Easier or Harder...

sageadvice

Long Time Member
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to see in the snow?

I personally seem to see Muleys better with no snow on the ground. Those big white butt patches are a dead give away.

Some have said that Muleys are easier to see with snow on the ground.

What do you think, easier or harder with snow on the ground?

Joey


"It's all about knowing what your firearms practical limitations are and combining that with your own personal limitations!"
 
Zigger, there you go being the smart azz again!

Joey

"It's all about knowing what your firearms practical limitations are and combining that with your own personal limitations!"
 
uh....no...honestly....really???


When you go swimming in the ocean, it is very cold, and it makes my willy small
 
LAST EDITED ON Aug-06-13 AT 00:11AM (MST)[p]Snow is way easier to see and spot deer! A big dark body with a white background doesn't get any easier!
Patchy snow is tough as they blend in and you can't pick out their white rump as easy. No snow they tend to blend in better with their surrounding, but you can pick out the white rump. But it is 1, 000 times easier with a white background, not even a question!!!
 
Thanks Boot for the serious answer!

Most of the muleys i've hunted in the snow, it was patchy, Especially in rocky or timbered country. I think it obvious that a buck standing in a pure white field or hillside is going to stand out. Lots of times though there is both snow and contrast and to me in that case, i'd rather have no snow at all but some guys like yourself claim different...

Other opinions? Thanks!

Joey


"It's all about knowing what your firearms practical limitations are and combining that with your own personal limitations!"
 
I'd say it depends for me. Right after it snows and everything is covered - hands down it's easier to spot deer. However, after the snow melts a bit and is then patchy on the ground, it gets more difficult. So for me, I prefer either no snow or lots of fresh snow.
 
I have always preferred snow as it makes it much easier. The terrain with or without snow also makes a huge difference. An example of this is my home hunting area, with snow on the Sandhills you can find deer at two miles it really makes it easy. A few years back I hunted Colorado in a particularly rough area a lot of boulders, shale slides and cliffs. Muley are still a lot easier to see but rough terrain breaks up the brown outline.
 
snow, lots of time that first snow lets the deer think they are still not being seen in those patches of oak brush and they really stand out.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
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Well, there you go! Here i thought most everyone was going to say no snow like i prefer over a blotchy rocky hillside. No wonder i was curious as i've heard others say, "good, it's snowed, that will make the deer easier to spot deer". I always thought that statement odd myself but went along with it even though it wasn't really the case for me with the obvious already stated exceptions.

A couple things may have influence on my choice. I'm pretty color blind. Dull Browns, greens, reds, some shades of grey, all blend in together thru my eyes, especially at distance and not the best light. Also, i grew up hunting Kali A-zone Blacktails in country that very rarely ever snowed, never during the deer season. Members of my family and friends claimed to see no equal in my spotting of deer as a young man. I knew the country well and used to spot deer way farther away than what most folks thought possible but i always thought it no big deal. Maybe a partial of both being color blind and having cut my teeth and learning the trade in country without snow is the reason i feel more secure in my spotting abilities without snow.

Regardless, Thanks for your replies guys!!

Joey


"It's all about knowing what your firearms practical limitations are and combining that with your own personal limitations!"
 
Ill be the odd ball. I rather have no snow. I do agree after a fresh dumping, not just a small trace of snow, but where the sage, trees, everything is covered, then yes, snow is easier. After a day or 2, I rather have no snow.
If I had a choice, Ill take no snow any day of the week. Ive learned to glass for animals very effectively with no snow. Im looking for a horizontal line which every animal will show.
I dislike camping in snow, climbing hillsides in snow due to slippery, and hate snow doing down the back of my neck. Fresh snow is nice to make a stalk on but once it crusts I hate making stalks in snow.
All in all overall for the hunt, easier with no snow in my opinion.
 
I'd much rather have snow, as long as it isn't crunchy! If it is crunchy then it is very annoying and I can't sneak up on them in the timber.
Mntman

"Hunting is where you prove yourself"


Let me guess, you drive a 1 ton with oak trees for smoke stacks, 12" lift kit and 40" tires to pull a single place lawn mower trailer?
 
LAST EDITED ON Aug-06-13 AT 10:55AM (MST)[p]For "seeing" game I'd rather have an EVEN coating of snow.
Spotty snow can make it tough to see.

For "hunting" I'd rather have no snow... or at least fresh, quite snow. That crunchy stuff sucks!

On a side note; I really think game animals know that they're more visible in a fresh snow and they stay in or close to the trees because of it. Maybe feeding is easier under the trees because of less snow. Whatever it is, the deer stay in the thick stuff more when they are easiest to see.

Just my 2 cents... for free!
Zeke
 
Fresh snow is great for the first few hours, but once it gets spotty it makes it tougher in my opinion. The new snow seems to bring out the deer a little earlier to feed also....
And I hate CRUNCHY snow...
 
There isn't a lot of open country here. Seeing a deer on some hillsides is virtually impossible without snow. I notice on the hunting shows that if a deer walks into the 'quakies' everyone stops hunting and waits for it to come back out. Well, picture mountainsides with small patches of aspen and birch and vast thick stands of conifers. How I can glass those hills is watch the aspen and birch stands where they like to feed. No snow and your eyes can't even tell where the ground is. Tree trucks blend in too much. Your eyes go crosseyed. Snow and all of a sudden you have depth and can tell where the trees stop and where the ground starts. When you see a deer it is just a quick glimpse usually. And then you make the plan to go in, sneek and peek, and kill the deer up close and personal. And with snow, you know where the deer went as they leave these things called 'tracks'. Snow is my friend. Snow also quiets things up. Still hunting heavy timber with no snow is nothing but 'snap, crackle and pop'. I'd take crunchy snow or squeaky snow over no snow any day.
 
Don't matter to me. Some guys have "eyes" no matter what. I've always taken pride in my critter spotting ability. Terrain makes a pretty big difference in the ease of spotting with or without snow. mtmuley
 
You're a Real Smart-Ass ZIGGER!

sage said so!



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