It’s sheer lunacy to hunt on nights like tonight

This hunter scored on a nice buck during a break in a winter storm.

All of the so-called best deer hunters have a familiar thought they spout like a meditative mantra: Hunt just before a big winter storm. It’s when the big bucks move.

I hunted last night, and right at 5:30 p.m. when I took the primer out of my Knight muzzleloader, it began spitting snow. I was out and about in a good spot at a time that folks consider the best late-season period to hunt. I never saw a deer.

The full force of a big storm came sweeping into my part of the state about an hour later, and it’s still blowing and snowing 24 hours later, and we’ve got more than 18 inches of new snow today. An hour ago, I checked the weather, and could barely see my garage. It’s nasty.

It’s not a night fit for man nor beast,

So, what does this prove? Not much except for every established rule known about deer hunting, there are exceptions to those rules. I believe in that old adage, have followed it for many years and taken some nice bucks.

I also have sat out like last evening, and seen nothing. The only thing about these rules that many of us follow, is that they don’t always work. It’s been my experience that if any deer-hunting rule passes muster 50 percent of the time, that’s a good average.

However, that said, if it works 50 percent of the time, what about the other 50 percent. Well, obviously, that’s when they don’t work.

Did I hunt tonight? Nope! There are near gale-force winds tonight, and the snow is so thick and heavy, not only in the air but on the ground, that hunting in such a storm is an excellent way to get lost in the snow. It’s a great way to fall down, and in doing so, a person could be seriously injured.

A hurt and turned-around hunter could easily die of exposure on a night like tonight. Tracks quickly snow in, and without a good compass or GPS unit and the ability to use either one, what could be a reasonably easy trek through the deep snow could turn into a living nightmare.

I can honestly say I’ve never been lost, and had to spend the night in the woods, but a couple times I was turned around. I finally got my line of travel straightened out, and made my way out to safety in the dark. It’s one thing for that to happen on a mild October evening, and something much worse than doing so on a night when blizzard conditions are forecast.

Weathermen predict blizzard conditions onight & more snow tomorrow.

It’s also why I always carry a backpack. In it is a Space Blanket that reflects body heat, and can keep you quite warm. I also carry such survival gear as a bottle of water, two or three bags of nuts and chocolate bars, an extra sweater, raingear, dry socks, knife, fire starter cubes with wood kitchen (light anywhere) matches, wool stocking cap, and a cell phone with a full battery charge.

Make no mistake about it: getting lost or injured in the woods on a night like tonight could be one of the most horrible nights of your life, even if you survive. Last night I hunted from a covered pit blind, and it was warm inside even though the wind was picking up. However, if a hunter was up a tree, the full force of last night’s wind could have blown a hunter out of a tree.

Be  prepared for any eventually. What you carry could save your life.

A fall, even when wearing a full body harness, may not save your life on such a night. I’ve been through more bad experiences in my 44-year writing career than many people, and came as close to dying in a couple of them, but between me and you, but sitting out in the woods on a night like tonight would be sheer idiocy. Common sense plays a major role in human survival.

Besides, common knowledge about deer also tells us that deer move before the storm, not during it. In some cases, they may have more common sense than some hunters who take chances. Just remember, it doesn’t pay to play games with Mother Nature.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors