Early Snow! WTH!!!

[BorealBushMN]

I think most of the Mid-West is under a very early blanket of snow already. Up here in N.E. MN, we're looking at about 6" on the ground right now and another 6-10" tomorrow, with no warm-up in sight. I think winter is here for the long-haul....

I guess I'm not sure how I feel about this yet. I'm kind of excited, but kind of bummed....Could make it much easier, could make it much harder. I guess we'll see. Anyone have any suggestions? Strategy?

Will this screw up the pre-rut/rut this year? I think this may make the deer pack up and begin moving out towards their wintering grounds now, which could make for some really slim pickins this season, unless you find their wintering areas, then it could be a slaughter come gun season. They'll obviously still breed, but it may be a much shorter window with less chasing.

I have a 4 day Bowcation starting on Saturday and it's going to be more like late season hunting, vs pre-rut. Lows in the single digits - low teens, and highs in the mid-upper 20's. Any plans I had are all but scrapped now. My strategy at this point I guess is to speed-scout the areas I plan to hunt and see it they are home. If not, guess I'll be putting some miles on (which isn't the worst thing).

Really wish I wouldn't have talked myself out of purchasing an IWOM this season.....

[Elite]

Though there's snow on the ground, the deer know it's still October and not December. The cold temperatures will make for a good, but difficult to sit through, rut. I hate the snow this early but have to remember that this wont change the rutting behavior of bucks.

[headgear]

Don't worry about any early rut or winter grounds business, use the snow to your advantage. Even during peak rut if I get snow I am out scouting, you go loop around some bedding areas and the tracks won't lie, they will be in there or not in there at all. Every day after that fresh snow it gets a little harder but you can still use it the best you can. If I don't find a good track to hunt I am moving to another area until I find one.

[MNBrowTines]

I know one thing: Deer were moving in daylight like crazy in my neck of the woods yesterday afternoon/evening after the snow stopped here, and I couldn’t get out of the office in time for a hunt.

[Dewey]

A few days ago my cell cams very noticeably picked up before, during and after a snow squall passing through. Last year on Halloween I had a great encounter with my biggest buck of the season after the first snowfall of the year. Didn’t kill him but it was a very unique and great memory.

That first snowfall of the season is a must hunt and can get pretty darn exciting. Seems to really get the deer on their feet. Unfortunately I’m stuck at work through Friday but then off for 3 weeks. Bring on the snow. I love it during the rut.

[muddy]

Ground ain't froze yet so likely much of it will melt off. We had 3-5" here 2 days ago and it all melted off within 12 hours.

[CattailCommander]

Like said before, the deer still know what time of year it actually is. Last year I took off the first week of November/the week before gun season, we got 6" of snow and single digits lows in S. MN that Tuesday night/Wednesday morning and those 3 days after I seen the best rut/chasing action I've seen. It sucks sitting when it's that cold yes but it's worth it this time of year.

[BorealBushMN]

I guess my concerns are based more on food availability when there’s a foot of snow out there. I know they can scratch it out, but I fear that it may trigger the instinct to move to “greener pastures”, and generally those are into private lands.

Now the weather terrorists are saying the bulk of the snow tomorrow is supposed to track a little further south, so may just get a couple inches up here.

[Thesouthpaw]

The snow that everyone is getting sounds crazy to me. We are in the middle of a heat wave here in WV. 82 degrees the next two days.

[BRoth82]

You need to keep that snow up north, we don't need anymore down here. HAHA, on a different note down here the snow greatly affects their bedding, they used to bed in the lower areas of a CRP field but when we get snow like we got, that heavy wet 8" it flattens the grass down and they shift to bedding in pockets of brush or cattail sloughs. They still feed in the fields but as of the last several weeks they have moved off the Alfalfa fields and into the corn fields.

[greenhorndave]

You need to keep that snow up north, we don't need anymore down here. HAHA, on a different note down here the snow greatly affects their bedding, they used to bed in the lower areas of a CRP field but when we get snow like we got, that heavy wet 8" it flattens the grass down and they shift to bedding in pockets of brush or cattail sloughs. They still feed in the fields but as of the last several weeks they have moved off the Alfalfa fields and into the corn fields.

Great info.

[isitseasonyet?]

I LOVE SNOW!

If you can find an area That is blocked from cold wind, and adjacent to a corn/bean field that hasn’t been plowed under. You should have some good hunting.

Easy to see sign, and hunter pressure as well!

[headgear]

I guess my concerns are based more on food availability when there’s a foot of snow out there. I know they can scratch it out, but I fear that it may trigger the instinct to move to “greener pastures”, and generally those are into private lands.

Now the weather terrorists are saying the bulk of the snow tomorrow is supposed to track a little further south, so may just get a couple inches up here.

There is always some concern when it comes to early snow, that 90's halloween storm plus the very bad winter that followed had to have killed 70% of the herd up north, we literally had ten or twelve guys hunting rifle season the next year and saw 3 does all season. With that said they are survivors and there should be enough browse and cedars in the bigwoods to keep them fed ok. We just never get a break up here, always something pounding on the deer including us beasts.