Freezing Cold Hunting Question

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Vexie
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Freezing Cold Hunting Question

Unread postby Vexie » Thu Dec 28, 2017 9:24 am

It's rare I get to hunt with it this cold. Temps here are 0 and with the wind chill we are seeing -10
I know deer move good with 15mph wind and I know they move good in the cold. But what about when it's this cold and windy? Do they bed down mostly? Move more during the daylight?

I have a couple stands over food that I'm setting my GF up on, she can't sit all day, a few hours in this cold is about all she's got in her.
I'm thinking I may be best off if I set her out from 9am till she gives up. Thoughts?

Or do you think last light is best time to catch them moving?

She is not buck hunting.


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Re: Freezing Cold Hunting Question

Unread postby tgreeno » Thu Dec 28, 2017 9:27 am

Deer will move. It all depends how close they are bedding to the food source. I would vote for the last couple hours of daylight.
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Re: Freezing Cold Hunting Question

Unread postby RDubs44 » Thu Dec 28, 2017 9:42 am

Ya I am going this weekend in Minnesota. Highs around -10 lows -20s!

Gonna sit last couple hours of daylight along trails to food. Gonna use a blind, sleeping bag and buddy heater to sit in those temps!

It will be memorable hunt nonetheless. :shock:
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Re: Freezing Cold Hunting Question

Unread postby Dewey » Thu Dec 28, 2017 9:58 am

In extreme cold your better off hunting during the warmest part of the day which would be likely early to mid afternoon. Deer tend to move then to conserve energy especially after prolonged periods of cold. For that reason I try to hunt noon to dark.
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Re: Freezing Cold Hunting Question

Unread postby Emrah » Thu Dec 28, 2017 10:12 am

RDubs44 wrote:Ya I am going this weekend in Minnesota. Highs around -10 lows -20s!

Gonna sit last couple hours of daylight along trails to food. Gonna use a blind, sleeping bag and buddy heater to sit in those temps!

It will be memorable hunt nonetheless. :shock:


I'm in MN too. That's exactly what I'm going to do!

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isitseasonyet?
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Re: Freezing Cold Hunting Question

Unread postby isitseasonyet? » Thu Dec 28, 2017 10:30 am

Dewey wrote:In extreme cold your better off hunting during the warmest part of the day which would be likely early to mid afternoon. Deer tend to move then to conserve energy especially after prolonged periods of cold. For that reason I try to hunt noon to dark.


I agree, I see the most movement in extreme cold at 2-3pm
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Re: Freezing Cold Hunting Question

Unread postby Sam Ubl » Thu Dec 28, 2017 10:37 am

I saw more than 20 deer out and about at 4:00 PM, this evening in southern Wisconsin. It’s 2-degrees right now where I’m at.

They move, they have to in order to stay warm. Not much staging between bedding and food, just direct travel from what I’ve ovserved. Don’t know why, but imagine they tend not to burn energy in between feed times. If you can brace the cold it’s a great time to hunt and much “easier” to pattern.
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Re: Freezing Cold Hunting Question

Unread postby Lockdown » Thu Dec 28, 2017 11:39 am

Sam Ubl wrote:I saw more than 20 deer out and about at 4:00 PM, this evening in southern Wisconsin. It’s 2-degrees right now where I’m at.

They move, they have to in order to stay warm. Not much staging between bedding and food, just direct travel from what I’ve ovserved. Don’t know why, but imagine they tend not to burn energy in between feed times. If you can brace the cold it’s a great time to hunt and much “easier” to pattern.


I have seen what you observed too Sam. I consider that typical. However the deer I’m hunting in SD right now have been standing and dilly dallying around and/or feeding in the CRP for 30 to 60 minutes then as the sun hits the horizon then they move to their primary food source. Stubble fields.

A fair percentage waited until prime time and headed strait to food. IMO the early risers aren’t comfortable enough to head to food right away (hunting pressure near food) but are too cold/restless/hungry to stay bedded.

The first 8-10 deer I saw stood and didn’t go further than 50 yards for about an hour.

As cold as it is now I’m sure the “late” risers are up early now too. Nothing gets them moving like extreme cold.
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Re: Freezing Cold Hunting Question

Unread postby headgear » Thu Dec 28, 2017 12:27 pm

Mid day can still be good, I would check the moon and time my hunt around it. Then try again prime time evening as usual.
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Re: Freezing Cold Hunting Question

Unread postby Vexie » Thu Dec 28, 2017 12:39 pm

I think I agree with daylight hunt. I've seen deer walking around 3 times the last couple of days. Twice around 9am and once around 12pm. If I set her out there in the sunlight at least she may get a little heat and might be able to sit a little longer.

However I shot a buck around 4pm last year mid December :?
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Re: Freezing Cold Hunting Question

Unread postby Rob loper » Thu Dec 28, 2017 1:24 pm

I think it depends on hunting pressure and where the food snd beds are. Try to get her as clise to the bedding as you can
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Re: Freezing Cold Hunting Question

Unread postby Ladykiller » Thu Dec 28, 2017 9:39 pm

Down here in southern Illinois where I hunt 3-5pm is the only time I need to hunt in this cold weather.
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Re: Freezing Cold Hunting Question

Unread postby dan » Thu Dec 28, 2017 11:00 pm

Last hour or two are best... Sometimes the does and smaller bucks move midday, but the big stuff should be coming out right before dark.
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Re: Freezing Cold Hunting Question

Unread postby Wetfoot » Thu Dec 28, 2017 11:59 pm

I wouldn't consider 0 degrees as extreme cold and see the best movement on crop fields in those temps about an hour before sunset till right at last light. With temps below -10 midday movement should be better, especially in areas lacking hunting pressure. Temper that with the reality that I'm a yooper and don't think 100" of snow and temps below 0 are extreme at all. LOL :D
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Re: Freezing Cold Hunting Question

Unread postby JoeRE » Fri Dec 29, 2017 4:35 am

Yea cold is completely relative. Around hear bed to food movement really picks up when temps are in the single digits and below. That's not that cold for hunters who are a lot further north, and I suspect it takes less cold than that to affect deer in the southern and central US.

The big ones still do not expose themselves to danger in the open in daylight very much. The challenge is you need to get into your stand on those bed to food travel patterns BEFORE all the does and fawns show up - or get past all those eyeballs clean or spook them off in a safe direction which is way easier said than done. So yea you often need to get into your stand hunting this cold weather at mid day just to get a clean entry even if Mr Big won't show up for 3-4 hrs.

Shot a buck last night, it was -4F :D


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