Hunting in hot weather.

[SunnySlopes]

Archery deer season opens up in a few weeks, and it's still in the 80s/90s. We'll likely break 100 before the fall.

I've never liked hunting in warm weather. I hate skeeters. Can't wear repellant cause of the scent. Snakes. Ticks.

Give me ~30 degree weather for hunting any day.

 

[desidog]

Then stay inside next to the A/C...more for the rest of us.

 

[X-Rap]

Lot of meat wasted in the early seasons as well, we hit near 100 yesterday here in western Colorado and the mountains are full of bow hunters. Deer aren't such a big deal but those elk don't come out in one trip and spoil fast unless they are cooled off.
This is if everything goes well and the game is found quick, if it goes half a day things go down hill fast.

 

[osteodoc08]

I've been scouting and hunting squirrel lately in GA and its been hot too. I can use bug spray now, but come now season, I use a fine camo mesh type deal that stays "cool" but keeps the skeeters away. I forget the brand.

 

[41 Mag]

I use the Sawyer line of repellents on my clothes, one treatment usually last a couple of trips.

Spray it on liberally and hang it up and let it dry a few days ahead of heading out. I also use at least one Thermocell if I am hunting in the thick stuff, sometimes two.

I have had no issues with scent spooking the deer with any of these except one big doe who stuck her nose almost inside the pop up the grandson and I were in. Of course it could have been his eye's popping out as well that spooked her, I was laughin so hard it might even have been me.

Most of the Permethrin based stuff works great for a number of critters, but there are always a few that figure out how to annoy the bageebers out of me.

 

[hardluk1]

I grew up hunting in south florida . yea lots of hot weather. Shoot um, clean um and ice um quickly. Wear bug suit , da hole tang. I used one kinda like this one a life time ago when I had too.
I hear dryer sheets will keep skeeters off too.

http://www.amazon.com/Yukon-Gear-Mens-Bug-Suit/dp/B00565XP3S

 

[Patocazador]

I went out at daybreak this morning and hung a stand and scouted. By 10:00 I was dripping sweat and had several ticks already attached.

It's not that much fun but it beats staying at home.

 

[41 Mag]

I went out at daybreak this morning and hung a stand and scouted. By 10:00 I was dripping sweat and had several ticks already attached.

Dang sounds like you were over at my little 10 acre place..

Over there we nic named it "Tha Tick Farm", all you usually have to do is get out of the truck, sometimes not even that and your asking for them. I have had them drop off a limb onto my arm while sitting there with the window down.

As for the stand thing, last year I hung one that I thought was in a great spot, well it actually was, right up until about 4 or later in the evening when the sun came through the trees and was nothing you wanted to be sitting in, all the way to dark. What was bad is I have sat and watched this same area time and time again from across the pasture at all different times and never noticed that. I found out why, as only the upper 4 feet or so of the stand is in the area that gets hit. Stupid hole right in the wrong places of those Oak tree tops.

 

[Blue Brick]

100 here with cloud cover and 105 by Tuesday.

 

[Nomad]

The summer in Arizona makes you happy when you are out in less than 110 degrees. Most mornings start out around 90. Yep carry lots of water.

 

[Bobson]

I've never liked hunting in warm weather. I hate skeeters. Can't wear repellant cause of the scent. Snakes. Ticks.

There are products out there that you can apply to your clothing that will repel bugs even better than most repellant sprays I've used while camping. We were given a certain kind to apply to our uniforms before deploying to Iraq. I don't know what it was, exactly. Some sort of military product in a black plastic bag. Anyway, you pretty much soak your clothes in it and stuff them into a garbage bag, and tie it off for a couple days. When you open it up, just throw em in the wash all by themselves. Of course you still gotta deal with the smell when you're doing it, but the clothes don't smell weird at all once the treatment is finished and they've been washed.

I'm pretty sure there are similar options available to the everyman. Maybe check stores like Cabela's, or other big-box outdoors stores in your area.

The summer in Arizona makes you happy when you are out in less than 110 degrees. Most mornings start out around 90. Yep carry lots of water.

Yeah buddy, it was nice today. Only 103.

 

[hardluk1]

heat sure can make a day hunting more like work than enjoyable.

 

[Patocazador]

I think all the deer this morning were in an air-conditioned bar. They sure weren't anywhere near me.

 

[hardluk1]

I see a friend 9 year old got his first deer, a doe with a cross bow yesterday. Cool way to start the season.

 

[Gunnerboy]

Another beautiful rainy 65deg day here in coastal washington state haha glad that when the weathers warm we got creek bottoms to hunt out here, where theres no skeeters, ticks or other unfriendly bugs by deer season (oct 12) Best of luck to you fellas in the heat

 

[gspn]

I used to bow hunt. Ultimately I discovered that there are three stages to the season of Fall around here. First is that all the water ski boats stop going to the lake after school goes back. Then, a lot of other boaters quit going to the lake when college football season starts. Then most of the rednecks leave the lake when bow season starts...which left this redneck with the entire lake to himself.

I used to bow hunt all the time...i describe it as "poisonous snake and mosquito season with a chance to see a deer." After we had kids I didn't have as much time to practice so I quit going. I did buy a boat though...and I don't need any practice to fish so it was a match made in heaven.

Once October 1st rolls around I can go a whole day on Pickwick and sometimes see only one or two boats. It's unreal.

Someday when the kids are grown and gone I'll have time to pick up the bow again...until then the plan is to fish until I have to wear gloves...and then hunt with the rifle.

 

[Patocazador]

gspn:
You could both fish AND scout for ducks. That's the best of two worlds.