Rain, Snow and Cold!?! Yes Please!

Big changes are coming in the weather pattern, and it starts today (Wednesday) with a strong low pressure storm system that will bring wind, rain, and even some snow to Iowa.

The mention of snow in the forecast has people abuzz and this storm system has animals on the move.

Wednesday will be soggy, rainy and cold.

Sadly, 90% of this system will be cold rain, but the most intense rain showers later today might change over to heavy snow, especially in SW IA after 3pm. Keep checking our radar here: http://www.myabc5.com/Global/story.asp?S=14661140  The ground is too warm for any accumulation, but the grass is just high enough off the ground to collect a new coat of white in the heaviest snow squalls. My money says you will not see snow like this, but the change in weather is very exciting for outdoorsmen!

Almost the entire month of October, temperatures in central Iowa were warm.  We did have some wild swings, and each chilly spell seemed to feature more and more pre-rut deer activity. Bucks have been preparing and the time is finally here!

Over the last week we’ve seen an increasingly impressive display of deer on the hoof. I hunted the last cool high pressure and was able to call in several nice deer Oct. 27th and 28th. Rattling and grunting works well in the early phases of the rut. Most of the animals I’ve been seeing have been young- in the 2 ½ year old age class with several 100s to 130s. But mature bucks are on the hoof and in my last outing a mature buck, 140s-150s and probably 4 ½ years old or better, was cruising for does in a soy bean field in the middle of the morning. Signs suggest, the first does are either close or coming into heat and it’s got the boys going nuts. The next two weeks will be the best time to bow-hunt a bruiser!

High temperature and human-pressure are the two biggest rut-suppressors. My research suggests the magic temperature to be a sunny 50 degrees. Warmer than this and deer activity locks down. As the mercury drops movement really picks up. Cold air is swinging in behind today’s storm system and the chilly temperatures plus high pressure should make November 3rd, 4th and the morning of the 5th an exceptional time to hunt! We’ll be pretty warm Saturday afternoon, but Sunday the 6th should be another good day to get out in the woods. Good luck!