Survival Mode

Another big storm has plowed right over Iowa and the next few days we'll feel the aftermath. Temperatures have tumbled, the wind is relentlessly chilling, and snowflakes are flying here and there. Conditions are pretty brutal with the coldest air of the season blowing in on strong northwesterly winds. Deer are switching back to survival mode with a bed-to-feed-to-bed pattern. Many deer will move into their out-of-the-wind sanctuary such as cedar thickets, blow downs and steep southeast facing draws close to food sources. These are all attractive options for the winter wary whitetail. While the 20s are nothing compared to the bitter-cold we'll see in a month or so, deer will still seek some additional thermal protection. They'll also be feeding. Burning calories helps the whitetail stay warm, and many herds will feed periodically throughout the day. Evenings should be good in those preferred food sources where the deer haven't seen too much hunting pressure. Typically, corn fields see more action but bean fields are still producing good numbers in the evening. This wind is rough, but it's enough cover noise for a stalk, and if your mobile you'll stand a better chance to see deer. It's not the best hunting weather, but with just a few short days before Iowa's first shotgun season, your time to arrow that trophy is running out. Good luck and stay warm!

Monday's a Must Hunt!

A lot of hunters took advantage of the November Antlerless season this holiday weekend. According to the Iowa DNR, last year, 10,000 licenses were issued and hunters reported harvesting 2,980 deer. This year antlerless quotas are higher and many folks have taken to the timber. Normally all the extra activity would have the deer hunkered down in sanctuary for a few days, but their need to feed is once again going to put deer on the move in central Iowa. Falling pressure and another very large storm system will be blowing in for Monday bringing more wind, clouds and rain showers. Temperatures will be mild in central Iowa with most of the rain shower activity around the midday hours and relatively light. So morning and evening sits should be as good as we could expect from the middle of a powerful November storm. I think the evening will be the best, with drizzle and fog likely, very low barometric pressure and an arctic cold front knocking at the door. That will make Monday a must hunt, so if you haven't filled your tag yet, a food source or travel corridor sounds like a good plan to me!

Cold Weather Feeding Pattern

Facing the polar chill is a tough sell with hot turkey and football at home. But now that the holiday is over it's time to hunt! Lows the next few nights will be in the teens and 20s, and highs in central Iowa will struggle for the 30s Friday and 40s Saturday. These types of temperatures can kick activity up several notches as more deer move during the daylight, feeling that urge to pack on the pounds before true winter arrives. East facing slopes will become a deer magnet, as they try to warm up in the sun while staying out of the westerly winds (which will stay on the brisk side except for at dawn and dusk). Still hunting these haunts should prove productive especially if your early morning spots didn't pan out. But watch out for the backdraft effect hills will have on wind currents (see the graphic on the upper right of the blog). Otherwise, good field feeding has been observed lately, sometimes several hours before sunset in areas that aren't pressured much. I expect that to continue so you should see good activity both Friday and Saturday evenings. So if Black Friday shopping isn't your thing, go grab the shotgun, muzzleloader or bow and take advantage of the special antlerless season for deer. It starts Nov. 26th and ends Nov. 28th. I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving, stay warm and good luck!

Good Evening, Bad Wednesday

With a Canadian high settled in, and some chilly numbers (Most of us still below freezing for highs), this evening will be fantastic to be out hunting. Hunt it if you can! Most areas the winds are light but turning southeasterly and the pressure is high, but starting to fall. Our next storm is gearing up out west and this one is going to be a doozie bringing some icy and raw weather conditions to central Iowa Wednesday. Clouds will move in overnight followed quickly by some freezing drizzle starting around 6am. Temperatures will be right around the freezing mark through mid-morning which will make for some slick spots as the precip. picks up. Between 10am and 1pm most of the freezing rain will become just plain rain thanks to temperatures warming above freezing. If you're reading this and you hunt north of Des Moines, the icy/nasty weather will last a bit longer up there. North of Highway 30 we will see ice accumulations from a glaze up to 1/4" thick. Travel will be a bit hazardous as long as temps are below freezing, and the treestand wont be comfortable or safe. Not to mention the wind will be howling out of the southeast at 17-25mph putting the windchill in the 20s and putting the deer to thick cover and bedding. Activity should be quite low with such foul rainy conditions, but if there is a break in the action I'd hit the fields for an evening hunt. Temps will be just above freezing, fog drizzle and mist will be whipping in the wind, pressure will be quite low and a few deer will use the break in rain to grab a quick bite to eat. Most will stay hunkered down for the storm which doesn't sound like a bad idea to me ;-)