I have been getting constant advise here,rain,clothing,wind. Now we are in for the first snow and ice of the year, tomorrow. So what is my best bet? Go slowly into the brush or take the blind overlooking the swamp. Come to think of it...I don't have the foggiest idea of what a deer will do in the snow and ice.
Could I have some suggestions please.
Thanks!

Well, I've crossed a swamp covered in snow up to two feet in some places a few times over the last two weeks. There were NO deer tracks in the open areas, just moose. I found deer on the edges though, where the snow was less deep, and on the surrounding hills. The good thing with snow is that you can see where the action is, or has been. I would opt for a *very* slow hike in the areas in which you expect deer. A few paces, a good look around, a few more, look, etc. I find that I'm not good at it, too impatient, but everytime I beat the urge to "speed" I see some deer.

Good luck.

Frans

Well hell, it don't snow here too often, but I did get to still hunt in both snow and ice in Ga. awhile back. It's a wonderful thing in snow, and it sucks on ice. I'd stalk very slowly in snow, find a blind or stand if you have ice on the ground. You can really find out how they move with snow on the ground.

It depends on how much and what you get.
If the snow is light and the temp above 25 then stalking is usally good as the snow is quiet and you can follow the tracks very. As you get more experience, you should (with work)be able to begin to tell the age of the tracks by the how they breeak down. If you see a deer get to the tracks as quickly as you can and watch the change over an hour. Just like watching the scat dry and change colors you can get to the point that you can put a age on when the tracks were made.
If you have ice then it gets tougher and I'd suggest that you hunt from a stand either tree or ground but the ice makes still hunting/stalking very tough because of the noise.
Tempos below about 25 also get tough as the snow will squeek when you step and every animal within hearing distance knows whats up. I personally like temps around 30 and freashly falling snow or.

Doing most of my hunting in Alberta, Saskatchewan, & Mantiba I'vd had occasion to hunt in snow. First, if it is snowing heavily then you might as well go looking for the deer. A heavy snow fall will render one of the deers defenses useless, sight. They will hold tight until it lets up. If however, it finished snowing recently, sitting in the stand is best. The deer will digging out and looking for food.

Ive seen that they tend to move away from the deep snow as well. Look for them at an elevation where the snow is not so heavy but there is still ample cover for them to hide in.

As I mentioned in your other thread, fresh snow is the ultimate for stalking!! An excellent situation for developing tracking skills.

The very best time to deer hunt I think is right before and right after a snow storm. Deer sense an approaching storm and will be up and feeding. The same thing when the storm lets up. These are perfect times to be on stand. During a snow storm deer are more likely to be holed up in thickets where they have cover. This is a good time to slowly poke along with the wind in your face.

Jeff

Good comments here. The snow will give you a very good idea of what the deer are doing at this time. You will find routes you may have overlooked, concentration points that you would never have figured out otherwise. Where there are no tracks, there are no deer (at least moving), at the end of tracks, it is guaranteed that you will find a deer or its leftovers.

Deke.