Thoughts on wet weather

[Mad Professor]

Hi folks,

Not posted much in a while.

We've got snow in the ground and rain a coming so great weather for stalking.

Just thought I'd pass on what I do to weather proof a percussion.

Gun gets sighted for clean barrel. Absolutely clean dry barrel loaded with black, lubed wad, then patched ball or conical. A cut piece of duct tape for end of barrel.

The barrel is clean as is flash hole. Put a little grease or never seize on the nipple threads, new or clean nipple in, then a #11 cap.

My mentors always taught me to carry matches, compass, and a candle, when hunting. Well candle is handy for sealing the nipple /cap, with hot wax. Don't cover where the hammer strikes. Hunted all day this way in rain and it goes boom.

 

[Stykbow]

My thoughts on wet weather are that I stay home!

 

[Mad Professor]

My thoughts on wet weather are that I stay home!

Some of the best time to hunt if you like to stalk. Wet snow and away I go.........

 

[Stykbow]

Yeah, snow is one thing and rain another. I applaud you guys that go out in the rain. I’ve done it to and never saw a deer, so now I just don’t bother with it.

 

[Tumbledown]

I could have sworn I read "wet leather..."

 

[wiscoaster]

Don't see a location posted for you but you mention snow and rain and that's about as miserable as wet weather can get.

 

[Spikebuck]

While I have hunted in rain, snow, and sleet conditions when the weatherman misses the forecast and I get caught, I tend to avoid it. My fear is that in hunting, nothing is 100% certain. No matter how careful we are, that unseen twig a few feet in front of that big game animal can divert the shot into a bad place. That can mean a long and very poor blood trail and/or no tracks. This could result in an unrecovered animal unless I got lucky in a "grid search." A little extra hunting time isn't worth that possibility to me. I'll wait for the precip to stop.

 

[kyron4]

A cow's knee is handy in wet weather.

 

[SOLANCO]

Depends upon how well you dress/prepare. Keep the warm on the inside and the wet on the outside and you can hunt comfortably in miserable weather. If you can find anything resembling a sporting shot. Several times walked up on groups of deer bedded down in the rain. I think the rain noise helped conceal my noise and that the rain suppressed my scent.
Wool is the original miracle fabric. Wet wool will keep you warm. Wet Dupont plastic not so much so. Never a bad idea to be able to make a fire in bad weather. Have not done it but have considered carrying a small flask of gasoline. If there is service do NOT be without your cel phone.

 

[Mike in FL]

Sounds like you do everything right. I envy anyone who gets to hunt in the snow! My favorite! I go to the mountains of VA, but it seems the good snows don't fall until way after deer seasons, except sometimes during the first week of January which is the latest ML season. It might snow then but likely not. One might be prone to think that's evidence of global warming but I can't buy that. I believe cold and snow are cyclic; that sometimes it will snow that time of year and sometimes it won't. It is not up to any mortal to say what the weather will be. I think it might fluctuate or alternate after any given number of winters. Anyway, I wish I were where you are. All the methods you use to keep your rifle firing are the same as mine except all rifles are guy flinters so I must use one or two more steps to get reliable ignition. Hey, you know what I do to keep water out of the muzzle? Put a small black not-inflated balloon over the end. Not very PC though. There are several options. A homemade waterproofed cows knee goes over the lock. I once waited, waited, and waited for a huge-rack buck to step out and give me a shot. But no, he stayed put. After a very long time he showed me his swollen neck and I stupidly took the shot. Hit that neck from the side, dead center. He ran down the north side of a snow-covered ridge. I just knew I had him. I mean how could I not find him by following the tracks and blood in the snow? Walking the 50 yards to where he had started his run, I found lots of blood on BOTH SIDES of his tracks. He was running full throttle. After giving him die to lay down and croak, I took up the very plain track. But he didn't stop.. All the way to the bottom of the ridge I had blood spurts on both sides. Then I saw where he had slowed to a walk. Further down, he turned back up the ridge. I followed tracks in snow (blood had stopped) all the way to the top to where he was about 150 yards from where shot. Saw where he crossed and headed down the warmer south side, no snow, and lost any indication of his passing. Shot him just after daylight and looked for sign until past noon. Never found him. Because he had stopped bleeding I figured the .50 round ball had not been fatal. He survived I think. Lesson learned: do not shoot deer in the neck. I wish now I had never shot at all. I reckon I got off topic, but I get hyped up about hunting in the snow.

 

[oldwood]

My hunting partner of 50+ yrs. and I , have taken far more deer in the mtn's. of Pa. in the worst weather seen. We even went out wearing snow shoes in January belt deep snow hunting the Pa. late flint deer season. We were successful . The only time my flint rifle wouldn't fire , was once in a blizzard. It was snowing so hard , you couldn't keep the sights clear of snow to shoot. We went home , that day. In bad weather , deer are at a disadvantage. On one Jan. hunt , we were walking in to where we usually hunt , there was a foot of snow , with an inch of solid ice on top , a steady 45th mph wind. I jumped a herd of 10 deer from their beds. Five broke away and headed into the wind. I took the advantage , and followed those five, so the wind was toward me. They went about 1/2 mile and bedded. The thick ice surface , allowed me to noiselessly walked up to the bedded deer , picked the largest one and made meat at less than 10 yds.. The high winds masked my approach , and the thick ice on top of the snow silenced my boots. Wearing wool clothes is the other advantage to cold weather hunting. You can go out if your warm , and wool keeps you warm , even when wet.

 

[Spikebuck]

Wool is the original miracle fabric. Wet wool will keep you warm. Wet Dupont plastic not so much so.

Agree! In the last 15 years I've basically quit using anything but wool in cold weather hunting. I've added a couple capotes, wool pants, wool bibs, marino wool socks and hats, and several Fred Asbell wool pullovers. WAY better than synthetics, IMO.

Have not done it but have considered carrying a small flask of gasoline.

Well...I wouldn't do that. Dangerous and could stink to high heaven with a little spill. You can almost never get that stench out of clothes, etc. There are safer firestarter alternatives!

 

[Mike in FL]

I used to enjoy that kind of bad weather. I never never let it keep me in. It was exciting, sort of, to be where the wildlife is and see how they cope. Deer can be found even in high wind if you think about where they likely go to protect themselves from discomfort. Blown down trees, the leeward side of brushy ridges, etc. But no longer. I got old and less adventuresome. No need or desire to prove myself capable of it. And way more patient to wait on a later day with nicer conditions. Plus, in retirement, we don't feel like we are wasting a vacation day. But old wood, I appreciate your experience and your story.

My hunting partner of 50+ yrs. and I , have taken far more deer in the mtn's. of Pa. in the worst weather seen. We even went out wearing snow shoes in January belt deep snow hunting the Pa. late flint deer season. We were successful . The only time my flint rifle wouldn't fire , was once in a blizzard. It was snowing so hard , you couldn't keep the sights clear of snow to shoot. We went home , that day. In bad weather , deer are at a disadvantage. On one Jan. hunt , we were walking in to where we usually hunt , there was a foot of snow , with an inch of solid ice on top , a steady 45th mph wind. I jumped a herd of 10 deer from their beds. Five broke away and headed into the wind. I took the advantage , and followed those five, so the wind was toward me. They went about 1/2 mile and bedded. The thick ice surface , allowed me to noiselessly walked up to the bedded deer , picked the largest one and made meat at less than 10 yds.. The high winds masked my approach , and the thick ice on top of the snow silenced my boots. Wearing wool clothes is the other advantage to cold weather hunting. You can go out if your warm , and wool keeps you warm , even when wet.

 

[Trigger]

Add. Electrical tape into your kit..

I'll just add that..

You can use it for allot.. turnicate. Splint. Bandaging. Etc etc

mostly attaching a tag to a deer leg..

 

[Trigger]

Pair of Wool socks...

You put all these things in the socks.. don't make noise in your backpack.

So now you have survival gear socks.

It's all junk just in case.

when I was going out there far.. I got one of those find me SPOT units.

 

[Trigger]

Mostly because your on the move.. I hate noise.

Just anything in your backpack.. stuff it all into socks.

Anything that makes noise..

Extra Hat and or gloves.. put noisey stuff in them.

 

[Trigger]

I found it easyer to chase deer in snow.. in smaller woods easyer kinda..

Everyone goes big woods.

 

[mushka]

I no longer hunt but in the past i've hunted in the wind, when it was calm, when it was hot or cold, in the snow and in the rain. Least favorite was in the rain.

 

[LME]

Some of the best time to hunt if you like to stalk. Wet snow and away I go.........

Not at my age now but I use too!

 

[SOLANCO]

Sounds like you do everything right. I envy anyone who gets to hunt in the snow! My favorite! I go to the mountains of VA, but it seems the good snows don't fall until way after deer seasons, except sometimes during the first week of January which is the latest ML season. It might snow then but likely not. One might be prone to think that's evidence of global warming but I can't buy that. I believe cold and snow are cyclic; that sometimes it will snow that time of year and sometimes it won't. It is not up to any mortal to say what the weather will be. I think it might fluctuate or alternate after any given number of winters. Anyway, I wish I were where you are. All the methods you use to keep your rifle firing are the same as mine except all rifles are guy flinters so I must use one or two more steps to get reliable ignition. Hey, you know what I do to keep water out of the muzzle? Put a small black not-inflated balloon over the end. Not very PC though. There are several options. A homemade waterproofed cows knee goes over the lock. I once waited, waited, and waited for a huge-rack buck to step out and give me a shot. But no, he stayed put. After a very long time he showed me his swollen neck and I stupidly took the shot. Hit that neck from the side, dead center. He ran down the north side of a snow-covered ridge. I just knew I had him. I mean how could I not find him by following the tracks and blood in the snow? Walking the 50 yards to where he had started his run, I found lots of blood on BOTH SIDES of his tracks. He was running full throttle. After giving him die to lay down and croak, I took up the very plain track. But he didn't stop.. All the way to the bottom of the ridge I had blood spurts on both sides. Then I saw where he had slowed to a walk. Further down, he turned back up the ridge. I followed tracks in snow (blood had stopped) all the way to the top to where he was about 150 yards from where shot. Saw where he crossed and headed down the warmer south side, no snow, and lost any indication of his passing. Shot him just after daylight and looked for sign until past noon. Never found him. Because he had stopped bleeding I figured the .50 round ball had not been fatal. He survived I think. Lesson learned: do not shoot deer in the neck. I wish now I had never shot at all. I reckon I got off topic, but I get hyped up about hunting in the snow.

A small error in the wrong conditions is life threatening. Close to home does not matter if you are incapable of going there. A slip and fall that renders you immobile? It is 1700 hours and light is fading. What do you do?