I'm definitely going to hunt tomorrow evening, the rain should stop early afternoon................but man I'm having a tough time getting the motivation to wake up early to sit in the sleet. Anyone ever kill one in terrible weather during the morning on a late season hunt?
I did when it was 8 degrees and we had a nasty ice storm the night before. The power was out so I went hunting... with a shotgun. It was during the IL second shotgun season and on public land. (not super late season, but hunting is hard out there after 1st gun season) Anyhow at 10:30 am a big doe showed up. (My clothes actually froze to the tree I was leaning against) I've seen a whole herd of deer in a snowstorm in January when I was hunting out there. (again shotgun hunting) They came within 30 yards but I couldn't be sure that none of them were shed bucks with all the snow falling so they all got a pass. So... you never know. The deer should be moving after all this crummy weather. Just have to be in the right place. Also, in my experience, they seem to move later in the morning and earlier in the afternoon. Good luck!
I hardly ever see anything on morning hunts during the late season, let alone with sleet/freezing rain. I'm also hoping the rain will stop by noonish so I can get an evening hunt in.:D
I like to sleep in too much this time of year when it comes to bowhunting (getting up to run my trapline is excruciating enough as far as losing sleep...). But... I HAVE had decent luck in icy/snowy conditions in the PM in late season.
The deer have just started moving again here. I've seen only a few does in the AM. I doubt the icy conditions would help at all. Good Luck to you.
