Doing more harm than good??
 

I got in my stand yesterday at 3:00. It was 94 degrees. I ATV'd to a reasonable distance to keep from sweating too much arriving.....but once on stand....I was leaking like a sprinkler.

I have to think I might be doing more harm than good about right now. Trying to hunt smart.....I DID go to a spot on the outside fringes of my good areas.....but I'm thinking I need to give it a rest on the hot days. It's just not fun....and I think I'm likely doing more harm than good.

What say ye?

RE: Doing more harm than good??
 

I dont think so, when its that hot out the air is going to rise. My philosophy is you have to be there to have a chance. You never know when the big boy decides he wants to go for a lil strool.

RE: Doing more harm than good??
 

How was deer movement yesterday in the heat? If they're not moving I wouldn't be in there.

RE: Doing more harm than good??
 

Admittedly, GR8.....I was on the fringes of where I normally see a lot of deer movement. But.....I saw 9 deer Saturday morning (again....in a prime spot).....and 8 Saturday evening in a spot about 200 yds from my honey hole (in <2 hours).

Yesterday......5 hours on stand.....I saw 1 mama and 2 babies.

If I go in with this heat, again.....it'll be in a fringe spot. That, in and of itself, will keep the sightings down. I'm just not willing to risk stinking up my spots any more than I have to. I already did that Satuday trapesing through the woods for 9 hours.

I have some fringe spots to hunt......and as long as the temps are anywhere CLOSE to what they have been.....that's what I'll be utilizing.

RE: Doing more harm than good??
 

You just be doing yourself more good by stying back and glassing on the hot days.Take notes 0n wind and travel patterns for later ,cooler evenings.

RE: Doing more harm than good??
 

Jeff, i came to the same conclusion after i hunted this past sat afternoon when it was 92 in the afternoon. I did end up seeing a doe and a 4 point velvet buck right under my stand, but it was just too darn hot. I dont think ill be going out again till its in the low 70's. Just sitting there sweating isnt fun plus i must have been leaving scent all over the place.

RE: Doing more harm than good??
 

Very good point, Bawana. I have a spot that I've rarely utilized.....that I can get some distance from and check movement. I may try to do this this afternoon. I can stink that spot (observation spot) up and not do any harm. Maybe I'll see Mr. Big (relative;)) utilizing a travel route I've not thought of. Who knows until I give it a try???

Thing is, though.....it would be nice to have a bow in hand even on an outskirt spot. The spot I'm speaking of......I can't hunt. I can observe from there, though.

RE: Doing more harm than good??
 

Remaining undetected, now and later in the season is the real challenge to hunting. If you have to , as you are, stay at a distance and observe, then so be it. Hunting involves every aspect , from scouting preseason, postseason,in season,and doing some sitting during season that is primarily for observing an area, so you know where to set up later for the actuall kill. Many peopel equate 'hunting' as when we are solely intent on making a kill that particular time,but that is askewed perspective. It is one reason why so maay will pay an outfitter to increase their chances of taking a trophy. The outfitter has done 95% of teh hunting, and they get to pull the trigger, yet call themselves the 'hunter'. Many times because they don't really know how to actually 'hunt', all that goes into it as I mentioned, or don't have the time to or aren't willing to do teh real leg work involved. Sometimes we need to relax our desire to always have to see something or take something every time we are in the field, and enjoy the whole process--the whole challenge of what really 'hunting' is all about. You mentioned , in another thread, about the field journal, and the care and the analytical approach that you are taking with your hunts---that is exactly what and how we should all be doing. When we get to where teh kill is all important, or bragging rights, or it becomes an ego driven p;issing contest to beat our chest over, then we have lost something. We have lost the whole plot. Sorry for the long post--but I feel better now!;):D

RE: Doing more harm than good??
 

Is your stand in a shady area? Or is it you just cannot stand the heat? For the heat supposably Under Armour works great. But if in a shady area I am hunting and the wind is right. My honey hole stand it can be upper 90's but that stand stays in the shade pretty much all day. The deer will be there I have my cam pics that also back this up.

RE: Doing more harm than good??
 

I can put my stand anywhere I want to ;). And, yes....I choose shade!

Probably...lol.

Fraley....I know the deer are probably ther ein my honey hole. I'd just hate for the day I choose to go in there to be the day they skirt that area......and for me to leave a ton of scent in there, sweating.

In 94 degree heat (record high here, again, yesterday).....I sweat.

RE: Doing more harm than good??
 

I rarely hunt if the temp is above 80 degrees.. I just have not had enough success over a 20 year period to justify stinking up the area....

RE: Doing more harm than good??
 

GMMAT, I too live in NC and I hunted yesterday afternoon and was covered up with deer around 7:45 pm. By the time they got close enough, it was too dark to shoot. This early in the season with little pressure they'll still tend to move, although very sparingly. At least we have cooler weather coming later this week!!

RE: Doing more harm than good??
 

Same here. At least not anywhere close to my hone holes.

RE: Doing more harm than good??
 

Is that slang for holes you honed down to perfection, wittled, sharpened? [8D] ;) Now you know I couldn't resist.....lol

Same here to some degree....I do get out no matter what, when it's too hot it might be in an observation stand that still might offer possibilities. I use the time for inseason scouting but I am still out there....one never knows.

RE: Doing more harm than good??
 

I do the same thing pretty much. It's better than sitting on the couch. I will make sure wind is perfect though, and may use it for nap time.......but I will still get out there. My first buck with a bow I shot on PA's opening day in 1995........it was almost 90 degrees when I shot him. I watched him for several hours that morning and also missed another spike buck only a few hours before I shot him.

RE: Doing more harm than good??
 

i have the same proplem even if it is 75 i am a big guy and sweat alot even if i am just sitting some were i plan to hunt the mornings and maybe late after noons

RE: Doing more harm than good??
 

Hey Gmmat I shot deer in the heat and was sweating like a hog when doing it. I tried not to hunt when it was hot but then you sit at home wandering if that was the time the big boy walk by. I know i dont see many deer sometimes none when its hot out but I try.

RE: Doing more harm than good??
 

It just isn't fun for me anymoreto hunt when it's hot like that. Between the sweating and the bugs it pretty much isn't worth it to me personally although I have killed deer in the heat. When I experience hot days during the season, I'll hunt the early morning period, then call it a day and do something else productive. That way I still get my hunting fix but remain fresh for late October and early November when I want to be in my stand every possible moment.

My good hunting buddy burnt himself out so bad two years ago hitting the early season real hard that by the time prime time showed up, he was just about out of gas while I was cranking right along.

RE: Doing more harm than good??
 

You and I aren't getting paid for this, so let's focus on keeping it fun. That's what I think anyways.

RE: Doing more harm than good??
 

Do you have any water sources on your property? If so then that's the area I would be focused on in this heat. I was actually kind of hoping for warmer weather this weekend for the WI opener because I have a secluded water hole to hunt but since it is going to be in the 60's I will just have to hunt the acorns;)

RE: Doing more harm than good??
 

YOU KNOW THE FUNNY THING IS YOU THINK DAMN GOT IN HERE ,NOW IM SWEATIN,SWATIN SKEETERS OFF ME THIS SUCKS,BUT I HAVE KILLED MORE DEER ON HOT EARLY SEASON EVENINGS THAN ANY OTHER TIMES,SOMETIMES I THINK THE DEER R A LITTLE LESS CAUTIOUS BECAUSE THEY R ALSO HOT AND BOTHERED,HUNT NEAR THE FOOD AND YOULL BE ALLRIGHT