Snow Tips / Basics

[NH Teufelhund]

I’m looking for some advice on hunting snow. I’m a bow only, mobile hunter with a LW. I huht S NH so it’s mainly suburban wood lots with small to medium size swamps.

There’s been lots of rain this year. My confidence is low because I haven’t seen deer since the early season and we just got about 6 inches.

How should I adjust with the snow? Go for swamp islands? Avoid fields? Target fields? Follow trails until I find pinch points and then set up hoping they come back?

Any advice on adjusting to snow or how they change behavior or locations?

[Crazinamatese]

There is no better fresh sign than fresh tracks in snow.

[Tsom]

Also from southern NH here. I have noticed this year since we've had very minimal acorns that there's more deer in logged out areas eating on new growth. Did a lot of scouting new areas this archery season and most fresh sign I found was logged areas and swamp, Marsh near logged areas. Snow should help to locate them deer! Do some tracking and figure out where they're hanging out, what they're eating, bedding, etc.

[NH Teufelhund]

Good call. Thank you. Definitely a lack of acorns.

[andy]

I just shot a doe on Friday tracking in fresh snow. Worked like a charm. Showed me how wrong I was about where they are bedding in that area, how many deer there are in that spot, and how they are using the terrain. I also did some scouting in other spots and found some good locations for stand sites based on when deer moved through. Obviously fresh snow is most useful for determining the timeframe of movement. If your area of NH is anything like up here (I.e. woods so thick you can’t see 20 feet, 10 deer/sq mile), I would think you’ve got a decent chance of walking up on them while tracking and getting a shot, even with a bow. Otherwise, use the tracks to get a decent pattern for a stand setup.

[andy]

From what I saw this weekend, they were more likely to bed in the thick softwoods where the snow cover was lighter. Even if they usually bed around a marsh, I wouldn’t be surprised if they move to the softwoods once the snow starts accumulating.

[tkelite35]

If dogwood is a main winter food source (as per dan in swamp bedding), and they live there, then why would they leave in the winter?? Snow too deep?

How does winter bedding compare to other seasons? Do they switch to coniferous dense forest...cedar etc?
If so, then do they move to eat in the dogwoods during winter then move back to softwoods for bedding?

When do batchelor groups start to form again?

Thanks, Tom