Hunting in the snow

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  • outrider58

    Eats Bacon Raw
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 29, 2014
    49,812
    Before and after yes, but my observation has been little movement in big woods during periods of heavy falling snow. Rain I feel is a little different, however if there are a lot of others hunting nearby during a snow which is usually the case because guys like to get out in it, odds are certainly better.

    Shot a deer in the middle of a picked corn field in the middle of a raging blizzard, but normally yes. Movement is very slow unless they get pushed. Hiyeva, I want to be in the stand/woods when the last flake has fallen.:thumbsup:
     

    outrider58

    Eats Bacon Raw
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 29, 2014
    49,812
    Unless it is a blizzard. Then they don't want to move, you can't see, scope or sights get clogged with snow or scope covers slow you down, tiring as heck slogging through it and getting a deer out with motorized vehicle is grueling.

    Snow on the ground or light snow falling might be good.

    A covered stand/blind might work great if they move.

    Still hunting just stinks. Not super cold, but parts of you are definitely going to get wet.

    Edit to say I love hunting with some snow on the ground (up to about 4") and with light flurries coming down, but more than that tends to suck.

    See above post...;)
     

    Doco Overboard

    Ultimate Member
    When it thaws a little and then freezes a hard thin layer on top really makes it tough. When I lived up north I found that it was best on the southwest side of the mountain for the afternoon. In the back you could forget it in the morning, too cold. If you could spot from a distance some thawed ground that had a ridge above it you can get in there and move along slow with the sun behind your back for good still hunting. If you had a road or logging trail all the better for a quick walk when you get home after work.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    See above post...;)

    Yeah, when I finally tracked the Sika I lost them in the high grass and brush of the field (managed for dove hunting, so 4-6ft high grasses and brush. Can't see a deer past 10yds unless it is running and even then, might not see it. But after following a few other sets of tracks it looked like a few other deer had headed in to those fields. It is possible they headed out of the fields deep in to the woods and swamp, but as fast as the snow was coming down you could really only see the tracks for about 2hrs max and maybe only 90 minutes before snow and wind obliterated them. Some of those tracks I was finding at the edge of the woods were around 10 in the morning. Nanticoke has BIG fields and with the wind, a 300yd shot would be damn difficult so you probably couldn't cover more than 25% of the edge of the woods and a heck of a lot less than that of the fields (it is around 2000 acres total IIRC, about 1100 acres of woods and swamp and 900 acres of fields)

    Only 5 trucks when we left, but I am guess a lot of deer got bounced and they went right for the fields to hunker down despite the wind and snow.

    I should have brought a climber and gone up a tree at the edge of the field, probably would have had luck then
     

    Doco Overboard

    Ultimate Member
    IMG_0556 (2).JPG If your going to walk around for Sika hit the needle grass and jump shoot them like rabbits. I like to use a sported No. 4 or a lever action carbine with a low power scope both eyes open. If you have walk-able marsh a double barrel or pump with buckshot does the trick but sika are way harder to down compared to a WT. Sometimes they will just stand up and look at you for 2 or 3 seconds inside 25 yds. If your in the piney woods youll find them under low hollies out of the snow. With the risk of controversy, I would leave the 223 home to stay out of the Phrag.
     

    John from MD

    American Patriot
    MDS Supporter
    May 12, 2005
    22,729
    Socialist State of Maryland
    Pluses and minuses, obvious tracking and stalking advantages BUT wet snow and percussion caps have cost me deer. I can only imagine what it was like in the olden days. >click<

    You should make a chamois cover(treated with mink oil) for covering your nipple or frizzen and pan. It is nice and light and really keeps the wet off. I tie mine to my trigger guard so I can just flip it off and not worry about where it goes. :thumbsup:
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    You should make a chamois cover(treated with mink oil) for covering your nipple or frizzen and pan. It is nice and light and really keeps the wet off. I tie mine to my trigger guard so I can just flip it off and not worry about where it goes. :thumbsup:

    Actually I was thinking something kind of like that as a scope cover. Drape it over and then I can pull it off really quick instead of trying to pop two covers off with thick gloves on.

    For jump shooting Sika, only ever seen three. One last year that took off really slow that I missed with my shotgun by a few inches (saw a branch get hit less than a foot in front of it) and then the follow-up didn't come cause I short stroked the slide and jammed a hull in the ejection port. Then the two this year that were 20yds from me behind a fallen holly under some hemlocks and took off like bats out of hell.

    WT I've had mixed. A lot of times they bump and don't stop. At least not in visual range. Seems like 1 in 4 take off a bit more casual and will sometimes hang up 75-100yds away to try to see what I am before they commit to really bolt or not. Though usually they've always hung up in really thick stuff where I can see them, but I don't want to risk threading a bullet through to them and don't want to put one in their hind quarter.
     

    Derwood

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 2, 2011
    1,075
    DC area
    I found neither snow nor small game animals on Saturday. I did bump several does while hunting in the drizzle, but was carrying a shotgun with game loads and not interested in getting another deer this year. Did anyone else have luck?
     

    F2S

    Active Member
    Oct 24, 2013
    197
    Love the snowy duck hunts. This was last season. Have since upgraded the rig...



    Awesome idea. I've been wanting to do a float trip on the monocacy river. Just have never gotten around to it


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    I found neither snow nor small game animals on Saturday. I did bump several does while hunting in the drizzle, but was carrying a shotgun with game loads and not interested in getting another deer this year. Did anyone else have luck?

    I was out this morning and no. I was after squirrel. Saw one at 40yds and figured it was a bit too far for #6. Stood up (stupidly was sitting) and tried to take a step, but it was gone before I was finished standing. Saw another close enough right before I got back to my car, but it dissappeared before I could shoulder my shotgun.

    I am thinking Thursday morning I'll go for turkey and if I run over any squirrels I'll nail em. I hunt with #5 for turkey which is a bit much for squirrel, but frankly I've been out for squirrel at least half dozen times in the last 12 months and either don't see any squirrels, or I see a few that are too far away for game loads out my my 12 or 20. I need to get out there in the fall in CALM weather and/or go somewhere with my 22lr.

    So at this point I am blind and determined to at least nail one.

    Of course it also doesn't help most of the time I am out it is somehow a bad time or I am busy. Like I'll only get out the door at 7, get where ever after dawn and then I only have 2-3 hours to hunt before I have to pack-up and head home cause my wife is bitching at me about "you'd rather to kill squirrels than spend time with your family".

    At least she doesn't complain loudly when I go deer hunting.

    I also need next year to get a permit for hugg-Thomas since it is right by my house to save me 45 minutes of time.

    Also maybe I'll have more vaction time next year and I can take a day or two off to actually get out there and get some tree rats
     

    Adolph Oliver Bush

    Ultimate Member
    Patriot Picket
    Dec 13, 2015
    1,940
    Awesome idea. I've been wanting to do a float trip on the monocacy river. Just have never gotten around to it


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    Careful in the parks.

    No guns in frederick city parks, which means you can't bring your gun along if you launch from pine cliff park, and part of the Monocacy National battlefield straddles the river for a while, so your gun must be cased while in that section of the river.


    Note that the state right of way for pinecliff park road continues to and ends at the river bank. Instead of turning right into the park, stop and dump your guns and hunting buddy out, then once the boat is in the water, float down and pick them up at the river bank.
     

    HeatSeeker

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 18, 2012
    3,058
    Maryland
    Before and after yes, but my observation has been little movement in big woods during periods of heavy falling snow. Rain I feel is a little different, however if there are a lot of others hunting nearby during a snow which is usually the case because guys like to get out in it, odds are certainly better.
    I agree This was last Saturday on the eastern shore. Saw nothing all day.
     

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    BigCountry14

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 17, 2013
    1,668
    2 of my last 3 deer have been taken in snow. I love it and hope for at least one crack at it every year. Outside of the one time I slipped on a hill and was severely concussed, ha, its been good to me.

    Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
     

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