Rain Ruins Hunting

“How’s your deer season going so far?” asked the voice on the other end of the phone. My answer surprised him. The caller was aware that most of Texas has had more than their fair share of rain over the past year. Then, just before Thanksgiving the bottom fell out of the clouds and dumped massive amounts of rain over much of Texas’ best deer hunting areas. Word has it that all this extra rainfall has caused problems for the deer hunter. From difficulty in even getting to their hunting property to the forest of vegetation that now exists on the landscape, this will be one tough year to bag your buck.

My answer to the question was “it’s going to be a great season for hunters that know what their doing”. While there is no question that hunting is difficult, the obstacles that reduce hunters’ chances of scoring this year will be a good thing for deer and deer hunters next year. Plus, for the hunters looking for a future deer lease, this tough hunting year is great news. Here’s why.

The average age of most whitetail bucks taken in Texas is 3 years old or less. A three year old buck is considered to be middle aged and will not have trophy sized antlers until he is at least 4 to 5 years old. It is tough for many hunters to make the decision to pass on a good middle-aged buck hoping that they get a crack at him the next season. But the natural forage that is available and the tremendous amount of cover will keep deer movement and deer sightings down considerably this season. In other words, many deer that would not usually make it through the hunting season will have another year of age and growth on them as next year rolls around. Another big benefit for deer is that next years fawn crop will be healthier than ever because their mothers have more than normal vegetation to survive upon.

I am advising any hunter that is looking for a deer lease to begin the search now. This will be a tough season and many hunters will become unhappy with their leases. But in reality there is nothing wrong other than Mother Nature has blessed us with much needed rain. For the first time in over a decade south Texas lakes are at near full levels and ranch properties are as green now as they are at the peak of springtime. Yes, the rain is causing some problems with us hunters. But I remain optimistic about this season and future seasons by keeping one thing in mind. If it is good for the deer it must be good for us.

On another note, I have run across a couple of unique new products. For the deer hunter interested in scent protection there are Pack and Zip Storage Bags. These lightweight heavy-duty plastic bags are made from a special odor absorbing material and they can be resealed. They come in Mossy Oak camouflage and are available in a wide variety of sizes (even large enough to pack a compound bow). After trying them out now for the past several months I can tell you they come in handy for all kinds of hunting uses. Not only do they reduce odor on what is stored inside, they will help keep your things dry, even in the rainforest of Texas.

For the ATV rider that doesn’t enjoy getting cold on a four-wheeler, now there is a patented system called the ATV cocoon that is designed basically as an overcoat for the driver. The Cocoon attaches to a four-wheeler in minutes and helps trap heat inside and keeps the driver dry too. Available in three colors this product works on all models of ATV’s.

After using both these new products I asked myself why didn’t I think of it. Both are so simple yet so effective and more importantly so affordable. For more info on Pack and Zip bags log on to packnzip.com. For the ATV cocoon log on to Atvcocoon.com.