapped up in the tarp. I slept for about an 1.5 hrs .  I couldn't see anything until about 8am because of the heavy cloud cover.  About 8:15 I caught movement to my left.  I got my binoculars on him and realized he was stud.  I grabbed my 30:06 , but couldn't find him due to the fogged up scope. Grabbed the binoculars and found him walking at a good clip down through the cut, so I found a big stump I figured I'd be able to see with  my scope. Picked up the gun, found the stump and he walked right into line. Pulled the trigger and couldn't see him through the scope again.  I  scanned the area with my binoculars and ended finding him right where I shot him dead in his tracks.
 Within an hour the clouds disappeared and it turned out to be a nice day.
 

[go4steelhd]

A few in the snow and cold

[go4steelhd]

Snow and cold is how we like it

[go4steelhd]

Have I said the bucks come out with snow and cold?

[go4steelhd]

Last one…..

[cooltimber]

Last one…..

  very nice

[Lapua07]

  I prefer the cold weather for muleys.. wet weather for whitetail. Only hunted blackies one weekend.

[MAVsled]

2015 Opening Weekend Pearrygin unit.

Friday night before opener was all rain, all night long.
Saturday opener was foggy, drippy wet and gray skies all day. But I made the 3 mile hike into the backcountry.
Observed some 30+ deer, few bucks mostly 2 points but nothing legal. So hiked out in the evening rain, back to camp at 8pm. The warm wood stove in the wall tent that night was a blessing.

Sunday morning was clear of wet skies but cloudy. Hiked into backcountry 2.5 hours before shooting light, with skies getting that dark o-shiat appearance.
About 9:30am it started pouring rain, and I mean pouring western WA style...in eastern WA! 
I hunkered under my pitched Kifaru tarp, with raingear on too, from 10:30am until 4pm.
Rain subsided and mist, heavy fog started to rise, I packed up and started hunting back to camp. Was working my way down a ridgeline, toward the main trail back to camp. At 4:55 pm: I spot a bachelor group of bucks moving up the basin to my ridgeline top, 3 two points, a small 3x3 and this 3x4.
A 275 yard shot put the buck down, for a second, as it then started rolling, sliding & tumbling down the steep hillside for 400 yards, coming to a stop being wrapped around a sapling.
Of course it starts pouring rain again...and the wind starts blowing, gusting.

After gutless processing completed in a constant rain-wind storm, I hung a rear quarter, 2 front quarters, 2 bags of meat (ribs, brisket, shanks, neck trim) in a tree, covered-tied with a 6x8 blue tarp.
Then packed up the head-antlers, 1 rear quarter, 2 backstraps, 2-tenderloins, heart/liver and started the hike up to ridgeline top and back out to camp...at 10-ish PM!
Arrived in camp near 1:00 am and hunting/camp partners were stone cold asleep. Couple days later was told that on Sunday, 1 guy stayed in camp, 3 others went out to hunt but all 3 back in camp by 11am.

Monday morning was blue sky/sunny day, hiked back up, one of my hunting partners and I packed up remaining meat and returned to camp.
Got to hang around, relax in camp for the next 3 days, all bluebird weather too. The Budweiser's tasted good!
No other bucks were taken by 4 other partners that week.

But that Sunday evening was killer....REAL CRAPPY WEATHER. But I filled my tag with a meat buck, so was content.