Tactics for Hunting Deer in Bad Weather: Part Two
John E. Phillips 11.28.11
You Can Take Large Whitetails by Hunting in the Snow and the Rain
You’ll find the very-best times to hunt in rainy weather conditions are just before the rain, during the first 30 minutes of rain, 30 minutes before the rain stops and within the first 2 hours after the rain. More than likely you will get wet hunting during these times. Therefore, purchase the best, most-comfortable, most-quiet rainsuit you can buy like mine made by Cabela’s. Remember, don’t try to dodge lightning. If you see lightning in the sky, get out of the tree stand and the woods. When in a tree stand, you can become a lightning rod. Also, when you walk around in the woods with a gun on your shoulder, you may become a target for a lightning bolt. Although I hunt in the rain, I never hunt when lightning accompanies rain. I use three different tactics when I know I’ll encounter rain on a hunting trip. I’ll…
- go anyway. If the TV weather monitor shows a line of thunderstorms moving into the area I want to hunt, I’ll still go into the woods to hunt, even though I realize I will get wet. I know during the rut the bucks will move the most right after a rain. To attract does and other bucks, the scrape must have fresh and readable information. Rain washes away the information bucks and does leave in a scrape, just like an eraser wipes information off a blackboard. For that scrape to be a signpost, the deer have to put the information back on and around the scrape as soon as the rain slacks off or ceases. If you’re in your stand when the rain stops, you’ll have a greater chance of seeing and taking a buck than if you go to the stand after the rainstorm passes. If you wait until the rain stops to move to your stand, you most likely will spook the buck you want to take. But if you go to your stand before or during a rainstorm, you will often have the opportunity to bag nice-sized buck when the rain slackens or eventually quits.
- stalk during the rain. A deer’s ability to see, hear and smell lessens to some degree during a rainstorm. Therefore, you can stalk on the edges of bedding areas with a much smaller chance of detection. If you hunt just before the rain begins, you will frequently see the bucks going to their bedding site. If you hunt just as the rain slacks off or stops, you may spot bucks coming away from their bedding region.
- hunt food sources. A hungry deer will eat regardless of the weather. I’ve taken stands in driving rainstorms before and seen bucks appear on green fields for absolutely no reason at all except that they’re hungry. I’ve sat in an acorn flat near a white oak tree while rain poured down and watched bucks come to feed. Although bucks don’t seem to like feeding in heavy rain, occasionally they will.
Hunting in snowy weather:
Snow affects deer differently in various areas of the country. In Alabama where I live, the deer bed-down when snow falls. If the snow remains on the ground for a day or two, and the deer move in it, they may come out on a green field with snow on it, take two steps out in the opening, turn around and then run back into the woods. I’ve seen other deer come to the edge of a field and run across it like the hounds of hell were chasing them.
Deer in the snow get spooked easily. They don’t know what to make of the white stuff, and they generally don’t like it. Often when they do move, they move only at night. The farther north you go, you’ll find the deer less affected by the snow. When I hunted on Anticosti Island in Canada, we had a whiteout, where snow came down so heavily we could see nothing in front of us. Luckily, the guide knew of a little outpost cabin where we found refuge from the storm. As soon as the storm stopped dumping snow on us, we immediately went back to hunting. In less than 30 minutes, we found fresh buck tracks in the snow. Fifteen minutes after beginning to trail the buck, I took a nice-sized 8 point. Fresh snow in the Deep South, I’ve found, makes deer hunting extremely difficult. Fresh snow in the North, where deer are accustomed to the snow, often results in ideal hunting conditions. Tracking deer in the snow is one of my favorite ways to hunt. In the North and the South, hunting just ahead of a snowstorm can produce results. In the North, hunting immediately after a snowstorm can and will pay buck dividends. But when hunting in the South, I really believe that after the first hour of new snow, you’ll do better to spend your time at the cabin.
Click here to go back to part one, an introduction to hunting deer in snow and rain. Click here to go on to part three, preparing to hunt deer in wrong wind conditions and considering moon phases.
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."
