Fantastic Opener

Deer Season is upon us, and for many hunters it is a magical time of the year. Opening Day full of anticipation and excitement like Christmas morning. The sun comes up and unwraps the terrain presenting the day like a gift to us hunters. In years past, it has always been a must hunt! Here are the environmental factors that should make your hunt successful, and a few that might blow it this weekend.

This will be the best opening morning weather I have seen in my decade of bow hunting. Frosty conditions are likely and this is fantastic! The first frosts of the year almost always evoke an increase in activity from deer. In fact, the most deer I have on trail cameras this year was underneath a high pressure right after our first frost touched the state with that cold surge early in September (see more about high pressure in my post below). This weekend's cool lows are a definite plus for morning sits, but the wind will also be a huge factor, and in an odd way. I am forecasting a very light NE wind at daybreak to switch to the ESE by 9am, but wind speeds will be under 5mph.  This tiny zepher will often foil a good plan because even Iowa's subtle topography creates its own wind currents. This, plus the shifting high pressure could bust your hunt with a very light swirly wind in the wrong direction for your morning hunt.

The moon should be a non-factor this weekend. The waxing crescent moon will rise after noon and set by 9pm (check out the link to the right). It might help play into some early feeding activity, but I don't forecast a substantial influence on our quarry.

Based on the fight I heard and then saw in a frosty river valley last weekend, I'll take along the rattling antlers. Bucks are showing Pre-Rut behavior and a few big boys will be moving tomorrow morning, I'll have to see who's curious about my mock battle.

So set a loud alarm, and try to get some sleep. Deer Season 2011 will be off to a great start! Good Luck!

In the Red Zone!

OK, ok, so it's been awhile since I posted... I was busy hanging tree stands and feverishly wrapping up some last minute scouting! And it's a good thing too, because we are in the Red Zone for Iowa's Archery Season for Deer which begins October 1st!

The forecast for the first day of  bow season is a perfect one for chasing big deer. A large area of Canadian high pressure will be moving in overhead and that will create wonderful hunting conditions with lows in the upper 30s and lower 40s and highs in the 60s and 70s. Did I mention light winds? This will be the 4th major cool high pressure system to charge the Midwest in as many weeks, and it has the deer on their hooves. I noticed a pretty substantial spike in buck movement on several of these cool morning's and it helps that we've had the moon on the rise in the morning. For whatever reason, it seems the moon is a beacon for good animal activity under my tree stands. But that's the celestial and I'm just a weather nerd, so back to the meteorological!

High pressure really stirs up activity among deer, especially in the early season! It is a harbinger of the winter months and causes an instinctual reaction to browse for more food. Also, each cold surge is sparking more and more pre-rut behavior. You can see it too if you take a quick walk around the woods. I have found several fresh scrapes and even my first rub just one week into September. Pictured above is a dominant 3 1/2 year old buck showing a handsome 2 1/2 year old deer who's boss. Notice the date, temperature and moon phase. It's the middle of September on a cool crisp high pressure night and the moon is big at waxing gibbous. These factors and the repeated surges of cool fall air have got the game on the move, and you should be too. We're less than a week away from season, and the start is looking great!

Fantastic Burger Recipe

I’ll frequently toss random ingredients together to make a meal and occasionally I’ll strike gold. I did the other day and just had to share it. So if you want to take your taste buds on an adventure, here’s a wild recipe I created for a very flavorful burger. It's perfect for tailgating, or just plain getting excited for the upcoming deer season!

1.5lbs of venison burger, 1 hot banana pepper (or suitably spicy substitute), 1/2 apple, 1/4 cup Velveeta cheese, 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp mesquite seasoning, dash of garlic and herbs seasoning, salt, pepper

Remove the seeds and dice the pepper, slice the cheese and apple into 1/4" sized cubes, mix all together and make patties, grill but don't over-cook. Enjoy!

The flavor is delicious! Something magical happened between the smoky grill, savory mesquite, tart apple, melted cheese and pepper kick - making this the best burger I've created in years. Every tasty bite is yet another reason why I hunt.

First Frost on the Horizon

Our first taste of Fall weather has come and gone... Persistent sunshine gradually warmed away that crisp early autumn feel from just a few days ago. Now we are forecasting summer heat and temps in the 90's to start this week. A quick glance at the upcoming weeks leading into Bow Season in Iowa reveal some really wild swings! We're likely going to go from 90s to 30s almost every week! While initially it will come as a shock to the system, we still expect these changes to happen in Fall.

Oddly enough people respond predictably to sudden changes in weather. We break out the jackets, turn up the heater's for the first time of the year, and we increase our outdoor activity. Simply, we react to the environment, and animals do too! If you have outdoors pets, you'll see this firsthand. In the summertime, animals are less active during the daytime. No surprise, they're wearing a heavy, warm coat... all the time. So when we get these first sharp blasts of cooler, refreshing air, animals move around more in the daylight hours because they are able to exert more energy without overheating. They also get downright playful and their reaction to cooler weather is often fun and exciting to watch unfold.

We're about to see this reaction as two wild swings in pressure followed by the coldest air so far this season... and yes, even freezing temperatures invade the state! If my forecast holds, Thursday morning could be the first widespread frost this fall for many north of I-80! This would be unseasonably cold and about 3 weeks ahead of schedule for the average first frost (see picture above). The rest of us should see temperatures bombing out in the 30s and 40s for morning lows! I'm expecting to see a sharp increase in activity on the trail camera's this week probably starting around the 13th and 14th. Now that the velvet is off, I expect bucks in their respective bachelor packs to start testing each other, sizing up their competition!

Chilly weather is on the horizon, but it will sure warm up your spirits for this Fall season!

'Tis The Season, but Bad News for Pheasant Hunters

'Tis the season to be hunting! Iowa's first Mourning Dove season off and flying, alongside Rabbit and Squirrel season. While those seasons started off quite hot, this recent refreshing cool weather reminds us the days of  Deer Season are close too. Soon we'll be sitting in a treestand or ground blind anxiously anticipating that tell-tale crunch of a Whitetail's hoof smashing a leaf within bow range. It's also time to get excited about the sound of a cackling pheasant exploding from the foxtails! Unfortunately for pheasant hunters, it appears the numbers of this popular game bird are at an all time low in Iowa. I came across this report from the DNR also viewable on myabc5.com 

"

ABC5 Newsroom

news@myabc5.com

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Pheasant numbers in Iowa have dropped to an all-time low and state environmental officials are saying another winter with above-normal snowfall and a wet spring are to blame for the declining pheasant population.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says the state's pheasant population has fallen to an average of 7 birds counted for each 30 mile route driven. That's down from 11 birds per route in 2010. Officials with the DNR say last winter was the fifth in a row with above normal snowfall followed by a wet nesting season.

They say the drop in pheasant numbers isn't restricted to Iowa. Minnesota, South Dakota and Nebraska also have seen decreases in pheasant numbers. The pheasant hunting season in Iowa begins Oct. 29 and runs through Jan. 10.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. "

Another big problem hurting this game bird are feral cats and other opportunistic species like Opossums and Raccoons. Hopefully we can get a few mild winters followed by mild/drier springs to help rejuvenate the populations. Consider yourself lucky to bag a few roosters this season. I'll talk more about how this cool weather pattern is affecting the deer and deer scouting in my next blog.