Magnolia state weather and deer hunting

Wikipedia defines weather as “The state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity.”

For a lot of deer hunters in the woods from October through January, and even into February, this sounds like our weather nearly every week.

Sometimes all these weather conditions seem to happen on the same day. Weather certainly impacts hunting and is subject to changing quickly.

Typical deer season weather

What is typical about Mississippi weather during the deer season is that very little of it seems to be very typical. Or perhaps we should say the typical is the usual non-typical.

Usually our weather is fairly moderate here in the South, but not always. We often get a lot of extremes during the deer hunting season.

Particularly during the height of the rut, say December and January, the weather can vary widely from quite warm with days in the 70s, with quick overnight dips down to freezing.

A warming trend right in the middle of the rut can kill deer movement quicker than anything. Conversely a cold front can reduce deer movement activity to a mere trickle because our deer are used to more moderate temperatures instead of prolonged cold weather.

Weather awareness and response

“After getting stuck in a tripod stand a few years ago in a downpour, I have started to listen to weather reports before hunting,” Jackson’s Drew Dulaney said. “We heard later that day a tornado had hit in Madison County just 40 miles south of our camp.

“Today we watch weather on a laptop, and monitor it in the field on our cell phones.”

First and foremost, deer hunters these days simply need to keep track of the latest weather reports. As you prepare to hunt, you can watch days ahead for changes in barometric pressure that is indicative of weather changes.

If a storm front is moving in, the best times to be in the woods hunting is right before the front arrives, as well as immediately after it blows through.

Getting an updated weather report before hunting also helps hunters pack for the trip, adding appropriate rain gear, warmer clothes, heater packs and other supplies. It is always smarter to take too much gear than not enough as weather conditions can change quickly.