Deer Opener Weather

Just saw the forecast for opener. Looks like it will be the third year we will be hunting in 60 deg temps. Overnight looks to be mid Forty’s. Ugh.

gizmoguy wrote:

Just saw the forecast for opener. Looks like it will be the third year we will be hunting in 60 deg temps. Overnight looks to be mid Forty’s. Ugh.

I’m keeping an eye on this too. It appears to be 60+ through about Thursday or Friday of next week with a weather change just prior to opening day. And then every day beyond that says highs in the 40’s and lows around freezing. I hunt in east-central MN.

gimruis wrote:

I’m keeping an eye on this too. It appears to be 60+ through about Thursday or Friday of next week with a weather change just prior to opening day. And then every day beyond that says highs in the 40’s and lows around freezing. I hunt in east-central MN.

Hope you are right.
Looks like Fox 9 weather app shows that. The one on my computer shows the warmer temps through the weekend. The forecast usually changes as you get closer to the day.

The Fox app forecasts a wintery mix on the Friday before.

Watching the weather here as well. I hunt near Cotton MN. I also see a cold front around opening day. I sure hope so.

Cold would sure be a nice change. Hunting the warm weather of the youth season wasn’t that great, makes my expectations of seeing any afternoon movement slim to none. But it is nice not ha ING freezing fingers. I butcher at home and it’s kind of nice not having to pack ice in a deer

Have no fear…pre-rut is here! Just had an amazing encounter with my target buck! 7.5 year old (I have all the pics) and he is a pig. He chased 6 does around my food plot for 3 minutes, grunting the entire time. The only time he stood still for a few seconds was at 32 yards, butt straight at me, and 40 yards quartering away too hard for a shot. This all happened (from first sight at 150 yards, to all gone from sight or sound) in less than 3 minutes, ended exactly at end of legal.

We will have the empty IH garage chest freezer at the ready for quick cool down if needed as usual…(:

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2003 minus 18 bemidji ugh

I’m showing high of 52 Saturday and 45 Sunday with low just above freezing. That’s about perfect imo.

Deer openers have definitely been trending warmer. No doubt about it. Even in just my lifetime it’s obvious. Never used to worry about deer spoiling. Now it’s maybe 50-50 that it will be too warm.

well if its going to be that warm, my kid and i will shoot are 2 deer by 10 am, then at 11 i can haul them out bring them back to the cabin, quarter them up and stick them in the frig.

that be the plan anyway!!!!!!!! yea usually dont work that well either!!!!!!

Looks like it’ll be a wet rainy opener at least in the grasston area that I’ll be in

I am seeing warmth until Thursday and then a weather change over night, with a 25 degree drop in temps on Friday. Sat/Sun says cloudy with a chance of showers. And then the main week looks average with high temps in the 40’s.

The area I hunt is still loaded with corn. There is a 50 acre standing field right on the main portion of the property, and another large field of it next door. I hope it gets taken out this week. If that is still there in 5 days, its going to be a tough hunt where I am.

shefland wrote:

2003 minus 18 bemidji ugh

I remember that year. Family has a hunting shack near LOTW. During those years, I often hunted there for opener. That particular year a few of us decided to go to Nebraska duck hunting. We had ice forming on the ponds that morning. Reports from the crew up north were brutal cold. Not too many years after that, we had 80 degrees on opener up there. Never know what you’re going to get this time of year.

gimruis wrote:

I am seeing warmth until Thursday and then a weather change over night, with a 25 degree drop in temps on Friday. Sat/Sun says cloudy with a chance of showers. And then the main week looks average with high temps in the 40’s.

The area I hunt is still loaded with corn. There is a 50 acre standing field right on the main portion of the property, and another large field of it next door. I hope it gets taken out this week. If that is still there in 5 days, its going to be a tough hunt where I am.

Farmers started cutting fields in that area yesterday

Bearcat89 wrote:

Farmers started cutting fields in that area yesterday

Good. Have to imagine with potential drop in temps and rain coming, it will be gone this week.

gimruis wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bearcat89 wrote:</div>
Farmers started cutting fields in that area yesterday

Good. Have to imagine with potential drop in temps and rain coming, it will be gone this week.

Most of the corm in Central Minnesota is starting to come out fast. The moisture in some is still a little high in some areas, but it seems like most are rushing to get theirs done

fishthumper wrote:

but it seems like most are rushing to get theirs done

Yeah the corn has really taken a beating the last week in this area. What is standing today, may be gone tomorrow. They are really given her a beat down!
I remember that 2003 deer opener. It was so cold that the trees were literally popping from the sap freezing or what I would assume that it was. I have never been so dang cold. There was another year a few years after that that was equally cold probably around 2009 or so. I had my oldest with who was like 8 years old or so. I set up a hub blind and I had a big buddy heater in there and it was on full blast and we couldnt really even feel the heat. We lasted about an hour and called it quits, that was ridiculous.

First year of deer hunting when I was a kid was the year of the Halloween blizzard.Snow was easily waist deep on me and it was right around 0degrees for temps.Have not hunted for at least the past 8 years but that was the worst year I remember weatherwise.

Looks like new outer layers this year are going to pay off on Saturday

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shefland wrote:

2003 minus 18 bemidji ugh

that was my first season hunting in MN, just south of you in Park Rapids.
so. dang. cold.

over the last 20 seasons since then we’ve had cold, cool, warm, and even hot. clear, rain, snow, and sometimes the wind blows. our success has been about the same regardless, just less activity in the afternoon if it’s hot or windy but they still move early and late.

i definitely like the cool years better for my comfort and hanging deer, so i am glad opener is Saturday and not Wednesday, but overall this year seems like it will be pretty dang average: below freezing overnight and mid-40s during the days.

good luck!

Jackfish wrote:

We will have the empty IH garage chest freezer at the ready for quick cool down if needed as usual…(:

Be careful using this a your cooling device the way it is pictured. If the animal was cooled down and put in no problem but I have heard many stories of people putting a warm carcass in a freezer to only have it spoil since the freezer in not capable of cooling that amount of btu’s. If time freeze some containers of water ahead of time and place in freezer which will help with the cooling.

Did that with some geese once. They did not cool off and spoiled. Were not gutted. I think the deer would cool off if it was opened up.

Just pack the deer with ice and wrap with a tarp. I let mine hang 2 days like this, told the family to leave the garage door closed to keep the cool in. This was over the youth season 65 degrees out and sunny

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supercat wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Jackfish wrote:</div>
We will have the empty IH garage chest freezer at the ready for quick cool down if needed as usual…(:

Be careful using this a your cooling device the way it is pictured. If the animal was cooled down and put in no problem but I have heard many stories of people putting a warm carcass in a freezer to only have it spoil since the freezer in not capable of cooling that amount of btu’s. If time freeze some containers of water ahead of time and place in freezer which will help with the cooling.

His lower shanks were frozen solid in a few hours…Icy cold throughout when we skinned and quartered him the next morning…not sure if it’s because the freezer is older than most of our hunting party or not but it has worked perfectly for us..

Looking at forecast for Granite Falls.
If it holds true I wouldn’t worry to much about temps. Highs in the low 50’s with lows at or below freezing.
I have kept elk quarters for 3 days before with highs Warner then that.
Get the hide off, keep the sun off it. A dry crust on the meat will form. It will preserve the meat.

Back when I antelopes hunted. Any bucks er shot we would quarter using the gutless method. Got the meat on ice in a cooler asap. This is with highs of 100. Sone of the best meat I have ever ate.

The rain looks to mostly be in the southeast portion of the state tomorrow for opener. Sunday looks windy.

Next week looks wet, especially mid week. Guess we’ll see if that actually materializes. I am seeing about 60 degrees again on Wed/Thurs and then another cold snap down to 30 something degrees by Friday, with potential snow accumulation for some on Thursday night.

I feel like changing weather is the ideal situation to get the deer moving and keep them moving. Biggest deer I ever shot was on a evening sit when it was raining and blowing 20-30MPH the day before a cold front. I’m excited for my first gun season, and that includes the weather. I grew up in a archery family so this will be whole new experience for me. Even 60 degrees shouldn’t worry anyone. We’ve dealt with deer in 95+ degree weather out west, and never had a issue. Debone and get them on ice. It really doesn’t take that long. If things go right I’ll be doing it twice over the next week.

Good Luck to everyone! Hopefully Lots of deer pics start popping up on here over the next week.

They are talking about a BIG weather change the end of next week like a potential snowstorm. That will be interesting.