Hunting in the Snow
 

Well, guys, I haven't limited out yet, and I haven't shot a decent buck yet.

So I am going to hunt the last three days of the season this year, this coming Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

It's going to be very cold, and, for a change (at least for me), it's going to be in the snow.

I've never deer hunted in the snow (rabbits and other small game, yes, deer, no).

Any tips?

Will there be fresh snow on the ground and do you know how to still hunt?

7.62: Best I can tell it will be snowing on Friday, so the snow will be fresh then, and relatively fresh on Saturday.

I've done some still hunting; from your question, it would appear that it's time to brush up on those still hunting skills.

Love hunting in fresh snow. You can see the deer real good. And see where they been. Really good to blood trail deer in snow too.

I am looking forward to it. I think I will be able to see where they have been very recently; the way it's been the last few hunts, it's been real hard to tell how old the sign has been.

Won't have that problem Friday, and probably not Saturday.

I had given some thought to seeing where the tracks and all indicate they've been, then go back early the next day....

We don't hunt from a stand. We stalk them like the Benoit Bros. Snow makes tracking much easier and it's even quieter to crawl up to where the deer is. I use a 30 lb. bow so we have to get to within at least 10-12 yards.

We got one with my muzzleloader last year so we didn't have to get as close. ;)

Hunting in the snow is great.

snow is white, deer are brown, you can see them a long ways, have taken several beyond 1000 yards in the snow.
RR

So... I can see where your from, and you can see where I'm from... I hope you can understand it if I'm ROFLMAO!!!

I just did a check of the Weather channels web site,(TWC) and they're estimating that my home has received 10.5 inches of snow in the last 24hrs, and may get 3 more inches by morning... I've had to plow the driveway for the last 2 nights, and will do so again tomorrow.

Let me say that not all snow is created equal... We've been getting typical Fall wet and heavy snow... Here's whats going to happen here... The snow that has already fallen is full of moisture... Behind it cold temps are coming... The surface of the snow is going to freeze hard creating a bit of a crust... In no time at all it'll be virtually impossible to move threw the woods quietly around here... It will take a good wind, above freezing temps, or a well packed trail to be able to still hunt around here.

At times we get dry fluffy snow... That is the best still hunting snow, it's hard to beat.

What I'm trying to say is that yer going to have to evaluate yer conditions... If yer getting a wet snow, the temps drop below freezing, and you have no wind, I'm thinking that still hunting is out of the question.

Whatever snow you get, if the temps rise above freezing, still hunting may be on the table because the snow will get soft, tho if it's deep enough it may get crunchy underfoot.

Fluffy snow, and above mild winds... Still hunting all the way.

Yeah... I know... I'm not helping much... The bottom line is that yer going to have to be "Johnny on the spot" according to the conditions that yer under.

Also, if you have active scrape lines going on, or not, scrape lines are a great place to be after a weather system passes threw. It's a phenomena I've observed for many years, at this time of year around here, when a weather system passes threw, bucks will run their rut lines. For us the scrapes are for the most part inactive, but the bucks run them nonetheless.

Hunt near food sources.....snow & cold weather = Hunger,Deer will need food to keep up their energy and look for thick cover, trees and cedars for them to be bedded down in to stay out of the cold!

In the place I been hunting in west Virginia all the deer has been in the fields. Snow should bring them in the fields more to find some thing to eat. Look for a good food source when snow on the ground.

I love hunting the snow. Deer are easier to spot and blood trails are easier to follow. You can see every recent deer track right after fresh snow. After the rut and during high hunting pressure it is good to see the deer are still around.

After season I like to look in fresh snow for deer tracks to set up trail camera and start the long scouting process for next deer season.

Some of the best advise ever given, yet seemingly rarely followed... I figured it was worth echoing for any new hunters that are "paying attention"...

How about knee deep snow? Just was out in the yard - it is about an inch below my knee cap. Would like to get out on the weekend with the ML.

Lunkerdog: you're more help than ya think. I am anticipating the fluffy stuff, which means some still hunting. There may be a little sleet underneath, but no crunchy-crust. It is very, very rare for that to occur, but I have seen it before (during rabbit season).

BTW, if ya ever need some advice on dove hunting in 100-degree + temps, I'm your man...I snicker a little bit when I hear someone from the Twin Cities gripe about the heat (my first wife's best friend was an Eden Prairie Native, and she melted like an ice cube when the ambient temperature reached 80).

GTO: I will keep the groves where the oaks drop the acorns at the forefront of my mind.

My best guess at this point is that the spotting and tracking opportunities are going to be significantly better than I am accustomed to, and I am very much looking forward to it :)

When we get snow here in Michigan during the firearm season it is usually a wet sticky snow. Tree branches hold the snow and hang lower. It is a royal pain to still hunt in as it gets in the bore of the rifle falls down your neck when you touch a branch as it falls then hits the next branch up. Many times the deer lay and get nearly totally covered so they are not easier to see until you just about step on them.

Best to hint from a stand when it is like that as far as I am concerned. Food sources and near bedding areas I think are best.

The dry fluffy snow is Ok to still hunt in as long as you have a hunting area where you can do so.


Snow is great for scouting for next season but there are a lot of if's in that too.
Like farm crops acorn supply can and do change the pattern the deer have. Bedding areas how ever seem to stay the same for several years till the brush grows thinner or they keep getting pushed out for some reason.



:D Al

Yep! Visibility in heavy cover = about 20 ft, if that.

I don't really "get" still hunting by moving. I know it's more "slow" hunting but I still don't see how you can sneak up on a deer without it seeing you first...unless it's bedded down.

I shot one of my biggest bucks, a 207lbs 8 pointer while still hunting... I guess the "still" part is a matter of interpretation... Think about "mile a day" still hunting... ya gotta put the "still" into it. Tho I cover more ground on gusty days, I move when the wind blows, and hold when it's calm.

MZS, and Yooper... Yup, that's what I have right now... Was chuckling at RR's comment... He obviously lives in different terrain than I do... A windy day will change that tho.

Edit: I forgot to add that the snow total report in my area is 23 inches... They got 42 inches up on lake Superior's North Shore, about 60 miles East of me as the crow flies.

Have no idea,LOL.

I live in North Texas. Its going to be a cold booger. As for your snow question, I love it when we get snow and for all the reasons others have posted.

I think they are harder to see first when bedded down. That's when I've been busted the most while still hunting. I've snuck up within 15 yards of deer many times and been busted many times more. The key is to spot them from a distance and move in cautiously. It takes a LOT of patience, balance and endurance. You're looking for the flick of a tail or ear, etc. You're also looking for OTHER deer that will bust you because you've only been paying attention to the one you've seen. :)

We're still getting a fair amount of Snow fall here in Missouri....my plans are to sit up in one of my ladder stands and do some Calling for a Coyote,hopefully I'll see 1 or call in a Bobcat or Fox since they are in-season now also!I know for sure that my Hunting Buddy will want to head out its evening on Public Land and Call in the Big Woods for Predators....will post if we get anything? ;)

Gonna get out my Natural Gear Snow Camo and check my trail cameras out to see what Deer made it thru Rifle/Gun Season....as mentioned above with Snow You can see where the Deer travel the most,bed down and get a much better idea of where to hunt them!

I headed out right after it stopped snowing this morning.

I spent most of the day looking for fresh tracks - - AND FOUND SOME!

Curiously enough, they weren't WAAAAY back in the nowhere; they were within 300 yards of my parking area.

And there were a LOT of them.

I spent the rest of the day hiking all over the area I hunt, and found nothing to compare to those sets of tracks.

So I know where I am going to be early tomorrow, in a gobbler lounger, on the ground (no good place for a tree stand in that area). And I have some coveralls... we're going to see.....the snow seems holds some promise as a scouting tool.

Well I got out in the deep snow. Trudged through the snow in an area where deer will often winter over. Saw some tracks so I followed them in, slowly wading through the snow. It was thick, really thick, but I found a place to stand to the side with a little visibility. At about 3:15 or so a 6-pt or so buck walks by only 10 or 13 yds away! By the time I get my ML up it is behind cover. Silent as a ghost - of course with the 3 head coverings I had I could not hear much, and the wind was howling. Stayed out another hour or so, til I was nearly froze to death in the zero temps. Was a good hunt. In deep snow, follow the tracks, stake out, but not TOO close! And be ready. . . Oh well. And hunt the areas with heavy evergreen stands - they will catch and hold up to half the snow, and will provide insulating cover against the cold.