The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Hide > The Hunt

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old December 23, 2009, 10:41 AM   #1
lt dan
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 4, 2008
Location: south africa
Posts: 328
coldest hottest you ever hunted?

i have seen many north-american hunting shows that show hunters hunting in severe snow storms. me and my local hunting friends always say that hunting in a snow storm is true dedication to the art of hunting.

over here in africa it is only winter for about 3 months. the coldest it gets in my neck of the woods are about 22F. i once hunted when it was about 23F

and we took 25 blesbok for the day. the problem was when we wanted to skin the animals back at the camp all the blood in the animals had frozen. this caused some practical problems.

i had a friend here this year from the usa and he told of a hunting trip he and his son did in alaska(if i remember correct). apparently this was so cold that if he completed the hunt he gets official recognition for this. i dont know what this meant but i saw the t-shirt he got.

the hottest i have hunted in was 106F. it happened this saturday and i took a friend whom have never shot a wart-hog. he shot the hog just next to thick bushes. the didnt went down immediately and we had to track it, in the thick bushes. the heat was unbearable and we had to be ready for a charge at close range from the hog. this was difficult as we also had to have one eye on the ground for snakes.which are very active in such heat.

afterwards i told my friend that i think this was the hottest i have ever had to endure on a hunt.

so what is your extreme'?.

p.s i hope o got the conversion from Celsius to Fahrenheit right.
__________________
If youth is wasted on the young, then Africa is wasted on the Africans
lt dan is offline  
Old December 23, 2009, 10:47 AM   #2
sserdlihc
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 10, 2008
Location: S.C.
Posts: 1,454
I have hunted in temps as low as 20 degrees and as warm as 83 degrees. I was miserable hunting in temps that hot. All those dang mosquitos!!
__________________
Familiarity breeds contempt, while rarity wins admiration. Aupleius
If someone doesn't like you, that's their problem! Milton Childress
sserdlihc is offline  
Old December 23, 2009, 11:02 AM   #3
Christchild
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 19, 2009
Location: Loadbenchville, Bolt 02770
Posts: 544
My coldest can't be THAT cold, as I hunt in Louisiana, but hot.....The warmest I remember, while I'm not sure of the exact temp (I was fresh out of a thermometer), sitting in a climber, hunting an active wallow, in a "BugSuit", sweating bullets and watching/listening to the mosquitoes. They 'bout carried me out of my stand. I'm guessing upper 80's maybe lower 90's and very humid.

And on top of that, I never shot that big ol' hog. The very large, approaching hog either saw the small, exposed piece of my orange vest or winded me, turned around and rolled out like an M1A2 Abrams...

Not a comfortable evening in the woods, but fairly exciting...
Christchild is offline  
Old December 23, 2009, 11:07 AM   #4
troy_mclure
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 17, 2008
Location: gulf of mexico
Posts: 2,716
coldest was about 10 below zero, in a sleeting icy rain that froze to my gun, for deer in northern Minnesota.

the hottest was 140f shooting wild dogs in the fob in iraq.

growing up in southern ohio the majority of deer hunting was at or close to freezing.
__________________
There is only one tactical principle which is not subject to change. It is to use the means at hand to inflict the maximum amount of wound, death, and destruction on the enemy in the minimum amount of time."
troy_mclure is offline  
Old December 23, 2009, 11:46 AM   #5
PRONE2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 20, 2009
Location: St.Louis Mo.
Posts: 113
not to bad

Coldest -11 deer hunting

hottest 101 hog hunting

I'll take the heat over the cold ANY day!
BTW my wifes was on her first hunting trip when it was -11 when I told her that was how it always is she about quit forever! LOL but she stuck it out.
PRONE2 is offline  
Old December 23, 2009, 11:53 AM   #6
rantingredneck
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 12, 2007
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 4,728
I've bow and muzzleloader hunted for deer in the eastern swamps of NC when it was 90 plus. Mosquitoes nearly carried me away.

I've hunted in freezing rain/snow here in NC and TN when the temps were in the 20's and I had ice crystals in my beard. That was better hunting .
__________________
NRA Member
NC Hunter's Education Instructor

PCCA Member (What's PCCA you ask? <- Check the link)
rantingredneck is offline  
Old December 23, 2009, 12:55 PM   #7
Legionnaire
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 25, 2000
Location: Central TX
Posts: 1,503
Deer hunting in central NY. Never been below zero (fahrenheit), but just above; kept warm by sitting in an old sleeping bag pulled up to my chest. Worst conditions, though, were about 20 degrees during and after a freezing rain; everything was covered in a layer of ice. Hard to move at all, much less move quietly. Then the wind picked up, and heavy tree limbs were coming down all over the place. I ended up pulling out early, afraid that a tree was going to come down across the access road I had driven in on.

Hottest isn't really hot by others' standards. Uncomfortable all the same. Temp and humidity both in the 90s, hunting groundhogs during the summer in south-central PA.
__________________
Cogito, ergo armatus sum.
Legionnaire is offline  
Old December 23, 2009, 01:41 PM   #8
Scorch
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 13, 2006
Location: Washington state
Posts: 15,248
Coldest hunting for me was -11 degrees F hunting coyotes in NV, hottest 115 degrees F hunting dove in the Imperial Valley in CA. Coldest for big game was about 10 degrees F in Idaho, hottest was 110 F hunting javelinas near Yuma, AZ. I never let a little weather stop me. Came pretty close to dying a couple times because of it.
__________________
Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs.
But what do I know?
Summit Arms Services
Scorch is offline  
Old December 23, 2009, 01:58 PM   #9
roklok
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 20, 2008
Location: Fort Yukon, Alaska
Posts: 735
Low= 35 below zero predator hunting here in Alaska. It gets a good bit colder, but 35 below is about my limit for hunting.

High= 95 or 100 groundhog hunting in Pennsylvania.
roklok is offline  
Old December 23, 2009, 02:21 PM   #10
Pbearperry
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 9, 2008
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 283
coldest

Back in the late 70's,I hunted the 3 day blackpowder season in Western Mass. with several friends.The temp for those 3 days hovered around -35 degrees wind chill factor.I was unable to stay out more than 1 1/2 hours at a time.
Pbearperry is offline  
Old December 23, 2009, 02:26 PM   #11
mwal
Member
 
Join Date: February 24, 2009
Posts: 91
I shot a doe while muzzloading In MN and the temp was -22F at noon when we went home it was probably -30 at sunrise when I took the shot. After the blackpowder smoke cleared I could see steam rising from the bullet hole. That is cold my friends.


Mwal
mwal is offline  
Old December 23, 2009, 02:45 PM   #12
Pahoo
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 16, 2006
Location: IOWA
Posts: 8,783
I'd say the coldest was -5 and learned the hard way that you have to be careful on what you use to lubricate a Remington 1100. My semi-auto, turned into a single shot. But have to admit this was a rare day and last day of the last slug deer season. Bow hunted in norther Wisconsin and came down from my stand because I could no longer see the ground and doubt if I could see a deer. Once on the ground, knocked the icicles off my mustache. The Deer yard up and are harder to find, when it gets real cold. On another occasion, found a frozen hen Pheasant that was stuck to the ground. Just sitting there as pretty as you please. Here in the Midwest, hunting in the cold is the norm and no one complians. In fact, there are more complaints if it's too warm.

AS far as hot, I'd say 85deg F., in the rain, in Alabama. Blow flies got some of that venison.


Be Safe !!!
Pahoo is offline  
Old December 23, 2009, 03:02 PM   #13
isanchez2008
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 13, 2008
Location: WA
Posts: 344
6degrees. Sat on the side of a river goose and duck hunting. Thats about the norm for my bird hunting in the winter. The spot I hunt is a ways from where I park so I get hot hiking to it. As soon as I sit down and quit moving it starts getting cold.
isanchez2008 is offline  
Old December 23, 2009, 03:05 PM   #14
FrankenMauser
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 25, 2008
Location: In the valley above the plain
Posts: 13,402
Coldest... Probably 5 to 10*F below zero. (Deer or Elk)
Warmest... Pronghorn Antelope, 98*F (Small game up to 120*F)


I actually prefer hunting in the snow, over a clear day. Not only does the snow bring the temperature back up, but it keeps your foot falls quiet. It's also easier to track game, track wounded game, and drag something out (as long as you have a sled, bag, tarp, or other slick material to wrap the carcass).

It is also more likely that you'll get game that has been resting; rather than something that was pushed all over the mountain. (More Tasty)

And... of course, snow keeps a lot of hunters from leaving camp. The animals aren't as spooked, there's more mountain for me, and I don't find as many Bud Light cans.

...All of that applies to where I hunt, and the fact that I'm a mobile hunter. I don't use blinds or stands. It's rare to even find me sitting on a hillside.
__________________
Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.

Last edited by FrankenMauser; December 23, 2009 at 10:30 PM.
FrankenMauser is offline  
Old December 23, 2009, 04:38 PM   #15
Old Grump
Member in memoriam
 
Join Date: April 9, 2009
Location: Blue River Wisconsin, in
Posts: 3,144
105 jack rabbits in New Mexico, -10 white tail deer in Northern Wisconsin.

Hottest I ever shot was a long range match in El Paso, thermometer only went to 120, it was an interesting day trying to see 1000 yard targets through the mirage and laying on rocks you could have fried an egg on. Had to keep the ammo in our pockets to keep them cool.

Coldest I ever shot was -20 training for the upcoming season for another go at All Army. When it got to -22 I wimped out and went home. Good thing was that the snow was so hard my brass stayed on top and was easy to pick up. Shooting glasses froze to my face and for the next week people were asking who I had been fighting with. Learned to get plastic frames after that.
__________________
Good intentions will always be pleaded for any assumption of power. The Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern will, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters.
--Daniel Webster--
Old Grump is offline  
Old December 23, 2009, 04:43 PM   #16
isanchez2008
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 13, 2008
Location: WA
Posts: 344
Quote:
Shooting glasses froze to my face and for the next week people were asking who I had been fighting with. Learned to get plastic frames after that.


OLDGRUMP, my hats off to you. Thats dedication
isanchez2008 is offline  
Old December 23, 2009, 05:05 PM   #17
reloader28
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 13, 2009
Location: nw wyoming
Posts: 1,061
My average is probly about 35-40 degrees.
For elk and goose hunting, the coldest is -12 with a little breeze. Dont know what the wind chill was as I didnt have my weather station yet.
Warmest is probly about 75 or so bird hunting.
reloader28 is offline  
Old December 23, 2009, 05:48 PM   #18
jmr40
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 15, 2008
Location: Georgia
Posts: 10,792
The coldest I've ever seen here in N. Georgia was -9 but I wasn't hunting in it. The coldest I ever hunted in was +4 and it was a waste of time. Even the deer wouldn't move. The coldest I ever felt was duck hunting at +17. Riding down the river at 5AM at that temp. in a jon boat got my attention.

100+ is common during dove season and archery deer season.

Normal temps are in the 20's-30's in the early AM and warming up to 40-50 in the PM. during most of the deer season.
jmr40 is offline  
Old December 23, 2009, 06:32 PM   #19
ZeroJunk
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 14, 2006
Location: Browns Summit NC
Posts: 2,589
I was hunting in MT a few years ago and it was -20 a couple of mornings. You had to keep your water close to your body or it would freeze hard as a rock in an outer pocket. Also, you had to keep it in the sleeping bag with you if you wanted a drink during the night. Didn't take you long to go out and take a whiz.


But, I have personally been a lot colder when the temperature was higher and the humidity was higher.
ZeroJunk is offline  
Old December 23, 2009, 07:07 PM   #20
musher
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 23, 2005
Posts: 462
-55 F coldest, about 80 F hottest. Hunting caribou in Alaska both times.
musher is offline  
Old December 23, 2009, 07:11 PM   #21
fisherman66
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 22, 2005
Location: The Woodlands TX
Posts: 4,679
It never gets cold in Texas, even when we complain that it's cold.

18 degrees F is the coldest. I can't remember the hottest, but it was probably in the high 80s or low 90s. I don't even mess with it if it's any hotter. I can't get the carcass cooled fast enough to have good meat. Plus the ticks are pretty nasty when it's that warm.
__________________
la plus belle des ruses du diable est de vous persuader qu'il n'existe pas!
fisherman66 is offline  
Old December 23, 2009, 07:18 PM   #22
Brian Pfleuger
Moderator Emeritus
 
Join Date: June 25, 2008
Location: Austin, CO
Posts: 19,578
Wow! Some of you guys are dedicated to this game! (Or crazy, it's hard to tell sometimes)


Opening day of my first deer season it was about 70f, usually it's between 30 and 45.

If it gets below about 20f I just don't go. It's not worth it to me. It's not like I'm passing on those not quite big enough 8-points and waiting on the 14. I'm lucky to see a deer, ANY deer, so I can wait for a warmer day.


Outside of deer season I've hunted woodchucks many times with temps in the 80s and 90s. If it gets any hotter than that then the 'chucks can live another day.
__________________
Nobody plans to screw up their lives...
...they just don't plan not to.
-Andy Stanley
Brian Pfleuger is offline  
Old December 23, 2009, 07:27 PM   #23
James R. Burke
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 3, 2009
Location: U.P. of Mich/Quinnesec
Posts: 1,897
I live in Michigan, and during our deer season it's most the time not to bad. It can have some wide swings in the temp. I been out with just a flannel shirt like in the high 30's, and been out around -5 to 10 many times. You always need to be ready for the worste here. I layer the clothes when it is cold, and have mostly wool, real good pack boots, socks, hat, scarfs, face shield, the best gloves, and a muff to put your hands in with a hand warmer. I carry a few of those just in case you should need them and get turned around or something. I even carry the warmers for the feet. Most the time you dont need half of that stuff, but it sure dont hurt to have it if you need it. So I kind of had a taste of both sides, and try to get out most of the time. There is a point if it does get way to cold you just cant do it. Like -20 or -40 etc. But like I said most the time dressed good is all you need here except for those few rare time.
James R. Burke is offline  
Old December 23, 2009, 07:28 PM   #24
VaFisher
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 24, 2006
Posts: 596
About four years ago I hunted Alberta the last week of Nov, for most of the week it was unseasonally cold at -42F in the am.
Hunting doves in NC in high upper 90s would be my warmest I believe.
VaFisher is offline  
Old December 23, 2009, 07:57 PM   #25
Pahoo
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 16, 2006
Location: IOWA
Posts: 8,783
Quote:
Wow! Some of you guys are dedicated to this game! (Or crazy, it's hard to tell sometimes)
Perhaps a little of the first and more of the second. Hard to explain or be accepted by non-hunters, but when the weather is slapping you around a bit, it really makes you feel alive. I think mountain climbers must get the same high.
One time while hunting rabbits in the snow, looked over at my buddy and noticed that the tip of his nose was white. Asked him to wipe the snow off his nose and he did, but the white did not go away. Went over to him and the tip of his nose was getting frost bit. We quickly warmed it up and then it turned a bright red. gave him a hard time about interupting our hunting time.


Be Safe !!!
Pahoo is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:06 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.10383 seconds with 8 queries