Let It Snow

Let It Snow

By Freddie McKnight

Typically, the first snowfall of the year is accompanied by major anticipation by hunters. Though weather patterns have been fickle for the past decade, one can be reasonably assured that the first snow of the year will hit by late-November or early December, the prime time for many big game seasons in the tri-state region.

Though I don’t claim to be a big fan of the cold weather time period, I do spend time out-of-doors then. I silently wish for a couple of inches of snowfall for the Pennsylvania bear season. The white snow, combined with the bear’s black coloration, usually boosts the success rate on this elusive trophy from the Keystone State. It doesn’t hurt that these big animals leave behind a trail of tracks to follow, as well. Knowing that I have a bear up and moving in a drive just builds the anticipation. Of course, the snow also shows me why these big bruins got that way by tracking their prints to the point where they managed to slip through between the hunters without being spotted.

Of course, the big time for snowfall is on the eve of the opening day of the deer season. Though cold and wind usually accompany a storm, there are few hunters out there who don’t relish the thought of an opening day of deer season with a fresh coating of snow on the ground. It makes visibility in the woods grow as the dark shapes of a moving deer can be spotted at a longer distance from a deer stand. Any shot taken can be immediately assessed as a hit or miss by the presence or lack of blood on the white forest floor. Tracking, both for wounded deer and those who like to still-hunt, is much easier when we can read what is going on.

The first snow of the year also triggers certain animal movements, as well. Game of all kind will be up and on their feet ahead of the weather front. They will be feeding heavily so that they may lie up during the brunt of the front. Some animals, like furred predators, will actually hunt hard during the storm, knowing that their prey is likely to be holed up and easier to approach due to weather conditions.

Should the snowfall happen during nightfall, special anticipation builds as daylight increases. Hunters are eager to get in the woods under the new conditions and take advantage of the situation. In the case of deer season, hunters can see where the whitetails have gone since the pressure first started and adjust their hunting to better their chance of success. The more you know of what your quarry is doing, the better the odds are of crossing paths with them. If you don’t succeed at getting a shot the first time, you always have the option of tracking. This is one of the biggest challenges to accept in the woodlands, especially when the critter knows it is being followed.

Given the right type of snow, one can glide through the landscape and barely make a sound. Of course, your quarry can as well. I remember a strange storm a few years ago during the late October time period when I was bowhunting in my home state. I was anticipating the deer movement to be coming from my front and paid little attention to the area behind me, especially since that was the way the wind was carrying my scent and also the way I had approached my stand. Imagine my surprise when a nice buck slithered in without making a sound. The snow had become my enemy then, allowing the deer to sneak literally right under me without detection. I tried to get my bow, but my dark shadow on the white background spooked the buck.

Though I dearly love snow for hunting those big game animals, it is the predators I pursue that make me love snow the most. Cunning and woods-wise, the coyotes and fox are tough to hunt, but the snow covering tilts the odds a little in my favor. The covering of snow often makes the hunting harder for these critters and more likely to come to a call.

I often say the harder the winter, the better the hunting, but during the first snowfall of the year they seem to make a transition of sorts. Often these wise creatures act like kids, playing in that first snow at all hours of the day and night. I have seen where they have rolled around in the snow while playing with objects like a pop bottle, tree branch, or something similar. I found one place many years ago where two red fox played with a discarded tissue shortly after the first snowfall. Left behind by a hunter entering the woods, the tissue had been torn into numerous pieces and was scattered over a 100-yard-long area. The only thing I can attribute to that action was the change brought on by the snow.
Hunting these predators during that first significant storm of the year can improve your success rate, too. It seems that the falling flakes have a calming effect on these animals that makes them come much closer to the source of a call than they would have a week earlier. I have called in locations during those snows where the predators would hang up just out of gun range in earlier trips, but nearly ended up in my lap during the snowfall.

The first snow seems to be anticipated as much as the opening day of a deer season. It is a rejuvenator of sorts, especially for those who have yet to fill a tag. It can be compared to stepping back and getting a second wind to complete the task at hand. The first snowfall can aid you or hinder you, but when pressed for an answer, I believe that most sportsmen would love to see couple of inches of white stuff on the ground at some point in their hunting season.