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Post by whitfang on Dec 5, 2008 14:26:31 GMT -5
Typically when I hunt, my prime hours are dawn and dusk.
A hunting buddy claims that during cold weather (temp in the teens and below), the prime hours shift to mid-day (like 10am-4pm) because deer stay bedded when it's coldest to conserve energy.
I say that deer are still nocturnal and eat and 'socialize' during the night, thus they are still in transit at dawn and dusk.
When do you hunt during during cold weather?
What temps are deer comfortable and when do they stay bedded?
Thanks.
(And I know I should be on stand all day, but sometimes I just have other stuff to do.)
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Post by tickman1961 on Dec 5, 2008 14:32:31 GMT -5
Hunt when you can.....
Deer are comfortable in the wild and will get up and move many times during the day..
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Post by DEERTRACKS on Dec 5, 2008 14:43:35 GMT -5
In the cold ML & Late Archery season I always switch from sun-up hunting to late morning-early afternoon hunting. By this time of the year they are more prone to pre-dawn bedding & post dusk movement into their open feeding areas.
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yaz
Full Member
Posts: 67
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Post by yaz on Dec 5, 2008 14:50:36 GMT -5
I know that deer movement switches around toward mid morning when it is very cold. I just got back from Wyoming. The morning temps were single digit to the mid teens every morning. Not much movement at all until the sun was completely up, and seen deer up all day until about 4:30 pm. The daylight, and right at dark hours were not very good, unless something bumped and deer to get them up. I'm hoping for a little movement Sat. morning just from other hunters moving them around. I still can't force myself to not being in my stand before light!!! So, I just freeze my hind end off.
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Post by Sleazy E on Dec 5, 2008 14:49:47 GMT -5
I agree once it gets cold and especially after gun season.... the deer will move more mid day than dawn and dusk... I would suggest to stay in the woods and cover food sources not exposed to roads.. and hollers... because unless you have a field that is surrounded by wood line and far from a road... there is a good chance that they will not be in it during daylight hours...
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Post by ridgerunner on Dec 5, 2008 18:44:53 GMT -5
I almost always sit till noon when hunting if I can. I noticed on several monring this firearms season when the temps were in the teens deer didn't move until 9:30am-12:00 noon.Almost always when I hunt mornings where temps are in the teens or colder, deer will stay tight until that sun comes up good and starts warming things a little.
If you're gonna take time to get up early, get dressed go to your hunting spot, then sit till noon. If you leave your stand before noon thats a big time mistake that many many hunter make, and the more experienced veterans depend on...I know that 80 % or so hunters are gonna get antsy after and hour or two on the stand, they'll get up move around, walk and then go home..On the process they'll bump deer they don't even know about..I've killed many nice bucks late in the morning and early afternoon, but more so in the late morning.. Big Bucks aren't stupid...Many times during the rut I pack a lunch and hunt all day long...try it you'll be amazed at how many more deer you'll see from 10:00am-2pm. Your buddy is right for the most part on cold cold mornings deer won;t move right away they'll wait for things to warm a little and that sun to come up a little. When that sun starts shining bright on those cold mornings around 9:30-10:00am that's when I started seeing all the deer movement..It was so predictable I often thoguht I was wasting my time getting to the stand before 9am. on those type of mornings..Do your own research though every area is different dependent on huntingpressure and other variables. Keep a log and make your own decision based on your own findings of the area you hunt!
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Post by Hoosier Hunter on Dec 5, 2008 19:39:39 GMT -5
It's gonna be a cold one for sure.
When it gets real cold like this I get those huge heat pads in the pharmacy department. I get the ones made to wrap around your lower back. They're made for people with back pain but sure wrok good in the woods. They work just like the smaller "hot hands" hand wamers they sell in the sporting goods department. You can get a box of two for about $5.
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Post by huxbux on Dec 6, 2008 13:54:08 GMT -5
IMO the wind is a big part of the equation. Deer don't seem to restrict their movements nearly as much in the really cold weather if it's calm. The energy loss won't be nearly as high as being exposed to the wind.
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Post by whitfang on Dec 6, 2008 20:38:34 GMT -5
I'll try mid-day and see how it works.
Besides, if the deer like it, I'm sure us hunters will like staying in bed a little later in the morning.
Thanks for the replies.
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Post by ridgerunner on Dec 7, 2008 13:04:43 GMT -5
whitfang nows the time to kill the monster that avoided everyone else. They'll be letting their guard down a bit, re-fueling their bodies after the rut. Their wore down and they'll be hitting the picked corn fields for some high carb , high energy nutrition.Stay on the stand as long as you can, tough it out, it'll pay off!..
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Post by trophyhunter1 on Dec 7, 2008 21:29:49 GMT -5
how you guys keep you feet warm?? i got 1000 gram boots and heavy socks i can get about 3-4 hours of real cold weather before there ready to freeze off..lol
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Post by Woody Williams on Dec 7, 2008 21:31:12 GMT -5
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Post by raporter on Dec 7, 2008 22:04:38 GMT -5
Good socks and burleys.
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Post by featherduster on Dec 8, 2008 7:02:45 GMT -5
Battery heated socks. Do not plug them in till you really need to. Then enjoy the rest of the day.
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Post by Woody Williams on Dec 8, 2008 8:15:23 GMT -5
Ditto. The Burleys should be big enough that a person can wiggle their toes freely. You need some dead air space in there to help insulate. |
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Post by muzzyman on Dec 8, 2008 10:43:33 GMT -5
Boot blankets work great! I would highly suggest that everyone who gets cold feet buy a pair. Throw some of those hand warmers in between your layers of socks and you will be good to go!
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Post by Woody Williams on Dec 8, 2008 10:52:17 GMT -5
Boot blankets work great! I would highly suggest that everyone who gets cold feet buy a pair. Throw some of those hand warmers in between your layers of socks and you will be good to go! My cold weather boot regimen is: 1) Good polypropolene sock liners. 2) Heavy wool socks 3) LaCrosse Burleys - big enough to wiggle my toes easily. 4) Boot Blankets Warm enough that my feet will sweat with that arrangement. I've never tried hand warmers as my feet stay toasty warm with the above.. |
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Post by ridgerunner on Dec 8, 2008 11:51:01 GMT -5
When I was in the Army we had cold weather training once a year, cold weather training class out in the elements. Let me tell ya this, less is more to a certain extent. If you're sweating this is bad for obvious reasons. We were trained not to even break out out thermals until less than 20 degrees out and weren't do anything physical....which was a rare occasion. I wear Danner Pronghorn boots 1000 gram Goretex, hand warmer between two thin layers of socks. If your feet sweat they're gonna get cold, you want to be warm but not hot. It also depends on the ammount if activity you plan on doing. Walking or sitting etc.
Woodys reimen is pretty good, you want moisture wicking sock for a base, then a dencent pair of socks over that. Wool for me is too much, I don't like sweating because it will make you cold.., if you're sweating ,you need to start peeling clothes off until you quit sweating and then put back on as needed. I dress very light going in to stand locations, when I get there I have a pack with my warm clothes and I put them on as needed until usually by the end of my hunt in extreme cold weather, I'll have everything in the pack on and comfortable. If you get sweaty right off the bat in an hour or two you'll be shivering and ready to go home. I have never had a need for the boot blankets and I sat all day long many times in 10-20 degrees weather. Danner Pronghorn 1000 gram boots two thin layers sock w/ toe warmer in each boot... guess if I was hunting Canada every year I might change my mind about the boot blankets -40-50 below zero, but for the Midwest we really have mild Winters.
Maybe we're just grizzeled old Beastards, some times you just gotta be a tough old bird to stick it out!...lol
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Post by DEERTRACKS on Dec 8, 2008 13:02:36 GMT -5
Hand warmer pouches on the toes between my 1st & 2nd pair of socks.
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Post by hornharvester on Dec 8, 2008 14:02:23 GMT -5
I saw this on TV several years ago and tried it two years ago at the second park reduction hunt, worked very good for an all day sit.
Use boot blankets with a 24 hour heat pack inside with just a pair of good 100% wool socks with wicking socks underneath. Take your walking boots off before you put your feet in the boot blankets. I sat this way for over 10 hours in 10 degree temps and never got cold feet. I left the heat pack in the boots overnight and used them again the next day, they were still warm.
I was skeptical when I first tried it but my feet stayed nice and warm the whole day. h.h.
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