chrissmithmug.JPG

When it comes to hunting, weather is always a consideration.

Weather changes, specifically, can dictate what approach to take for the given quarry. Some weather events can actually cause a hunt to be rescheduled or even cancelled. Deer for example, may not move as much during heavy rain or high winds can make them spookier than normal. These weather events cause the deer to lose some of their ability to use one of their strongest defense systems.

The strong wind will rob the deer of it’s keen sense of smell and the heavy rain will diminish their hearing.

Some weather changes improve hunting odds and we must be ready to take advantage of these opportunities. Cold fronts roll in from the North or Northwest. Waterfowl hunters know when a cold front blows in, ducks will most likely be riding the strong upper level winds.

All migratory birds take advantage of these winds to make their annual journey easier. This knowledge will come in handy at some point and hopefully put you in a prime area when the weather is right to improve your odds.

East Texas had a couple of fronts push through recently and I took the opportunity to do some scouting. My idea was to slip around in the bottom to see if the rain had helped a couple of sloughs and to find out if any ducks were using them. The winds were strong, in the 15 to 20 mile per hour range. Is was overcast and late afternoon when arrived to find dozens of doves pouring into a group of pines and cedars.

I watched for 30 minutes or so and was amazed at the number of birds piling into these trees. The dove were using this little thicket to roost in. Legal shooting hours for doves is 30 minutes before sunrise until sunset. These birds just kept pouring into the thick cover long after legal shooting time and I could still hear them as I made my way back to the truck.

Tomorrow would be an awesome day to be back here with a shotgun and plenty of shells.

Tomorrow came and although it was beautiful weather, the dove had headed out and left the little thicket. Most likely the wind that brought them here also took them out of town the following morning. The best laid plans don’t always work out but we had a few decent shots and our young Yellow Lab got his first introduction to live action.

Watching the young dog work and learn was the best part of the entire day as harvesting limits or large numbers is never the focus of a “successful” hunt.

Check the weather and do your scouting. These two things will always be important. I learned that only 8 wood ducks are using the slough and I still have trouble hitting doves.

Some things never change.