Cold fronts

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JoeRE
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Re: Cold fronts

Unread postby JoeRE » Wed Aug 09, 2017 2:51 am

On the first high pressure day of a cold front, with northerly winds I am looking to hunt north wind type bedding of whatever I am going after. Then as soon as the winds switch to the south on the tail end of the cold front its a great time to hunt south wind bedding.

Cold fronts come in all shapes and sizes so these may be back to back days or separated by a week of high pressure. Early season its pure bed-food patterns, later in October I want to look at more rut based bedding.


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Mschmeiske
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Re: Cold fronts

Unread postby Mschmeiske » Wed Aug 09, 2017 2:33 pm

Do you get out there when the front is moving through or the following day? Or both?
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Re: Cold fronts

Unread postby Truth From The Stand » Wed Aug 09, 2017 4:31 pm

Hesseltine32 wrote:
Ajazwinski88 wrote:
Octoberjohn wrote:I know I always try and be in the stand right after the first big cold front. I definitely see an increase in deer movement at this time. All of the scrapes get hit, still mostly at night, but from my trail cameras late evening can be productive as well at the scrapes that are back in the timber when he bucks are moving from bed to feed. This is about the only time of the year that I like to set up right on a scrape.

Also from my trail cameras from the past few seasons I have had outstanding mature buck movement during daylight hours on any major cold front during the last 10 days of October. Last year here in PA I got every mature buck in my hunting area on camera in the daylight on October 22nd(8am, 10am, 4pm, 6pm). I run three different cameras and all three had mature bucks on them in the daylight.

Funny I noticed the same thing here in PA on Oct 22nd last year. The few days following even had lots of mature bucks on their feet. Youre in the NW part of the state I'm guessing. Mercer/Crawford here


I had the same thing happen last year down in Maryland right around then. There was a lot of big bucks shot in my area then.


I have trail camera data confirming what you've both mentioned. Only mature deer I had on the farm and had him on a scrape the 19th and 22nd.
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Re: Cold fronts

Unread postby Octoberjohn » Thu Aug 10, 2017 3:56 am

Truth From The Stand wrote:
Hesseltine32 wrote:
Ajazwinski88 wrote:
Octoberjohn wrote:I know I always try and be in the stand right after the first big cold front. I definitely see an increase in deer movement at this time. All of the scrapes get hit, still mostly at night, but from my trail cameras late evening can be productive as well at the scrapes that are back in the timber when he bucks are moving from bed to feed. This is about the only time of the year that I like to set up right on a scrape.

Also from my trail cameras from the past few seasons I have had outstanding mature buck movement during daylight hours on any major cold front during the last 10 days of October. Last year here in PA I got every mature buck in my hunting area on camera in the daylight on October 22nd(8am, 10am, 4pm, 6pm). I run three different cameras and all three had mature bucks on them in the daylight.

Funny I noticed the same thing here in PA on Oct 22nd last year. The few days following even had lots of mature bucks on their feet. Youre in the NW part of the state I'm guessing. Mercer/Crawford here


I had the same thing happen last year down in Maryland right around then. There was a lot of big bucks shot in my area then.


I have trail camera data confirming what you've both mentioned. Only mature deer I had on the farm and had him on a scrape the 19th and 22nd.



OK, I have researched this a little but more as so many have mentioned similar results. Here is what I came up with from wunderground.com/history. I know I have heard this site mentioned previously but I never paid much attention to it. It looks like I should have been doing this for a long time!

The week leading up to October 22nd the temps were highs in the 70's, lows in the 50's. Pretty much the same thing every day. Then on the 20th it started to rain. Tha continued thru the 21st and we got more than 3 inches of rain in my area over the 20th and 21st. Move on to the 22nd and the high temp all day was 44 degrees. Winds were steady W/NW and the barometric pressure was now rising. It looks like this was the first day post cold front coming thru and the first major front in October, which gives all of us this great movement we had.

I checked my trail cam pics and I also had good movement on October 31st, again a big drop in temps and a half inch of rain on the 30th. I sure hope that my work schedule allows me to be in a tree for a big October front this fall!
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Re: Cold fronts

Unread postby Dewey » Thu Aug 10, 2017 4:31 am

E72 wrote:Set ups would be no different for me . Playing a wind according to bedding location . I feel that first Oct cold front is one of the best times for a big buck to move more in daylight . Also immediately after an all day rain associated with that cold front . Be out there when it passes.

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Re: Cold fronts

Unread postby elk yinzer » Thu Aug 10, 2017 4:38 am

These mentions of October 22nd last year are some really great info. It truly was that first cold snap in October. I shot my buck that day and it was nuts that morning. Mine was just a decent 2-3 year old 8 point, but I saw an older buck when I was walking out to get my packframe.

If I remember right it was really, really warm for a week, maybe two weeks before. I think I went a whole week without even hunting it was so warm. I don't do sits when it's over 70 out.

Then boom, classic cold front came through that night before. Ripping North wind, I hit the false ridge on one of my best South facing slopes. My buck came grunting nose to ground following a doe that had just passed through. Then we beat Ohio State that night. Great weekend. I will very closely be on the lookout for similar scenarios in the future.
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Re: Cold fronts

Unread postby JoeRE » Thu Aug 10, 2017 5:50 am

Mschmeiske wrote:Do you get out there when the front is moving through or the following day? Or both?


Some fronts are more stormy than others so I personally look at that to help me decide. While deer can and do get on thier feet right when the front rolls in, my strategy is to try to hit the best time because I don't give myself the luxury of hunting several days in a row. Its usually one hunt and then several days before the next opportunity to hunt. So I see the very best activity once the weather stabilizes & skies clear which is a few hours to a full day after the initial front and when high pressure is building into the area. I wait for that - first morning or evening of that whichever I can get out there.

elk yinzer wrote:These mentions of October 22nd last year are some really great info. It truly was that first cold snap in October. I shot my buck that day and it was nuts that morning. Mine was just a decent 2-3 year old 8 point, but I saw an older buck when I was walking out to get my packframe.

If I remember right it was really, really warm for a week, maybe two weeks before. I think I went a whole week without even hunting it was so warm. I don't do sits when it's over 70 out.

Then boom, classic cold front came through that night before. Ripping North wind, I hit the false ridge on one of my best South facing slopes. My buck came grunting nose to ground following a doe that had just passed through. Then we beat Ohio State that night. Great weekend. I will very closely be on the lookout for similar scenarios in the future.


Great example of waiting till the right conditions then making an aggressive move! 8-)


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