I’m Not a Weatherman
I have to start off by saying that I am not a meteorologist. I did not go to school to study weather. However, in recent years I have taken a big interest in the atmospheric pressure and how it relates to deer hunting. It seems as though people are starting to get more scientific when it comes to deer hunting, trying to come up with a magical formula that will equal out to a record sized buck in the back of the truck. Within the last 6 months, I have heard several podcasts featuring very well known hunters talking about barometric pressure. The most notable though came from the Wired to Hunt podcast with Mark Drury. The amount of information that I learned from listening to that podcast is crazy. The Drury brothers have been killing very big deer for a long time now, and have become leaders in the industry regarding whitetail behavior.
So What is Barometric Pressure?
In simple terms, it’s a number rating assigned in inches that pertains to the density of the air. Generally, the barometric pressure does not drop below 29 or go above 31. Oftentimes, high pressure is associated with clear and sunny skies while low pressure readings are associated with cloudy skies and thunderstorms. For a complete explanation to the question “what is barometric pressure”, visit this page and get ready for a very in depth description.
How Does Barometric Pressure Affect Hunting?
Honestly, very little. No matter what, deer are going to have to eat every day, multiple times a day. That being said, using barometric pressure to help determine the best days possible to hunt can prove to be deadly on mature bucks. If you have not yet listened to the podcast that I recommended early in the article, go listen. You’ll need a little over and hour to get through the whole thing, but it’s well worth it. Also, don’t forget to grab a pen and paper for note taking. Just to give you a quick run down of the how barometric pressure can help with you hunting, I’ll discuss one quick aspect. The higher the pressure, the better. During the fall/winter months, high pressure systems are generally associated with cold fronts. If you have been paying attention at all to deer hunting information over the last year, then you know that cold fronts are where it’s at in terms of mature buck hunting. Cold fronts are the best way to connect on a deer during the early season (with the exception of a really well patterned deer). As we get in to the winter, cold fronts still make deer move, but because the breeding process is pretty much over they don’t create quite as much movement as the early season fronts. Good Luck and Happy Hunting!