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Jagermeister
10-16-2012, 06:58 AM
Arose this morning with the intent of a little solo hunt. Soon discovered that the wind was slightly more than brisk. It brought to mind an episode that H47 posted a while back about his field trip seeking shelter under a bridge.
I hate hunting during high wind.
With so much standing dead trees, one has to keep an eye out for widow makers crashing down on one's self. This takes away from keeping an eye open for any game that you may kick up.
And then there are the trees that have already fallen blocking your path. I am not keen to get off or out to cut them out of the way. Especially not knowing if the one that is still standing that was beside the one that is now blocking your path is going to topple at the precise moment your bent over removing the one on the ground. No siree, not my cup of tea.
And back to the game, they usually are hunkered down in areas of dense brush and on high alert. Gone in a flash at the sign of trouble.
Mind you, sometimes a wind can be an advantage to the hunter. Hunting into the wind can be beneficial providing you are in an area that you don't have to worry about beetle killed forest smacking you down.
I like those areas of mature fir that have their roots strongly anchored into mother earth. None of those areas really huntable where I live due to limited access.
Anyhow, I will just carry on with a couple of projects at hand, like the reloading bench which is partially constructed and waits completion. Or perhaps some river fishing, don't mind doing that in the wind.

squamishhunter
10-16-2012, 07:01 AM
Had the power out for a few hours early this morning, back on already....

decker9
10-16-2012, 07:45 AM
Spent a unplaned night on a mountain last weekend (saturday night) around smithers chasing goats, about 9pm came the rain sleet and WIND!, Herd trees falling all around, A very uncomfortable night! but prolly safer then comming down in the dark. Last night the wind woke me a few times, but still have power this am thankfully.

PS......I vote river fishin!! lol, cheers!

solo
10-16-2012, 08:09 AM
Two weeks ago had a tree come down on the back of the truck. Just got hit by the branches, so not much damage. When the wind started up I knew I should have gone home, but I pushed it. I guess luck is better than brains! I vote finish the reloading bench!

Big Lew
10-16-2012, 08:36 AM
I've had some very close calls with snags and even live trees during 'brisk' gusts. Large broken branches, especially dead ones, can come down faster than you can react. Keep in mind that even if you're traveling on reasonably good roads through timber subject to high winds, sometimes not just one or two trees will fall across the road. Once one or two fall, they weaken the other's resistance and a whole grove will fall. If you don't have a powersaw with extra gas, you'll be trapped an awfully long time trying to chop your way free. I've been on the wrong side of multiple downed trees and fortunately had a saw with gas and it still took me a long time to get out.

finngun
10-16-2012, 08:42 AM
old hunter told to me long time ago---worst is the weather-- better hunting.. animals are coming out of thickets because they dont like tree brances etc. hitting they back...:mrgreen:

Sofa King
10-16-2012, 09:04 AM
old hunter told to me long time ago---worst is the weather-- better hunting.. animals are coming out of thickets because they dont like tree brances etc. hitting they back...:mrgreen:

well he was wrong.
i find that most animals hunker down and wait it out when it's really windy.
time and time again, i've hunted during really windy days, thinking i have the advantage because their senses will be messed up.
almost always, i end up seeing nothing at all.

now my favourite, is to hunt during a good snowfall.
that does mess up their senses, but they'll still stay out in it.
i've walked right up to a deer during a good snow before.

finetuned
10-16-2012, 09:33 AM
I spent about fifteen years driving truck on the Cassiar highway from Kitwanga to Dease Lake and found that on windy nights we had to slow down and watch for Moose because they were restless in heavy wind and always on the move. The windier it got the more Moose you would see through the night. This didn't translate to the daytime only at dusk through the night and dawn. In the daytime they seemed to hold up and hide.

Shooter
10-16-2012, 09:42 AM
well he was wrong.
i find that most animals hunker down and wait it out when it's really windy.
time and time again, i've hunted during really windy days, thinking i have the advantage because their senses will be messed up.
almost always, i end up seeing nothing at all.

now my favourite, is to hunt during a good snowfall.
that does mess up their senses, but they'll still stay out in it.
i've walked right up to a deer during a good snow before.

My experience also. However the deer know when a storm is coming and they WILL move extensively before and after a nasty storm. I think they prepare to not feed for a long time and make sure they get out and eat lots right before the storm. And likewise they are pretty hungry after it passes because they have been hunkered down not feeding.

I am talking about a NASTY storm here tho. 20-30 kph winds and rain is great BT hunting weather. 50-90 kph winds... stay home and be safe.