Mule Deer hunting during this historic heat wave?

[AntelopeEater]

So, I am going rifle hunting this weekend with a buck mule deer tag in the high desert mountains East of Bakersfield, CA.

Am relatively inexperienced, and when I was planning on going this hunt months ago, I thought going deer hunting in early October would be great.

Now, there is record breaking heat that is going to last through the weekend.

At the lower elevations in the unit the highs will break 100 and the highest elevation I can hunt in is only about 7,500ish' so it will still be pretty warm during the day up there.

I'm suspecting the deer will probably not only be less active during the day, but maybe just basically be nocturnal during the high heat.

Kind of thinking this trip is going to be just more of a scouting/hiking trip for me, but if anyone has advice on how to best hunt for deer during a record-breakingly hot October I'd appreciate it.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

I just glassed up 3 bucks at 4,500 feet in California. Two were bedded and one was up and have them away. Current temp is 86 degrees.

Get out and glass!

 

[Calbuck]

Historic heat wave? Sounds like political rhetoric. The deer will be in their classic patterns. Do your work and you will or will not find them. Don’t bring politics to hunting..it’s not well received.

 

[maxx075]

Historic heat wave? Sounds like political rhetoric. The deer will be in their classic patterns. Do your work and you will or will not find them. Don’t bring politics to hunting..it’s not well received.

Don't bring politics into hunting.... Proceeds to bring politics into hunting.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Historic heat wave? Sounds like political rhetoric. The deer will be in their classic patterns. Do your work and you will or will not find them. Don’t bring politics to hunting..it’s not well received.

You’re the only one in the thread who brought up politics so far. It’s not well received.

 

[Calbuck]

Well I don’t give a shit if it’s
Well received. It’s there. “Historic heat wave” is a leftist statement if I ever heard one. Regardless of your pansy ass statement, the deer/elk will do their thing..and you have to figure out their movement and adjustments. Lighten up there, political analysts, we’ll be ok.

 

[jimh406]

Coolers and ice. Do find out how to skin, remove legs, etc to fit in coolers.

If it's like most places, the temperature can very a lot throughout the day. Early AM or late evening would probably be better than the hottest part of the day. Of course, deer don't move as much during the middle of the day, so probably would work itself out.

 

[Calbuck]

Reality is, if you kill a buck and hang it in high
Temps, as long as you keep flies
Off and it cools at night, you should be good. I’ve hung deer for several days in these conditions and not had any problems.

 

[D_Dubya]

I don’t know anything about California deer, but down here (South Texas) temps are often at or near 100 in early October, the deer still move in the morning and evening, but the window of daylight activity is definitely reduced in high temps.

 

[Bugger]

Well I don’t give a shit if it’s
Well received. It’s there. “Historic heat wave” is a leftist statement if I ever heard one. Regardless of your pansy ass statement, the deer/elk will do their thing..and you have to figure out their movement and adjustments. Lighten up there, political analysts, we’ll be ok.

Ma’am, this is a Wendy’s.

 

[cjdewese]

Early and late will be key and find and look into any and all shade.

 

[Calbuck]

Sorry to offend you Wendy’s folks. I’m not much for bullshit but call it when I see it. Climate change bs is my triggers

 

[Bugger]

Sorry to offend you Wendy’s folks. I’m not much for bullshit but call it when I see it. Climate change bs is my triggers

Not everything that stinks is shit.
If it sets a record that’s been held since they started tracking it, it’s historic. Nobody said anything about polar bears and hurricanes. He’s got a legitimate question about how to salvage a hunt from unfortunate weather. Been there, it sucks.

 

[Calbuck]

Not everything that stinks is shit.
If it sets a record that’s been held since they started tracking it, it’s historic. Nobody said anything about polar bears and hurricanes. He’s got a legitimate question about how to salvage a hunt from unfortunate weather. Been there, it sucks.

I stated my answers to the issue. The animals
Adjust
And do their thing. You gotta figure that out. It’s not unprecedented to have a hot season. Figure it out. That’s all I can add. But when I see the talking points of a political speech in a post, i react. Good luck everyone in your hunts..TRUMP 2024

 

[Bugger]

So, I am going rifle hunting this weekend with a buck mule deer tag in the high desert mountains East of Bakersfield, CA.

Am relatively inexperienced, and when I was planning on going this hunt months ago, I thought going deer hunting in early October would be great.

Now, there is record breaking heat that is going to last through the weekend.

At the lower elevations in the unit the highs will break 100 and the highest elevation I can hunt in is only about 7,500ish' so it will still be pretty warm during the day up there.

I'm suspecting the deer will probably not only be less active during the day, but maybe just basically be nocturnal during the high heat.

Kind of thinking this trip is going to be just more of a scouting/hiking trip for me, but if anyone has advice on how to best hunt for deer during a record-breakingly hot October I'd appreciate it.

Best bet is morning glassing and watch it bed. If that doesn’t work go find little fingers filled with scrub oak near any food or water and watch it for a while, you probably won’t be able to glass them up in the thick stuff but maybe one in a group that decides to move will tip you off. Since it’s just a weekend hunt and you’re probably not afraid of bumping bucks, you can go stand upwind of the bedding area with a good view and see if that gets one uncomfortable enough to move and give you a chance.

 

[Bubblehide]

Yes, the deer will primarily nocturnal. They tend to seek shade in such heat and are generally within a mile of water. The hotter it is, the less they want to move. The more they move, the more they NEED water; this gives room to getting close before they bust out and take off.

In short, there are advantages to hunting in hot weather. You will need to use your glass. Preferred bedding will be on north, north east, and east facing slopes. Once you find them, and start moving in, don't make eye contact. Get within range, find a good place to shoot from, quickly set up, and pull the trigger. In hot conditions, the hotter it is the better, as moving creates use of critical but limited bodily supplies, energy and moisture/water that Will need to be replenished, which put them at excessive risk in a variety of ways.

 

[AntelopeEater]

Yes, the deer will primarily nocturnal. They tend to seek shade in such heat and are generally within a mile of water. The hotter it is, the less they want to move. The more they move, the more they NEED water; this gives room to getting close before they bust out and take off.

In short, there are advantages to hunting in hot weather. You will need to use your glass. Preferred bedding will be on north, north east, and east facing slopes. Once you find them, and start moving in, don't make eye contact. Get within range, find a good place to shoot from, quickly set up, and pull the trigger. In hot conditions, the hotter it is the better, as moving creates use of critical but limited bodily supplies, energy and moisture/water that Will need to be replenished, which put them at excessive risk in a variety of ways.

That is a very interesting point about the deer being less willing to move from their beds when it is hot, thank you

 

[Bubblehide]

That is a very interesting point about the deer being less willing to move from their beds when it is hot, thank you

Survival is about bringing in more than is used. If and animal expends energy in excessive heat, it puts the animal in a place of NEEDING to not only rehydrate, but also replace the stored energy expended.

Long ago I exclusively bow hunted. I was fortunate to be able to scout pretty much every evening, and weekend. Because of the extensive time I spent in the field, I knew 2-5 bedding areas for almost every buck. The season temps were usually 100 plus degrees. When the bucks were not in their beds, I'd cut a trail to be within archery range prior to opening, and rake it. Come opening morning, I find my preferred buck(s), and sit and wait for the heat of the day to set in. During the hottest part of the day, typically 1:00 - 2:00 I'd very slowly approach on my hands and knees (I now have Chitanium knees) without making eye contact, trying to look like a feeding animal. I'd get to my predetermined shooting spot, slowly draw my bow, slowly swing it toward the buck, line up the correct pin and release the arrow.

The bucks stayed put because getting up and moving in that kind of heat was hazardous to their health and opened them up to predation as they would have a need to water and eat much sooner than normal.

The most difficult part of hunting in significantly hot weather is finding the animals, and not have finding the animals result in them being in the next county. I've hunted in 115 degree weather; the bucks would literally hold tight in their beds until I was about 20 to 30 yards away. In short, as dufficult and draining as it is, it can also be a hunters dream.

Best of luck!

 

[Rotnguns]

Survival is about bringing in more than is used. If and anima look expends energy in excessive heat, it puts the animal in a place of NEEDING to not only rehydrate, but also replace the stored energy expended.

Long ago I exclusively bow hunted. I was fortunate to be ccx able to scout pretty much every evening, and weekend. Because of the extensive time I spent in the field, I knew 2-5 bedding areas for almost very buck. The season temps were usually 100 plus degrees. When the bucks were not in their beds, I'd cut a trail to be within archery range prior to opening, and rake it. Come opening morning, I find my preferred buck(s), and sit and wait for the heat of the day to set in. During the hottest oart of the day, typically 1:00 - 2:00 and very slowly approach on my hands and knees (I now have Chitanium knees) without making eye contact, trying to look like a feeding animal. I'd get to my predetermined shooting spot, slowly draw my bow, slowly swing it toward the buck, line up the correct pin and release the arrow.

The bucks stayed put because getting up and moving in that kind of heat was hazardous to their health and opened them up to predation as they woukd have a need to water and eat much sooner than normal.

The most difficult part of hunting in significantly hot weather is finding the animals, and not have finding the animals result in them being in the next county. I've hunted in 115 degree weather; the bucks would literally hold tight in their beds until I was about 20 to 30 yards away. In short, as dufficult and draining as it is, it can also be a hunters dream.

Best of luck!

Loads of great insight and information in this post and in your previous one. Thanks for sharing your experience - I'm a rifle hunter but much of what you said still applies. Been hot in Idaho as well and could persist into late October.

 

[RockAndSage]

So, I am going rifle hunting this weekend with a buck mule deer tag in the high desert mountains East of Bakersfield, CA.

Am relatively inexperienced, and when I was planning on going this hunt months ago, I thought going deer hunting in early October would be great.

Now, there is record breaking heat that is going to last through the weekend.

At the lower elevations in the unit the highs will break 100 and the highest elevation I can hunt in is only about 7,500ish' so it will still be pretty warm during the day up there.

I'm suspecting the deer will probably not only be less active during the day, but maybe just basically be nocturnal during the high heat.

Kind of thinking this trip is going to be just more of a scouting/hiking trip for me, but if anyone has advice on how to best hunt for deer during a record-breakingly hot October I'd appreciate it.

OP, people's points about them not wanting to be moving during the day during high-heat are solid. There's one additional point I can make that adds to that in context, which you can leverage: this weekend there's not much of a moon at all. I find that they typically will feed a bit later into the morning when the moon's minimal, and seem to get more feeding done during the full moon and bed back down a bit earlier at that time. I typically don't make too much of a big deal about moon phase, but at the extremes of the cycle there seems to be a slight pattern shift.

Between the heat causing them to stay bedded down a bit longer, and the moon phase being dark this weekend, I'd offer that your best chances will be for you to be overlooking feed or a very well-worn trail as absolutely early in the morning as humanly possible. You want to be in-place before you can see without a flashlight, ideally, absolutely silent, paying attention to wind direction and remembering that thermals are still cooling and will be carrying scent downhill a bit. After the sun comes up, plan on glassing hard until at least 11am - they bed down twice, and will generally get up to move to second-bed between 930am and 1030am, so keep your eyes peeled.

All that said, with mule deer, everything I pointed out in the second paragraph is generally an excellent approach regardless of heat or moon phase.

Good luck this weekend!