Snowfall - It could get pretty tough out there

waterdog09 said:
Finally a normal winter!! Keep some of the fair-weather hunters at home and let us late season guys have some fun :giggle:
Click to expand...
Thats exactly what I was I was thinking. It helps thats the news blow every snow or cold event completely out of proportion. We keep this up, we may even have a normal spring melt with our somewhat normal winter we are having!
 
gim said:
Really deep snow and/or a layer of ice is bad news. Usually we don't get big, vast systems of ice. It's more of a localized event.

This is the coldest and start to winter in 11 years.
Click to expand...
We are watching the weather in Edina, as that is where my oldest and his family lives, and it is fricking cold! I can't imagine trying to hunt in that!!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: gim
Every few years we seem to get this deeper snow sometime in December before the season ends. This year its come especially early.

Makes for tough walking, both man and dog. Saps your energy very quickly. A guy can only trudge through knee deep snow for so long.

The only good thing about it is that it tends to congregate birds into very specific habitat. Getting close enough to shoot is tricky though.
 
Packing the snowshoes for my trip to SD over the next week was exciting.. easily some of my best hunts have been when there’s enough snow to hold a few birds and keep the other hunters away. Just need to make it there and back in one piece!
 
gim said:
Every few years we seem to get this deeper snow sometime in December before the season ends. This year its come especially early.

Makes for tough walking, both man and dog. Saps your energy very quickly. A guy can only trudge through knee deep snow for so long.

The only good thing about it is that it tends to congregate birds into very specific habitat. Getting close enough to shoot is tricky though.
Click to expand...
Add a little crust and it not only makes for loud walking but can cause issues with dogs pads and front legs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: gim
I went out into a few places this morning to just to see how the cover faired. I was surprised how snowed-in everything is, and how little cover is now remaining. About 95% blown full. When it gets cold, the birds could be in trouble. More snow than I expected, it seems like close to 12 inches walking through it, tough for them to find food without food plots to hit.
I walked a waterway and food plot on one of our other farms that I don't usually hunt. I found a lot of tracks, coyote, saw one fresh pheasant kill and another with lots of blood, but no feathers or fur, not sure what that was. Saw a big coyote twice there, the second time I lit him up, it stumbled, but kept going. Hoping it dies somewhere or finds new hunting ground. The tracks were everywhere, but the snow has been down for a week, it could have maybe been just the one. I will let the birds be until their conditions improve. I was going to head to SC, but snow started here to 30 minutes ago also.
 
Just pushed some snow off the driveway, looks like another 5-6", but the wind had picked-up earlier, so maybe the wind brought some extra there. If it stays cold, this could affect the bird numbers. That is a lot of snow to dig thru for food and we don't have the cattails around here for thermal protection/roosting in. This could be the winter the established shelterbelts and food plots are essential to bird survival.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top