Air conditioners and deer hunting

springmom · November 28, 2006, 04:14 PM

This is ridiculous. It is Nov. 28 and I have the A/C on in the house.

I was thinking about trying to get out to the woods today, but the heat and humidity make this a fairly pointless trip. Or I assume it does. OTOH, the rut is the rut is the rut, despite our current "July in Christmas" weather, and that leads me to ask Ye Great Hunting Gurus:

Do you bother trying to hunt when it's above, say, 70 degrees? When we have a warm front, does that really dampen the activity during shooting hours, or should I get my behind out there tomorrow and try out that new SRH?

Springmom

XLT · November 28, 2006, 04:17 PM

I am no guru, but it seems to me that the deer are as used to it as much as we are. I have seen a lot activity out where I hunt (Bandera County) despite the warmer weather.

I still hunt in it, don't really like field dressing etc. in the warm weather though...

whiskey · November 28, 2006, 04:25 PM

If I didn't hunt when it was warm, I wouldn't get to hunt. I have seen/heard differnt things about how warm weather can change deer patterns. I would hunt. You are certain only of one things is this case. If you stay home you are certain to not kill a deer. However, if you hunt, then....

springmom · November 28, 2006, 04:36 PM

Good point

Springmom

FirstFreedom · November 28, 2006, 05:22 PM

If the high is over 75 or 80, best idea (if possible; if hunting close to home), is to get out before sunup, hunt the morning, shed some layers about 10:00 am, scout a bit and stalk-hunt back to camp about 11:00, then be heading home by noon. Forget about the evening. Good news is, cold front will hit here Wed evening and Thurs - should be there by Friday or so - get ready!

Eghad · November 28, 2006, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Do you bother trying to hunt when it's above, say, 70 degrees? When we have a warm front, does that really dampen the activity during shooting hours, or should I get my behind out there tomorrow and try out that new SRH?

Springmom

Dont the skeeters use the Deet for an appetizer in your part of SE Texas too?

springmom · November 28, 2006, 05:51 PM

LOL. No, the skeeters use ME as an appetizer.

Yeah, I'm watching the weather closely for Friday/Saturday. But I can only stay for a morning hunt on Saturday, so I was hoping to get out for a whole day this week. I am way overdue for chanting vespers, so I can't stay past about 2ish or so Saturday

Argh. High tomorrow to be 80, with wind at 20mph or so. Maybe I can crawl out real early in the morning and be there before dawn, when it get all the way down to 66 /sarcasm

Ah, well. Hopefully Saturday morning will be worth freezing my fanny off. And there's always next week....

Springmom

FirstFreedom · November 28, 2006, 06:18 PM

If the wind is that high (consistently), and you stay up high, the skeeters shouldn't get you too bad, and that's enough wind to sneak up on deer, even with sweat and/or deet on you. So I'd hunt if the wind is high, particularly the morning - just stay out of the bottom areas where the skeeters thrive.

swampdog · November 28, 2006, 06:34 PM

I hunt when I can, not when I think the deer are most active. Granted, some of my hunting trips could more correctly be called scouting trips, but I'm limited by work to the days I can hunt. I end up hunting on rainy days, quite a bit. Still hunting seems to be more effective than stand hunting when the deer aren't active.

You won't shoot very many deer sitting on your couch and no day spent in the woods can be called a complete waste.

Fremmer · November 28, 2006, 07:07 PM

I'd go anyway, Springmom, especially in the morning and at dusk. They'll bed down during the hot day (and maybe during dusk, too, but you might as well be there).

Cold weather is better for hunting, but it can't hurt to try! You know how the deer lottery works: you can't win unless you play.

Good luck! Don't forget a camera, too.

springmom · November 28, 2006, 08:57 PM

Ah, heck...I'm outta here tomorrow morning. You talked me into it.

Who needs to do laundry anyway???

I just need to get to bed early enough to get up at 4. :barf: (Guess who is NOT a morning person?)

And I'm taking my SRH. Heh heh heh...look out deer, here I come!

Springmom

Twycross · November 28, 2006, 09:23 PM

Too hot to hunt? As far as I am concerned, there are very few good excuses to not hunt, and temperature is not one of them.

I haven't noticed much difference in deer activity with a temperature change. At the beginning of the season, it was close to 60 degrees as a high. Now the high is closer to 15, and the deer haven't changed much.

springmom · November 28, 2006, 09:31 PM

LOL. I'd turn into a Springmomsicle if I hunted in 15 degree weather.

Thinking of 15 degrees makes 80 sound REAL good for a hunting day!!!!

Springmom

siotwo · November 29, 2006, 07:43 AM

We're getting a nice cold snap here in ABQ, so maybe Thursday/Friday it will hit the 'ol Sam Houston

Ron
Albuquerque by way of Spring, TX.

Art Eatman · November 29, 2006, 02:09 PM

The norther is supposed to hit Terlingua in the wee small hours. For me, then, this afternoon oughta be good. Deer move around a lot just before a norther blows in.

This evening and Thursday ought to be good in east Texas. The next good time would be after the wind lays down and it's still and cold. That's when rattling works well, and the bucks are out arguing with each other.

Art

springmom · November 29, 2006, 02:13 PM

Well, I crawled out at 4:00 this morning and ended up in the forest just before sunrise. I saw not a single critter (apart from the ubiquitous mosquitos) anywhere. No woodpeckers, even, and they are ALWAYS active in the early morning. It was like a heavy blanket of humidity had simply squashed any critter activity of any sort.

Did see quite a few hog prints in areas that previously were deer. Not sure what that suggests, although I don't recall seeing hogs and deer in very close proximity...I wonder if the hogs have moved up further away from the bottom lands.

Ditz that I am, I had Archerandshooter's bag out last night, getting the gutting knife out of it. So this morning, trying to hurry and get out without waking the whole house, I ended up PUTTING MY SRH IN THE WRONG BAG. Yup. It sat in DH's bag peacefully doing nothing, while I, up at the woods an hour away, sat and cussed and discussed my sleepy stupidity. I did have my .45 and figured I'd go scouting and see what I could see at least, but as a hunting trip, it was not much.

Still, seeing a sunrise in the forest beats sleeping in and being awakened by the dogs barking

Front comes through tomorrow morning around nine. Depending on the rain that comes with, I may go back up there right after the frontal passage, or if there's too much rain for the roads to be safely driven (they're pretty muddy and slick back in the forest even today) I'll wait 'til the weekend.

Sigh. I DID manage to harvest, oh, another dozen mosquito bites....

Springmom

Fremmer · November 29, 2006, 02:20 PM

Try again later today at dusk, Springmom. Those deer have to move and eat sometime!

FirstFreedom · November 29, 2006, 05:02 PM

I'd wait til tomorrow morning, as the front is coming in.... good luck! put on raingear.

springmom · November 29, 2006, 09:09 PM

I took Fremmer's advice

I left about 2:30 this afternoon and got there and settled about 3:45. There's an interesting little path that has been created by the forest management folks, which parallels the road for a ways, and intersects with all sorts of other trails at several points. I picked an intersection, hung up a key wick saturated with doe piddle, set a trail of drips of said piddle in all four directions, and settled down in a little natural blind about 40 yards away to wait.

It was a great time. The birds were singing, which they weren't at all this morning. I could hear little critters occasionally moving around (I had no idea there were that many tree toads up there; practically had to dance around not to step on them.)

There had been some rain blow through briefly just about the time I was driving up there, and it cooled things off and dropped the humidity so that the afternoon was cooler, and far more pleasant, than the morning had been.

I heard one deer just off to my right. I was totally hidden, and held my breath hoping and waiting. Unfortunately, I hadn't strung the trail piddle drops quite far enough to really get that deer interested enough to keep coming (note to self: don't stop with the piddle too soon.) It didn't whuff and run off, it just wandered away in disinterest. I did some more calling and waiting, and just enjoyed a gorgeous cool afternoon in the brush.

Toward the end of shooting light, a scream began from somewhere off to front right, maybe 400-500 yards away. Either a fawn or a rabbit had met a predator. It was hard to listen to. And needless to say, that was the end of hoping for hunting, since I'm sure anything that could have been prey beat feet or froze in place.

At any rate, the wind is going to be 30mph tomorrow as the blue norther blows in and drops the temperature from 70 to 40. I'll check on the weather for Friday; and certainly we'll go up on Saturday morning.

But despite no score today, it was a glorious afternoon in the woods.

Springmom

November 28, 2006, 04:14 PM	#1
springmom Senior Member Join Date: October 26, 2005 Location: Houston area Posts: 1,823	Air conditioners and deer hunting This is ridiculous. It is Nov. 28 and I have the A/C on in the house. I was thinking about trying to get out to the woods today, but the heat and humidity make this a fairly pointless trip. Or I assume it does. OTOH, the rut is the rut is the rut, despite our current "July in Christmas" weather, and that leads me to ask Ye Great Hunting Gurus: Do you bother trying to hunt when it's above, say, 70 degrees? When we have a warm front, does that really dampen the activity during shooting hours, or should I get my behind out there tomorrow and try out that new SRH? Springmom

November 28, 2006, 04:17 PM	#2
XLT Senior Member Join Date: January 20, 2005 Location: El Paso, TX Posts: 207	I am no guru, but it seems to me that the deer are as used to it as much as we are. I have seen a lot activity out where I hunt (Bandera County) despite the warmer weather. I still hunt in it, don't really like field dressing etc. in the warm weather though...

November 28, 2006, 04:25 PM	#3
whiskey Senior Member Join Date: January 19, 2000 Location: Clarksville, TN Posts: 431	If I didn't hunt when it was warm, I wouldn't get to hunt. I have seen/heard differnt things about how warm weather can change deer patterns. I would hunt. You are certain only of one things is this case. If you stay home you are certain to not kill a deer. However, if you hunt, then....

November 28, 2006, 04:36 PM	#4
springmom Senior Member Join Date: October 26, 2005 Location: Houston area Posts: 1,823	Good point Springmom

November 28, 2006, 05:22 PM	#5
FirstFreedom Junior member Join Date: May 31, 2004 Location: The Toll Road State, U.S.A. Posts: 12,451	If the high is over 75 or 80, best idea (if possible; if hunting close to home), is to get out before sunup, hunt the morning, shed some layers about 10:00 am, scout a bit and stalk-hunt back to camp about 11:00, then be heading home by noon. Forget about the evening. Good news is, cold front will hit here Wed evening and Thurs - should be there by Friday or so - get ready!

November 28, 2006, 05:51 PM	#7
springmom Senior Member Join Date: October 26, 2005 Location: Houston area Posts: 1,823	LOL. No, the skeeters use ME as an appetizer. Yeah, I'm watching the weather closely for Friday/Saturday. But I can only stay for a morning hunt on Saturday, so I was hoping to get out for a whole day this week. I am way overdue for chanting vespers, so I can't stay past about 2ish or so Saturday Argh. High tomorrow to be 80, with wind at 20mph or so. Maybe I can crawl out real early in the morning and be there before dawn, when it get all the way down to 66 /sarcasm Ah, well. Hopefully Saturday morning will be worth freezing my fanny off. And there's always next week.... Springmom

November 28, 2006, 06:18 PM	#8
FirstFreedom Junior member Join Date: May 31, 2004 Location: The Toll Road State, U.S.A. Posts: 12,451	If the wind is that high (consistently), and you stay up high, the skeeters shouldn't get you too bad, and that's enough wind to sneak up on deer, even with sweat and/or deet on you. So I'd hunt if the wind is high, particularly the morning - just stay out of the bottom areas where the skeeters thrive.

November 28, 2006, 06:34 PM	#9
swampdog Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2006 Location: Dismal Swamp, NC Posts: 338	I hunt when I can, not when I think the deer are most active. Granted, some of my hunting trips could more correctly be called scouting trips, but I'm limited by work to the days I can hunt. I end up hunting on rainy days, quite a bit. Still hunting seems to be more effective than stand hunting when the deer aren't active. You won't shoot very many deer sitting on your couch and no day spent in the woods can be called a complete waste.

November 28, 2006, 07:07 PM	#10
Fremmer Senior Member Join Date: June 19, 2005 Location: Nebraska Posts: 3,482	I'd go anyway, Springmom, especially in the morning and at dusk. They'll bed down during the hot day (and maybe during dusk, too, but you might as well be there). Cold weather is better for hunting, but it can't hurt to try! You know how the deer lottery works: you can't win unless you play. Good luck! Don't forget a camera, too.

November 28, 2006, 08:57 PM	#11
springmom Senior Member Join Date: October 26, 2005 Location: Houston area Posts: 1,823	Ah, heck...I'm outta here tomorrow morning. You talked me into it. Who needs to do laundry anyway??? I just need to get to bed early enough to get up at 4. :barf: (Guess who is NOT a morning person?) And I'm taking my SRH. Heh heh heh...look out deer, here I come! Springmom

November 28, 2006, 09:23 PM	#12
Twycross Senior Member Join Date: January 26, 2005 Location: Montana Posts: 1,187	Too hot to hunt? As far as I am concerned, there are very few good excuses to not hunt, and temperature is not one of them. I haven't noticed much difference in deer activity with a temperature change. At the beginning of the season, it was close to 60 degrees as a high. Now the high is closer to 15, and the deer haven't changed much.

November 28, 2006, 09:31 PM	#13
springmom Senior Member Join Date: October 26, 2005 Location: Houston area Posts: 1,823	LOL. I'd turn into a Springmomsicle if I hunted in 15 degree weather. Thinking of 15 degrees makes 80 sound REAL good for a hunting day!!!! Springmom

November 29, 2006, 07:43 AM	#14
siotwo Senior Member Join Date: February 6, 2005 Location: The Woodlands, TX Posts: 217	We're getting a nice cold snap here in ABQ, so maybe Thursday/Friday it will hit the 'ol Sam Houston Ron Albuquerque by way of Spring, TX.

November 29, 2006, 02:09 PM	#15
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	The norther is supposed to hit Terlingua in the wee small hours. For me, then, this afternoon oughta be good. Deer move around a lot just before a norther blows in. This evening and Thursday ought to be good in east Texas. The next good time would be after the wind lays down and it's still and cold. That's when rattling works well, and the bucks are out arguing with each other. Art

November 29, 2006, 02:13 PM	#16
springmom Senior Member Join Date: October 26, 2005 Location: Houston area Posts: 1,823	Well, I crawled out at 4:00 this morning and ended up in the forest just before sunrise. I saw not a single critter (apart from the ubiquitous mosquitos) anywhere. No woodpeckers, even, and they are ALWAYS active in the early morning. It was like a heavy blanket of humidity had simply squashed any critter activity of any sort. Did see quite a few hog prints in areas that previously were deer. Not sure what that suggests, although I don't recall seeing hogs and deer in very close proximity...I wonder if the hogs have moved up further away from the bottom lands. Ditz that I am, I had Archerandshooter's bag out last night, getting the gutting knife out of it. So this morning, trying to hurry and get out without waking the whole house, I ended up PUTTING MY SRH IN THE WRONG BAG. Yup. It sat in DH's bag peacefully doing nothing, while I, up at the woods an hour away, sat and cussed and discussed my sleepy stupidity. I did have my .45 and figured I'd go scouting and see what I could see at least, but as a hunting trip, it was not much. Still, seeing a sunrise in the forest beats sleeping in and being awakened by the dogs barking Front comes through tomorrow morning around nine. Depending on the rain that comes with, I may go back up there right after the frontal passage, or if there's too much rain for the roads to be safely driven (they're pretty muddy and slick back in the forest even today) I'll wait 'til the weekend. Sigh. I DID manage to harvest, oh, another dozen mosquito bites.... Springmom

November 29, 2006, 02:20 PM	#17
Fremmer Senior Member Join Date: June 19, 2005 Location: Nebraska Posts: 3,482	Try again later today at dusk, Springmom. Those deer have to move and eat sometime!

November 29, 2006, 05:02 PM	#18
FirstFreedom Junior member Join Date: May 31, 2004 Location: The Toll Road State, U.S.A. Posts: 12,451	I'd wait til tomorrow morning, as the front is coming in.... good luck! put on raingear.

November 29, 2006, 09:09 PM	#19
springmom Senior Member Join Date: October 26, 2005 Location: Houston area Posts: 1,823	I took Fremmer's advice I left about 2:30 this afternoon and got there and settled about 3:45. There's an interesting little path that has been created by the forest management folks, which parallels the road for a ways, and intersects with all sorts of other trails at several points. I picked an intersection, hung up a key wick saturated with doe piddle, set a trail of drips of said piddle in all four directions, and settled down in a little natural blind about 40 yards away to wait. It was a great time. The birds were singing, which they weren't at all this morning. I could hear little critters occasionally moving around (I had no idea there were that many tree toads up there; practically had to dance around not to step on them.) There had been some rain blow through briefly just about the time I was driving up there, and it cooled things off and dropped the humidity so that the afternoon was cooler, and far more pleasant, than the morning had been. I heard one deer just off to my right. I was totally hidden, and held my breath hoping and waiting. Unfortunately, I hadn't strung the trail piddle drops quite far enough to really get that deer interested enough to keep coming (note to self: don't stop with the piddle too soon.) It didn't whuff and run off, it just wandered away in disinterest. I did some more calling and waiting, and just enjoyed a gorgeous cool afternoon in the brush. Toward the end of shooting light, a scream began from somewhere off to front right, maybe 400-500 yards away. Either a fawn or a rabbit had met a predator. It was hard to listen to. And needless to say, that was the end of hoping for hunting, since I'm sure anything that could have been prey beat feet or froze in place. At any rate, the wind is going to be 30mph tomorrow as the blue norther blows in and drops the temperature from 70 to 40. I'll check on the weather for Friday; and certainly we'll go up on Saturday morning. But despite no score today, it was a glorious afternoon in the woods. Springmom