Weather fronts and animal movement!

[foxman]

How do you feel weather affects there movement? Its a really open ended question and i hope to make it a serious log of varius opinions from those with much more experiance then I.

[trappnman]

Well, I'll go first...............

This is something I often think about, and have for decades.

and all I can come up with, is that yes weather movements affect animal movement, but that its not as cut and dried as it first might appear.

In my younger days, I trapped a few weeks on water til it froze up, then the rest of the year was taken up by hunting- grouse, pheasants with labs, beagles and bunnies, coon and squirrels all season long.

and when you would get that perfect day (or night with coon), I found out that sometimes it was all you expected, but the next was a bust.

When I used to do a lot of night driving- there would be nights where you would have a soft fog or a warm mist, and you would think- stuff will be moving- and you would see a bunch of critters on or crossing the road. The next time such would occur, you'd see little if anything.

so when I later read in trapping, how this night or that night or this front- would get everything out and about and moving around- I soon found out the same thing.

Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

Ever notice, how on some nights, it seems everything was out and about? Traps are full. And on others- nothing moved- not even possums or skunks yet to you, both nights seem to be mirror images of each other.

What caused them to move en mass one night, but hardly even sporadic movement the other?

beats me...............

my best upland coon run in conjunction with a coyote line, was a night in late Oct where it was 75 and bright sun that day, a clear dry moonlit night where temps stayed in 60s- in them iddle of a series of simular days-and I expected few coon, and was the only time I had to count coon when I got home to know how many I had. Nights before & nights after, were normal runs.

what caused it all to click that 1 night?

again, beats me...................

one thing that struck me this past week, was I wonder how water temp in the creeks, corresponded to my catch rates. Thought next year, should keep a record of each streams water temp on each check, and then match that up with the catch each day.

Is there any correlation other than no ice?

Beats me, but maybe......

in canines, I do see a relationship from a changing front, usually a day sometimes two before the actual front arrives.

I do believe, you are better off with average conditions, assuming you don't get too much of average.

too hot, too cold, too windy, too dry, too wet- all stymie movement in my opinion- whereas the change between them- not necessarily ON the front or change, but after or before is whats key.

If I could choose my weather- I'd take contrast with average in between. I'd do better on the average, because the exception gets things stirring.

you get constant fronts moving in every day, which is happening here now, I think it stifles overall movement.

the only conclusion I can come up with that seems to have a pattern, is that while fronts are important, it matters what the weather and conditions are on either side of the front as to whether that front is going to cause higher than normal movements of animals.

[blackhammer]

I have come to the conclusion coon run more in the wind.Maybe they don't like being in trees in strong winds.
Of course fronts move all members of the weasel family big time.

[RdFx]

My experiences ditto with Steves....

[foxman]

Steve, that has to be the perfect answer...lots of info and experiance with that answer! A good read and lots of food for thought.

[Nightwish (Catpaw)]

Here's one...

With fox, they tend to REALLY move 2 days before a major front. Now, one could blame it on the barometer moving....down for a low pressure system...usually followed by wind and cold and high pressure....barometer movement...BUT 2 days before a front, the barometer is NOT moving....

...but yet, they move....

How and why?

[mustelameister]

Jan 1, 2012 9:24:11 GMT -6 blackhammer said:

I have come to the conclusion coon run more in the wind.Maybe they don't like being in trees in strong winds.

My experiences have shown strong winds to be the worst conditions for 'coon movement.

Without going into detail, let's say I did my fair share of floating rivers calling 'coon at night. Usually took a buddy, but often floated solo. From sun down to sunup many times. My personal best night was 29 'coon.

Anyway, best night for continued 'coon movement all night long was no moon, no stars, no wind, mist in the air if not just a little sprinkle occasionally. Meaning, 'coon would start moving immediately when it got dark throughout the night. Especially on the riverbank. When floating past cornfields and the caller going, you could hear 'em running through the edge vegetation and down the bank. Continuously, most all night long.

Worst night for 'coon movement was bright moon and wind. There would always be an initial move right after it got dark. But by 10:30 it was usually done. Turn the caller on after that and you'd see 'em peeking from tree dens or behind root masses along the bank. Rarely would you see 'em ambling along the river bank with the wind blowing. However, if a front rolled in and things got dark and the wind knocked off, they'd move again, but not with the intensity of an all night dark and misty.

This from at least 25 years of floating different rivers and calling and/or observing with red lights. When you're quiet and snugged into a snag in the river, you see a lot of critters.

My experiences on the river trapline mirror my calling observations. Maybe 'coon react differently along a river versus up in the hills. Don't know. I don't trap hills nor have I ever called up in the hills. I don't care much for walking up hills.