Weather Forecasting for Deer Hunting

[Austin Dixon]

Hello fellow deer hunters,

My name is Austin Dixon. I am a master's student in atmospheric sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and I have a bachelor's degree in meteorology from the University of Oklahoma. I have created a website dedicated to discussing the weather forecast specifically in relation to deer hunting. My goal for this site is to provide forecasts that are both detailed and user friendly (free of too much jargon). The site is totally free. I have been passionate about both weather and deer hunting most of my life and this website is a great way to blend those passions for me. I would love for all of you to check out the site and see what you think. My hope is that you will find the information both interesting and useful. It is still in somewhat of a development stage so there is not a ton of content yet, but I have made the first forecast discussion of the year for those of us that have a September archery opener. Feedback is welcome and appreciated!

https://huntthefront.blog

Thank you and good luck this season.

 

[THE LLC]

You promise not to hype things and turn an afternoon thunderstorm into the apocalypse? LOL

 

[KDdid]

I like it. A weather forecast from a hunter's perspective can be a useful thing. Going forward, how often do you think that you will update it? Any plans to break it into regions?

 

[Austin Dixon]

You promise not to hype things and turn an afternoon thunderstorm into the apocalypse? LOL

Haha having lived in Oklahoma where severe weather is used for monetary gain by the media, I will do my best to not "hype" any particular weather event. Unless I'm hyped for a good deer hunting forecast of course! Seeing as the forecasts will be for hunting specifically I can't imagine why I would want to spend a lot of time talking about severe weather. I'm sure I will mention it and say something like "folks in this region keep an eye out etc. etc." But otherwise I think you'll find the discussions hype free. There is a forecast for opening weekend in the midwest up now if you'd like to see how a forecast might usually look.

 

[Austin Dixon]

I like it. A weather forecast from a hunter's perspective can be a useful thing. Going forward, how often do you think that you will update it? Any plans to break it into regions?

Right now I plan to update it at least once a week. I will likely do more during the rut. Also if anything major is expected to happen that will have an impact on hunting like a cold front or snow etc., I will probably do 2-3 updates leading up to that. Since it's just starting I'm sort of experimenting to see what people like.

I think breaking into regions is a great idea and it's something I think I want to move to eventually. Right now I think I would be spread a bit thin to write good forecasts for more than a few regions. I have another friend of mine who is a meteorologist and outdoorsman who may contribute to the site some. If he gets more involved then doing regional forecasts will become more feasible.

 

[THE LLC]

Haha having lived in Oklahoma where severe weather is used for monetary gain by the media, I will do my best to not "hype" any particular weather event. Unless I'm hyped for a good deer hunting forecast of course! Seeing as the forecasts will be for hunting specifically I can't imagine why I would want to spend a lot of time talking about severe weather. I'm sure I will mention it and say something like "folks in this region keep an eye out etc. etc." But otherwise I think you'll find the discussions hype free. There is a forecast for opening weekend in the midwest up now if you'd like to see how a forecast might usually look.

LOL. As said be nice to have a weatherman that hunts. I get so tired of hearing these idiots down here talk about the "nice" days in the summer when it's gonna be clear and 90 with no chance of rain when I'm trying to grow stuff---especially when it ain't rained in a month. Just want to pinch their heads off.

 

[Fish]

And dont be the weather guy that shows a ducky parading around under an umbrella when there is a 20% chance of rain and it hasnt rained for a month.
I like your idea. Thanks for sharing here.

 

[Tap]

I always wanted to be a weatherman. It's the only job (other than a politician) where pretty much everyone expects you to screw-up
Good luck with your site Austin. I'll be checking it out.

 

[David]

Austin,

I just logged on tonight to pose a question about weather. It relates closely to your thread and could be mutually helpful to both of us.

What is the best source of information for wind direction for an upcoming hunt. Your new venture could be a reliable source. I have used all the hunting apps, but where do they get their info?

I understand it's a very difficult thing to predict the wind over every acre of U.S. soil, but I am fed up with the hunting apps.

So the question to you and all the others. Where do you look online for wind predictions?

I am usually reduced to using very general wind maps and then I check the wind in the field my self.

Good luck

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[Tap]

I understand it's a very difficult thing to predict the wind over every acre of U.S. soil, but I am fed up with the hunting apps.

So the question to you and all the others. Where do you look online for wind predictions?

I am usually reduced to using very general wind maps and then I check the wind in the field my self.


Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

I don't want to jump the thread and take anything away from Austin's new site. From what I can see it'll be a valuable addition to our tool box. I know I will be using it.
But when it comes to predicting wind, the data that's more local to your exact location, the better. But even if you know what the wind is doing a half mile away, it doesn't mean it's doing the same thing at your stand site.
That doesn't mean that wind data in adjacent areas isn't useful, though. You just need to learn how prevailing wind direction, and/or speed effect the exact spot you want to hunt. Where I live, the prevailing wind is usually from the West, but on my side of the hill, where my house sits, the wind is usually eddying and coming from the East. Climb to the top of the hill or the back side of the hill behind me and it's still blowing from the west just like the weather sites say it is. I spent a lot of frustrating years trying to hunt winds that I mistakenly thought were changing. Leave the truck in the pre-dawn with a west wind and head for the proper stand, only to get to the stand and I thought the wind has "changed" to blow from the east...Well the prevailing wind didn't change...it's still blowing from the west, it's just that it swirls and eddies around the terrain. Learning these wind patterns and watching the various wind data from adjacent areas helps to make wind prediction a lot more dependable.
That's the main reason why I like to use Wundermap (Weather Underground) so much. It has thousands of personal weather stations located all over the U.S. You can usually find a few stations within your local area. And each station will also show a history chart of weather conditions...some are updated every 3 minutes. Study this data and you'll start to understand wind patterns much better.
I'll attach a few pics shortly...

 

[Tap]

Here's Wundermap...
Each number is a location of a personal weather station. At 1st glance, you can see temps, wind direction, and speed. The number is the air temp. The line coming off the circle indicates wind direction. And if there are small lines coming off the other line, that indicates higher wind speed...the more lines the higher the speed. No line shows calm wind. You can see on this map that winds in this area were very light and variable.

Click on a Personal weather station and you can see 10 day forecasts and also history for that location. I find the history data really helpful. Especially when I combine it with my own observations of my specific area. There are patterns to wind...it's not as chaotic as it sometimes seems.
Also, look at the column that shows wind direction. I pay attention to how consistent the direction has been in the preceding hours of my hunt. This chart shows that the wind has been very stable from the SW. But that doesn't mean that my exact stand location will be blowing fro the SW, but that data will help me to know what a SW wind will be doing at individual stand sites. There are patterns.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[George]

I really liked the wind map on wunderground before the weather channel did away with it along with the jet stream and infrared cloud cover maps.

G