Tactics for Hunting Deer in Bad Weather: Part Four
John E. Phillips 12.08.11
Hunting Pressure and Warm Weather Impact Hunting Whitetails
Most hunters believe deer don’t like to move in hot weather. But, because I live in Alabama where the weather remains warm much of hunting season (often the month of December will have temperatures in the 60s), I won’t get to hunt often if I wait to hunt only in cool weather. Here are some tips for hot weather hunting:
- deer seem to move best early and late;
- the hotter the weather, the more deer will use salt licks, either natural or man-made;
- you’ll find deer on the edges of creeks, sloughs or ponds during drought conditions;
- you’ll have more success if you use camo netting instead of insect repellant to keep off the bugs and keep the deer from smelling you.
Deer-Hunting Pressure:
In most areas of the country, hunting pressure affects deer movement, especially older-age-class buck movement, more than any other factor. If you hunt in places with high levels of hunting pressure, learn the general movement patterns of deer to use hunting pressure to drive deer toward you instead of away from you. I consider my GPS (global positioning system) the most critical hunting aid for hunting in high-pressure areas. Using a GPS receiver to navigate, you can get deep in the woods well before daylight and to the backside of the regions where the hunters will come into the woods. Also, if a hunter walks into your region and fouls it up with human odor, you can use your GPS receiver to move quickly to another hunting site by the shortest route. In addition, the GPS receiver will allow you to hunt those last 2 minutes of legal shooting time when most other hunters leave the woods, because the receiver will help you navigate through the woods after dark.
Click here to go back to part three, hunting deer in poor wind conditions and taking moon phases into consideration. Click here for part five, wherein John explains why a lack of deer sign doesn’t mean there aren’t deer in an area.
John, the 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the year and the 2007 Legendary Communicator chosen for induction into the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame, is a freelance writer (over 6,000 magazine articles for about 100 magazines and several thousand newspaper columns published), magazine editor, photographer for print media as well as industry catalogues (over 25,000 photos published), lecturer, outdoor consultant, marketing consultant, book author and daily internet content provider with an overview of the outdoors.
Phillips has been a contributor to many national magazines, has been affiliated with 27 radio stations across Alabama serving as their outdoor editor and wrote for a weekly syndicated column, "Alabama Outdoors," for 38-Alabama newspapers for more than 13 years. Phillips was Outdoor Editor for the "Birmingham Post-Herald" for 24 years. Phillips was also the executive editor for "Great Days Outdoors" magazine for 3 years.
The author of almost 30 books on the outdoors, Phillips is a founding member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) and an active member of the Southeastern Outdoors Press Association (SEOPA). Phillips also is the owner of Night Hawk Publications, a marketing and publishing firm, and president of Creative Concepts, an outdoor consulting group.
Phillips conducts seminars across the nation at colleges in freelance writing, photography and outdoor education besides teaching courses in how to sell what you write to writers' groups. Phillips received his photography training as a still-lab photo specialist for six years in the Air Force. He was the chief photographer for Mannequins, Inc., a Birmingham modeling agency, for 11 years.
While serving as 2nd Vice President of the Alabama Wildlife Federation, Phillips was in charge of all press releases for the organization as well as serving as Chairman of Alabama's Big Buck Contest, which he founded more than 30 years ago. He also was president of the Alabama Sportsman's Association for three years.
Phillips is the recipient of a Certificate of Merit from the Governor of Alabama and the Department of Conservation for his work in the outdoor field. Phillips is vitally interested in the outdoors and travels the nation collecting personalities, stories and how-to information for his articles and features.
EDUCATION: B.S. degree from the University of West Alabama with a physical education major and a history minor.
EXPERIENCE: 10 years parttime and fulltime physical director for YMCAs and 34 years as a freelance writer, photographer, editor, book author, lecturer and daily-content provider for websites. Currently, Phillips is a field editor for Game and Fish Publications; serves on the editorial board of Grandview Media; is a regular contributor to 12 internet magazines and a daily content provider for 8 websites.
WRITING AWARDS: Runnerup - Best Outdoor Magazine Feature - 1981 - SEOPA; Certificate of Merit - Awarded by Alabama's Governor for writings on conservation; Most Outstanding Sports Writer in Southeast - 1983 & 1984; Best Outdoor Feature in Alabama, 1987 - Alabama Sportswriters' Association 3rd Place; Best Book of the Year - 1989 - SEOPA; 2007 - inducted into the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame as a Legendary Communicator; 2008 - received award naming him 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the Year from the Crossbow Manufacturers' Association; 2009 - GAMMA Honorable Mention for Consumer/Paid Best Essay for July/August 2008 in "Southern Sporting Journal."
