How Cold Is It!?
 

For those of you across the country hunting this week (or hoping to), I pose the question, "How cold was your most recent hunt?" I know that with hunting members scattered throughout the States (and Canada), there should be a range of temperatures, from temperate to downright cold (as it is here in North Missouri).

***So, if you have the time, how about chime in and let us know what the temperatures and conditions were on your most recent hunt.***

We sat out yesterday when the high was 6 degrees, but are heading out in a few minutes to chase quail and pheasants with the thermometer reading 12 degrees with a stiff breeze and about 4 inches of snow on the ground. We'll use plenty of Musher's Secret today I'm sure.

I hope someone is hunting in warmer and more comfortable conditions, but as a favorite writer of mine, Percy Blogg, wrote, "There are No Dull Dark Days'.

It was 13 this morning with a 10 to 20 mph wind. So according to the chart near zero! Got up and started to call my hunting partner to postpone, but the doves have to all feed unlike a warm day so we went for three hours. As the sun came up it got colder as it always does. Standing still so we did not get warmer.

Nothing like doves with a good tail wind to provide good excuses for missing them, eh? And what state/area are you hunting? Just curious about the state, not prying into your secret dove spots.

Took the boys for a run on Tuesday. It was 12 with a 20 mph wind. When we worked into the wind it froze my face. I intended to go today but it was -2 this morning but only about 10 mph wind, but still I said the heck with it and loaded shells instead. Maybe tomorrow.

Supposed to shoot clays Sunday. Forecast is for 2 overnight and a high of 10. Grandson says we are going so we will.

The Old Dominion.

Spent all day yesterday on the ram end of a log splitter; high was 28 degrees. Hit it again at 7AM (12 degrees) and finished up around 10 AM when it had warmed up to a balmy 28 again. A little wind always helps!! As revenge against the drudgery of 'chores', we have a quail hunt planned for tomorrow morning "late" (10-ish) and the weather can do whatever it wants; we're going anyway.

BTW - Percy Thayer Blogg was a local boy (MD) - Check out his, "When Springtime Comes to Bodkin Creek." - it'll help take your mind off this cold!!!!!

Got up this morning and the temperature was -35 and wind chills of -45. Not too bad, but I've tried hunting in these conditions and in hindsight while it was occasionally satisfying it was never "fun". Must be getting old.

It's 7:30 Thursday evening and I set the broom under the thermometer and the mercury is down on the broom handle. It says its 4 degrees and heading down even more.

Not as bad as it could be but it is cold outside!

Went out this afternoon for what I think is the last pheasant hunt of the year for me in Minnesota with 15 degrees and a 10 mph breeze. Our season ends on Jan 1 and it is supposed to be below zero from here on out in MN. The Parker Reproduction 20 scored. The rooster looks a bit rough because he decided to go for a swim in a open drainage ditch before my friends Boynkin Spainel cornered him.

I was going to wait another day, but my new waders came in the mail so I decided to try them out. It was a balmy 14 degrees when I started walking ditches this afternoon.
Only three more days of duck season, so I had to attempt hunting. I jumped two groups of Mallards. I doubled on one group . Of course I dropped both of them in the water! Unlike my old waders, the new ones don't leak.

Went out today south of Tucson. About 72 F. Wind under 5 mph. Humidity in the teens. Didnt get out until noon and took 3 dogs. Only time to run 2 of them as I needed to head home my 4. Weather is unseasonably warm. I was able to find some birds but had to hunt some tough areas.

http://parkerguns.org/forums/attachm...1&d=1514529795

some people just got it made...good hunting....charlie

Hey! My home state. Born in Williamsburg many years ago. I hunted quail, deer and squirrels in the Old Dominion as a boy. I miss the smell of pines, but not all the people. Glad to know there's PGCA member shooting doves in Ole Virginny.

Kevin,

Good luck on the quail hunt. We went yesterday in 12 degree temps. Found a covey (got one from it), and managed a pheasant (not many around here). Still chasing wild birds.

Thanks for the tip on Blogg. I'll look it up.

Phillip,

We had near 60 degree temps just a short time back. The dogs were kicking up dust. Now it's 12 degrees with a good bit of snow. At least we have seasons...I keep telling myself. I think of Tucson a great deal around early Feb. in north Missouri. Thanks for the pictures!

Will try to get out tomorrow. Temps have risen from below 10 to the low twenties, but now have a snow advisory that may make roads treacherous in the morning. There are very few pheasants left at our club, but the fresh snow may help us in finding them . Hunted a local public hunting area a week ago(Ohio), and only moved 1 bird in about 5 hours--had a great point and back and managed to get the bird.
My 2 young pups need to get out and see some birds, so may need to go to a preserve

Harold,

Where in Ohio? I lived in Athens while in grad school and continued to go back to SE OH to grouse hunt until the well-meaning, but ignorant "conservationists" put a stop to timber sales in the Wayne National Forest. Your hunt sounds bittersweet. Sometimes when bird numbers are down and we've had several poor hunts in a row, even a single bird makes for a great day. I hope yours was.

Garry, I grew up, work, and own a farm in Belmont county--but live just across the river in Wheeling, WV now. I went to the local branch campus of Ohio University for 2 years, then to OSU. Ohio used to be a fantastic grouse state as you know, 20-30 flush days the norm. I used to hunt Wayne National a lot in Monroe and Washington counties. I will still hit those spots but grouse are now few and far between. It is really not any better now around Athens and south.
Serious grouse hunters must now head north to Mich, Wis, or Minn.

Here's a follow-up (and thanks to all who have provided their own accounts!). It warmed to 12 degrees yesterday. We stole out in a light snow and crossed the border into Iowa. Our Cedar, with Musher's Secret on all four paws, found us a covey of quail (from which we got one), and then trailed a rooster pheasant that obliged me with a shot. Cedar was as happy as was I, and we celebrated a short, successful hunt at home later with the wood stove cranked up high.

Harold,

Your post brings back pangs of regret at what we've lost in grouse coverts in Ohio. I have hunted in Monroe Co. in years gone by. I, too, remember 25 flush days in the cutovers of SE Ohio. What a shame some (too many I fear) can't see that having early successional forests is healthy for both those forests and the creatures that live in them.

The fescue pastures and bulldozed fencerows are now taking away the quail habitat in Missouri.

BTW, we hunt northern and southeastern Minnesota for grouse, and have for almost 30 years. Thank goodness trees are still harvested in the north!

I have not missed a season in the UP since 1986, it is as familiar to me as home now, spent 16 days there this year. I shot a grouse in Monroe county 2 years ago and later saw the game warden at the gas station in Clarington. Stopped to talk to him, and told him I just killed the last grouse in Monroe county, we commiserated over the dearth of the grouse population, and I haven't shot a grouse in Ohio since.
Nice Gordon, I have always had English setters but have several friends with Gordons, maybe someday, but have 4 female setters now.
Snow is falling now, will have to wait til morning to see if I can get out.
Sometimes I feel as threatened a species as the grouse in Ohio, it is good to hear from like-minded gents across the country.

-18C as season closed for the year, pleased my Lab kept up with Chessies that take any weather throw against them.

-12 F in Grayling, MI this AM

According to Siri it was supposed to be mid 30’s and sunny. It was actually 7, with heavy fog, wind and spitting snow. First lesson learned, don’t trust predictions when it come to Colorado weather. Second lesson learned, always be prepared for anything between a blizzard and a heat wave. Third lesson learned, in spite of being 2000’ lower and further south Rush really can be 25-30 degrees colder than Colorado Springs.

I've had a touch of shingles since the 24th . So I hadn't been out till yesterday morning . Think it was 17 or 18 I sat in a tree from 06:15 until10:15 then got down got the ATV and ride all my trails . I saw not a single deer track in the snow , kind of a let down to say the least . So I have laid off today and plan to hit it again bright and early New Years morning , supposed to be single digits in the AM suppose I better take a thermos of hot choco or coffee .

Went dove hunting with a young man and he killed two at his granddad's farm yesterday and I was skunked. I did not know he had been out the evening before and chased them all away. Only saw five birds. It got up to 39 yesterday afternoon so I went after deer. Three little beagles were coming so I got up and the lead dog was the only one barking behind a herd of ten does and fawns. When they got to a fence they split up and went every way. They had been out of range but one doe split off and ran my way. One load of 00 from a Beretta Extrema gave me meat for the landowner. He is crazy about a rack of venison, and this young deer delivered today already cut up with ribs intact to the tenderloin and soaked in salt water overnight made him happy. Bitter cold today to make up for yesterday. Single digits tonight.

I sure wish we could use buckshot here in Missouri. I'd like to use one of my old guns with some buckshot like we did when I was growing up in Virginia. It's muzzleloader season here now, but way too cold for me to climb into a tree stand and sit (Zero right now!).

Was at camp in Pittsburg, NH, for the holiday weekend. Minus 24 degrees yesterday morning. Cold:shock:

“We’d be crazy to go if it’s minus 40”. So said my hunting partner of several decades. I replied “So we’re good to go up to minus 39 then”. Picked him up at 7:30 am for the hour and half drive to pheasant country. As it turned out the real temperature was minus 32 with light winds that dropped the wind chill to minus 39 so it never did hit minus 40, not that another degree would have meant anything other than that minus 40 is the same in both Celsius and Fahrenheit. All that could be seen on the two of us were four eyeballs. Charlie is a good cold weather bird dog but she did take breaks in the vehicle and refused any more searching for birds by 2pm. Wish I had known about mushers secret but no mattter. By then we had four good roosters and decided to head home. Limit is 3 each. We removed the cold weather gear and even seeing a few feeding roosters did not tempt us to get it all back on. That is the coldest hunt I have ever undertaken and quite enjoyed it. No pics as never exposed fingers for any reason. Cheers, Jack

Jack, this sounds a bit too cold for me, but when the wind doesn't blow (rare here on the prairie) it's always worth the chance. We don't hunt quail when it's really cold. It's far too hard on them to be separated for any length of time. However, pheasants are another issue. They are pretty darned tough, and able to take the cold.

As good as Musher's Secret is, it still has to be applied, and, gosh, one's hands can sure get cold putting it on the dog before each hunt. However, I won't even try to hunt in snowy cold without it.

Thanks for sharing your hunt. I once grouse hunted in minus 25 weather. The beeper collar froze...I froze...my wife froze...and the dogs loved it!

They are predicting snow in Savannah and people are treating it like Armageddon is nigh. I am not even exaggerating.

*snicker*...:violin:





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FYI all....... That is NOT Dean with the shovel!

Our office will be the last thing that closes. Actually, that is fine with me. Our gun club is even closing

Good excuse for a hot toddy Mills. We only have a few inches of snow, but dropping down to zero or below at night, and highs ony hitting 15 or so. Ha d 3 days off, but couldn't make myself get out and hunt in this weather.
Dean, that looks like a new shovel, did you get your wife that for Christmas?

That's right Robin - Kathy isn't very good with a camera so I set her up with a shovel.

It kinda ticked me off a few years ago when my nosy neighbor told her that working the lever on the wood splitter was the easy job and that lumping the stumps was the hard part..... I haven't been able to get her to lift a stump since...:mad:




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No, I bought her a set of snow tires...:whistle:





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Well it was 1 degree at 06:00 needless to say I took the dog out and came back in . Maybe this evening I'll go . Group of us are planning to hunt Saturday the last day of the gun deer season in Virginia . Supposed to be rather cold that day also .

This whole place has shut down and we don't get snow until 1 or so. New England has every right to laugh at us