Outdoor Life - Weather RSS

U.S. Wildfire Budget Goes Up in Smoke, Fires Worse Than Ever

Alex Robinson — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 10:54:02 -0400

An unnaturally warm winter and an even drier summer turned 2012 into one of the worst wildfire years in recent memory. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, 48,258 fires have scorched nearly nine million U.S. acres as of October. When compared to the 10-year average, 2.2 million more acres burned this year than usual.

And it's not getting any better.

Near the end of August, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service ran out of money to pay the firefighters, trucks and aircraft, reports the Washington Post. As a result, the Forest Service was forced to use funds from other forest management programs.

Unfortunately, most of those programs prevented wildfires in the first place by removing dry brush, dead wood, and other naturally flammable hazards. According to NIFC wildland fire analyst Jeremy Sullens, there's a good supply of burnable fuel still remaining out West this year, and the lack of normal fall rain isn't helping.

Although Congress recently paid the Forest Service and the Interior Department $400 million to make up for the drained budget, many blame legislators for not allocating enough funds in the first place. It cost $1 billion to fight the 2012 wildfires, and Congress only budgeted half of that.

While the $400 million has permitted fire prevention efforts to continue, officials are still struggling to contain the fires, especially in light of the unusually long wildfire season this year. The NIFC is predicting greater wildfire risks than normal for October in California and the Pacific Northwest.

For information about preventing wildfires, visit Firewise.org.

Texas Drought Shuts Down Striped Bass Hatchery

Alex Robinson — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 14:59:50 -0400

The never-ending Texas drought has struck again, and this time the unlikely victim is striped bass.

This from the Austin Statesman…

"Texas wildlife officials have closed one of the state's five fish hatcheries because of lack of water from the ongoing drought.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department fish hatcheries director Todd Engeling said Thursday in a news release that two lakes that feed Dundee State Fish Hatchery southwest of Wichita Falls have not gotten the good rains enjoyed recently in other parts of the state.

The release says Lake Kemp is 1 foot above the level at which the hatchery loses authorization to use water from the lake.

The 97 ponds at Dundee, where striped bass and hybrid striped bass are primarily produced, represent 34 percent of Texas' available capacity for freshwater fish production."

Did Warm Weather Ruin Your Waterfowl Season?

Alex Robinson — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:26:17 -0500

You don't need an "Al Gore For President" sticker on the bumper of your Honda Prius to notice that it has been unseasonably warm this winter. And this long stretch of warm weather has thrown a monkey wrench in waterfowl seasons across the country.

Most ducks and geese only migrate as far as they have to. Once they find open water, food and safety, they stop heading south. Warm weather typically means more open water and a shorter or delayed trip.

The Denver Post reported last week that this exact scenario was happening in Colorado. This from the post …

"There are two main things that the weather has hurt us on," said Jim Gammonly, waterfowl biologist for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. "One is that even as late as a couple of weeks ago, there were still tens of thousands of Canada geese and ducks — mainly mallards — well north of us. Places like Montana have not had much of a winter either.

"The other is the weather here. We haven't had a lot of cold weather, so even if we had a lot of birds around, they'd be harder to get to because there are so many places for them to get away from the gun. So I expect the harvest data will be pretty spotty and probably pretty slow this last month or so."

How did the duck/goose season work out this year in your state?

Still Hunt When the Weather Gets Nasty

Alex Robinson — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:30:45 -0500

After ending his December Afognak blacktail deer hunt on a beautiful day, my new hunting buddy Frank was lucky to get out of camp just before the storm hit. Trading spots with him was Wayne Farnsworth, and even though the weather was turning fast, we took it in stride. The north end of Afognak is covered in big timber, looking much like coastal Washington or Oregon. When the weather gets bad, the deer head for the thick forest, and hunting can still be good if you get in there after them.

Wayne came to finish his Super Slam (taking every big-game animal in North America), and wanted to do it with a bow. So that afternoon we started pushing peninsulas and choke points, hoping to nudge a buck within bow range for Wayne.

The second spot we tried was a location our outfitter Luke had seen good bucks earlier in the season. After Luke & Wayne got set up, I worked my way around the peninsula slowly, to gently push any deer out there back down the trail to the main part of the island. There didn’t end up being any bucks there, but a fawn walked up and stopped merely feet from Wayne, never even seeing him! Unfortunately, the rest of the day was a bust, so we headed back to the lodge to regroup.

The next morning the weather hadn’t improved a lick, and we decided to do some still hunting. Luke and Wayne got dropped off in a bay behind the lodge. Guide Josh Randall dropped me off on the other side of the bay, suggesting that I hike over into the next bay, working through some pockets that were protected from the high winds. I worked my way up, around, and through the woods, nearly all sound drowned out by the rain. Before long, I walked up on a bedded fawn. When she jumped up, I froze, and not having seen me, the deer walked right up to me. It got so close I was actually able to smack it on the butt!

After that, I was constantly walking up on deer, often seeing them within 30 yards before they were aware of my presence. I almost stepped on a doe that was bedded under a log, and I think it surprised me as much as her when she exploded out of her bed.

I hadn’t seen any bucks yet, but then I came over a rise and saw a big buck feeding just 10 yards below me.

I normally would have just hammered him, but I thought I could get him on film. As I fumbled with the video camera he walked behind a tree, and ended up spooking. He hesitated at about 40 yards and I snapped off a shot. But I missed. Looking back, it was a shot I probably shouldn’t have taken.

I swallowed my pride and kept hunting, hoping to run into another buck in the fast fading daylight. I had one last big hill to climb before the final jaunt down to the beach where Josh was waiting. I saw a fork horn buck, but I didn’t have time to shoot him and drag him over the top of that hill, so I passed. As I was making my empty handed descent, I heard something above and behind me. I eased on, and soon saw a doe and fawn walking down to me. Movement caught my eye to the left, and the buck I previously passed on had come over the hill and was walking down past me at 20 yards.

Strike two was all he got, and I quickly put a 6.5mm Hornady SST behind his shoulder and he dove nose first into the gully below. After some pictures and and knife work, it was a quick drag down to the beach just in time to catch the boat.

Although most of us like to avoid hunting in foul weather, it can provide a totally different and exciting type of hunting. Once you resign yourself to getting soaked, it’s a blast. I saw a lot of deer, and am very glad I didn’t play the fair-weather hunter.

Help Us Pick The Prize for Our Next Caption Contest!

Alex Robinson — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:33:47 -0500

So Outdoor Life is part of a cool contest operated by Crown Royal, sponsor of Field & Stream’s Hook Shots show and maker of the whiskey that comes in a purple bag. The contest is called “Pass the Crown,” and it’s a variation on the Secret Santa gift exchange anyone who’s ever worked in an office is familiar with. Are you lucky enough to have never worked in an office? Then here’s how this works:

Each day from now until Dec. 15 Crown Royal is giving away a prize to a different web site to pass along to its readers. Today is Outdoor Life’s turn, but here’s the catch. Crown’s not telling us which prize they’re giving us right away. Instead, we get a clue, embroidered on one of their famous purple bags,* and we have to guess what prize the clue refers to. Based on that guess, we then get to decide whether to keep the prize in our bag or steal one of the prizes that have already been opened by a different site. Here’s a list of the prizes that have already been opened.

This is where we need your help. Do we keep our prize, or steal one from somebody else? You’ve got until 4 PM this afternoon to weigh in. Check out our clue (below), then post your best argument for keeping the prize in our bag or for stealing a specific prize from another site in the comments section here or on our Facebook post about the contest over at facebook.com/outdoorlife. If you can convince us your argument is best, we’ll go with your suggestion. If you’re not convincing enough, we’ll make the decision ourselves.

We’ll post an update here tomorrow telling you what prize was in our bag, and whether we decided to keep it or not. Keep in mind that any of the five sites who come after us can steal our gift, so don’t get too attached to whatever we end up with!

And last, of course; how will we determine which of our readers wins the prize we end up with at the end of the contest? It’ll be a caption contest, photo and date TBD. Stay tuned!

*Crown is running this contest is to get the word out about the custom-embroidered Crown bags ($9.95), and the free personalized Crown Royal bottle labels (21 and over, only) available at CrownRoyal.com. If you’ve got a Crown-lover in your family, this would make a great gift.

OFFICIAL RULES - 2011 Outdoor Life Whitetail Weather Quiz Contest

Alex Robinson — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 13:17:34 -0500

The 2011 Outdoor Life Bow Quiz Contest (the “Contest”) is sponsored by Outdoor Life Magazine, a publication of Bonnier Corporation (“Sponsor”).
ONE (1) GRAND PRIZE: Horton Ultra Light Express, approx. retail value $599

ELIGIBILITY: The Contest is open only to individuals, eighteen (18) years or older at time of entry, who are legal residents of the United States. Employees of Bonnier Corporation and its parent companies, subsidiaries or agents, their immediate families (defined as parents, children, siblings, spouse and grandparents), and those domiciled with any of the foregoing are not eligible.

All information provided by entrant must be complete, true and correct. Submissions to the Contest must be received by December 31, 2011 in order to be eligible; entries received after that date will be deemed ineligible to win. All submitted entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned; Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, inaccurate, incomplete, damaged, illegible, or misdirected entries. Each entry must be submitted on an individual basis (i.e., no team, joint, or corporate entries) and all components of the entry must be the original creation of the submitting participant. Only non-commercial work may be submitted. Entries may not contain profanity, nudity, pornographic images, violent images, anti-competition messages, illegal material, or material that violates the rights of third parties. Entries may not include confidential information, trade secrets, trademarks or copyrighted material belonging to any person or entity other than the participant absent a suitable license or permission agreement (proof of which is required). Entries containing any forbidden matter or material otherwise deemed by Sponsor to be inappropriate will be disqualified. Online entries will be deemed submitted by the authorized account holder of the email address submitted at time of entry.  

JUDGING: A panel of judges consisting of Outdoor Life editors will select the winning entry based equally upon quiz score. In the event of a tie, all finalists will submit a suggested caption to an illustration; the Outdoor Life editors will select the winning entries based on cleverness. By entering, you agree to be bound by these Official Rules, and that the decisions of the judges are final and binding in all respects. Judging will be completed by January 15, 2012 and potential winners will be notified by email on or before January 17, 2012. Sponsor reserves the right not to select any winning submissions based upon the content of submissions. Potential winners will be required to sign and return a sworn Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability and Publicity Release. If required documentation is not returned within seven (7) business days of notification, or if notification is returned as undeliverable, any prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner will be selected.

PRIZE AWARDS: Prizes will be awarded within sixty (60) days after winner verification. No prize substitution or transfer is permitted, except that Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value for any reason. All taxes and any other incidental expenses on Prizes are the sole responsibility of each winner.

GENERAL RULES & LIMITATIONS: By entering, you represent that: (i) your entry is your own original work; and (ii) you own or have the rights to convey any and all right and title in any material submitted as part of your entry into the Contest. By entering, you grant to Sponsor a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to edit, publish, promote, republish at any time in the future and otherwise use your submission, along with your name and likeness, in any and all media for any purpose, without further permission, notice or compensation (except where prohibited by law). By participating in the Contest, you agree to release Sponsor and its parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, employees, directors, officers, and agents from any and all liability, claims or actions of any kind whatsoever for injuries, damages or losses to persons and property which may be sustained in connection with the receipt, ownership, possession, use, or misuse of any prize. Sponsor is not responsible for technical, hardware or software failures, or other errors or problems which may occur in connection with the Contest, whether computer, network, technical, mechanical, typographical, printing, human or otherwise, including, without limitation, errors or problems which may occur in connection with the administration of the Contest, the processing or judging of entries, the announcement of the prizes, in any Contest-related materials, or that may limit prize fulfillment or a participant's ability to enter the Contest. Sponsor reserves the right to amend these official rules and to permanently disqualify from the Contest any person it believes has intentionally violated these official rules.

PRIVACY: By entering, you agree that the information you provide may be sent to promotional partners of the Sponsor(s). You may be contacted by the Sponsor(s) and/or promotional partners with future promotional offers. Information provided by you to participate in this Contest is subject to the privacy policies of the Sponsor(s).

How Barometric Pressure Affects Deer Movement

Alex Robinson — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 14:17:13 -0400

When deer season starts, it's natural to pay attention to the weather factors you can easily see and feel: the cloud cover above, the wind in your face, the rain drops dripping from the brim of your cap.

But it's easy to forget about the most important factor of all: barometric pressure. It's more difficult to judge without an instrument or the Internet, but you should know that pressure rises after a front passes and when high a high pressure system is building. It lowers before the arrival of a front and during a low pressure center.

I have collected barometric pressure data from around the country for years through log book entries from trail cameras, hunters and private studies. The results are clear and indisputable. Deer like a pressure above 30.00 in.

And if you want to see bucks, the ratio of bucks to does sighted when the pressure is between 30.00 – 30.40 is a staggering 1 to 1! When it drops and is between 29.8 and 30.00 there were a third as many deer spotted and with that figure your chances of seeing a buck dropps to 1 in 3.

There is a sweet spot within the pressure scale that I have found and it seems to be at 30.20 to 30.30. There will also be a difference in sightings depending on if the pressure is rising or falling. Rising pressure right before its peak is best.

A lot of these high pressure points will come with wind, as that is a sure sign of pressure change. The windier it is, the more dramatic the change (usually). That’s why so many trophies are taken right after sustained high winds of +30 mph have died down. Watch your areas pressure in conjunction with high winds sometime and see what I mean. North winds (NE to NW), seem to bring the highest barometer readings. I believe that’s why many of our best stands and hunts are in conjunction with winds from these directions. You can easily follow your area's pressure by using the barometric trend graphs on OutdoorLife.com/Weather.

Photo:bigdan

Whitetail Tips: How to Take a Big Deer During a Big Drought

Alex Robinson — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 10:01:05 -0400

Kansas is the land of giant whitetails. Unfortunately much of the state, including the Southwest where I’m currently hunting, is in the midst of a record drought. Conservation Reserve Program lands are void of their usual tall native grasses. They’ve long since been devoured by hungry cattle or burnt to a crisp by the unrelenting sun.

Deer are stressed by the lack of food and water, traveling far between the bedding cover of creeks and thickets to find any grub in the arid conditions. Amazingly, even under stress, the bucks were able to pop some impressive headgear. As I type away waiting for the heat to fade, I had the chance to admire a great buck taken by fellow outdoor writer J. Guthrie, muzzleloading editor for Petersen’s Hunting and co-host of Ruger Inside and Out on the Sportsman’s Channel.

Guthrie took a stand down the creek from me and the bellow of his TC FX Pro Hunter signaled his success. Three solid shooter bucks walked into range and Guthrie was faced with a decision. Should he shoot a giant-framed typical or a gnarly, double-beamed non-typical? He picked the typical and ended his hunt with a 150-class buck with kicker points with help from BackRhoads Outfitters.

If you’re faced with a drought hunt this fall here’s my advice. Hunt around anything green and wet. Despite area milo fields being stunted, they still supplied a dose of green for bucks and attracted dozens of deer. In between travels, the deer were searching for water, mainly windmills and stock tanks. Like Guthrie, I waited near a creek bottom hoping for a buck to wander by or at least put himself in position for an easy stalk. I’ll update you when I find success. Until then, enjoy this photo of my good friend J. Guthrie and his Kansas September muzzleloader buck.

To find deer movement predictions and the weather forecast where you hunt, go to OL Weather.

Seven Things to Know About Temperature and Deer Activity

Alex Robinson — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 11:39:50 -0400

Fall is my favorite time of year, with the leaves changing color to brilliant yellow and crimson red and those frosty clear mornings that give way to comfortable, 60-degree days. It never gets old and it never lasts long enough. With fall comes a change of temperature and weather. It’s no secret that this has a big impact on whitetail deer activity.

After years of studying Boone and Crockett harvest data, I've been able to pattern certain trends in temperature and deer activity. Regardless of the region you hunt or time of year, here are some interesting facts about how temperature affects deer activity...

1. If your forecasted temperature is 5 to 10 degrees below your historical average, deer activity will increase by 30 to 55 percent.

2. There are dry temperatures and wet temperatures. Deer prefer humidity between 40 and 50 percent. If it’s 70 degrees out and the humidity is 70 percent, there won’t be much daylight activity even if you’re 5 degrees below average temperature as stated above. 

3. Watch your morning and evening temperatures in conjunction with the dew point. If they’re within 3 degrees or less of each other, records show a harvest increase and activity spikes.  

4. In early season, you will see scrape activity begin or increase on days that have lows in the 40-degree range or less for 3 or more consecutive days. 

5. Days after two or more consecutive hard frosts (27 degrees or lower) will see an increase in feeding and browsing, especially on food plots. 

6. Watch your weather forecast temperatures, if you see a quick rise in temperature forecast (10 degrees or more in 24 hours), hunt the PM before the increase, there's a good chance a front is passing and the barometer is rising. 

7. Logic tells us that on warm days it's better to hunt cover areas, closer to bedding and water sources. On Cool days, hunt food sources, transition zones and scrape and rub lines.

I hope some of these tips will help you afield. Follow temperature forecasts and deer activity predictions for your area on OutdoorLife.com/weather.

Photo: Chauncey Davis

Whitetail Tips: How Cloud Cover Affects Deer Movement

Alex Robinson — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 10:38:32 -0400

Last week we talked about wind direction, wind speed and their effects on deer activity. With that in mind, we can now apply cloud types. We will keep it simple and talk about the most common ones. These are divided into low, middle and high cloud types. Each one is affected differently by the wind.

Low Clouds
Let’s start with low, which run from ground level to around 6000’. Stratus and Nimbostratus my personal favorites, both resemble fog and are sometimes accompanied by drizzle or light rain! With an east quadrant wind it will rain, with a west quadrant it will be overcast. Both are excellent for whitetail hunting. The common middle clouds, lets say 6000 feet to more than 12,000 feet above ground are altocumulus and altostratus again wind direction affects the incoming weather.

With altocumulus you can expect overcast conditions unless the wind shifts to a south to NE direction. If it does it will almost always rain in 24 hours. Deer know this too, and the pm or am hunting period coming up is going to be very good if you have the correct stand placement for the wind. Altostratus usually will bring continuous rain, if it’s blowing from an easterly direction you have about 10-15 hours. Movement will be good before and after this cloud type.

High Clouds
Now let’s get a look at two common high cloud types, cirrus and cumulous. The first is considered a fair weather cloud and is associated with high pressure systems. Cumulous clouds are also considered a fair weather cloud unless they contain or build vertically then you have a chance of thunderstorms. Both of these clouds types can and will produce rain if the wind shifts to NE to south, usually within 24 hours! By knowing this we can predict deer activity. Here’s an example: Let’s say you see alto cumulous clouds and you have an east wind. I would try and get out within the next 12 hours and hunt because deer will be moving. Now it clears out, the wind shifts clockwise to a westerly direction and you have cirrus clouds. I know the barometer is rising and I would hunt this window also, especially during morning hours after an evening storm.

There are many more cloud types and wind direction combinations and I’m just scratching the surface, but this is the basis in which cloud forecasting was built around on Outdoor Life weather. To find the weather forecast and deer movement predictions where you hunt go to OL Weather.

Dry Conditions in Texas Could Mean More Rattle Snake Run-Ins

OL Editor — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 11:28:25 -0400

You've probably heard about the massive wildfires happening in Texas right now. The fires, which some people are calling the most destructive in Texas history, are being spurred on by heavy winds and bone-dry drought conditions. The blazes have destroyed hundreds of homes near Austin, and thousands of people have been evacuated. What you might not have heard, however, is that the same drought conditions that make the landscape prime for fires might increase human-rattlesnake encounters in the state as well.

It's a simple formula: The drought conditions make food scarce. And if food is scarce, the snakes can't get the abundance of fat storage needed to make it through hibernation. So, what do the snakes do? They resort to traveling beyond their normal hunting spots in search of rodents, birds and other edible creatures.

This could conceivably lead the snakes closer to human populations, where water (and, as a result, small rodents) are more abundant.

"The drought has dried all of the grass that the rodents normally feed on. It's a chain effect, when there are less rodents for the snakes to eat, they will be ranging further and further out from their normal foraging areas,” said Jerry Cates, an expert on Texas snake populations.

AccuWeather.com reports that snakes might also be roaming in the winter months and searching for food, at a time when they are normally expected to be hibernating.

Whitetail Tips: How Wind Affects Deer Movement

Alex Robinson — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:08:44 -0400

We all know the importance of wind and its role in deer movement and how and where to set up. Simple rules that we all apply are set up downwind or at least crosswind. But there’s a lot more to this game than trying to stay down wind of a big buck.

Let’s look at two wind change factors and their effects: direction and speed.

In the northern hemisphere our weather patterns travel from west to east with the exception of some coastal areas. In general, a westerly wind brings fair weather and high pressure and an easterly wind means an approaching front and a drop in barometric pressure or a low.

With this in mind, when the wind changes in a clockwise direction it almost always means rising barometer. But the degrees in which the wind changes, what period of time it changes in and wind speed are all important.

Let’s say you have a wind change in 3 hours from a northwest to a west wind and its blowing 5 mph. This will have a very limited effect on the pressure or weather. But if it goes from a northwest to a south wind in 3 hours and the wind picks up to 20 mph, chances are the pressure will drop more rapidly and a front is approaching.

Knowing the sky cover, which we will discuss later, can help predict the timing and severity of what could happen above. We all know that wildlife tends to move before and after a weather system.

One thing to keep in mind: based on my studies, a rising barometer associated with a wind changing from an easterly to a westerly direction (clockwise) is the best time to hunt.

The stronger the wind speed, the quicker barometric pressure will rise and after it subsides is the time to be out.

After checking more than 100 Pope and Young records of 170+ bucks against weather conditions 8-12 hours before harvest, I found that a tremendous amount were taken after a wind of at least 30 mph had dropped to 10 mph.

So then what’s the best wind direction if we’ve got no change in direction or speed? This will depend on your hunting area, the bedding areas in conjunction to food sources, terrain, thermals, etc. But in general, a NW to NE wind will bring cooler temperatures and a higher barometer, both key factors in good deer movement.

The least desirable wind directions in my neck of the woods, southwest or south, bring above average temps and low barometric pressure.

There’s much more to wind and deer movement and I will elaborate on it further next week with the role cloud types play.

For up-to-date deer forecasts where you hunt, go to OL Weather.

Photo: emery_way

Hurricane Irene is on Her Way

OL Editor — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:10:15 -0400

Photo courtesy of Nasa

Much of the Eastern seaboard, still rattled from the unexpected and rare earthquake on Tuesday, is now bracing for the impact of another force of nature—Hurricane Irene. Many eastern Governors have declared States of Emergency due to the imminent Category 3 Hurricane, which is expected to make landfall in North Carolina on Friday night.

Hurricane Irene is predicted to first hit the coast around Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, on Friday night and slam into the rest of the mid-Atlantic region by Saturday night and early Sunday morning. Evacuations have been ordered in many mid-Atlantic coastal areas and barrier islands like North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Some areas are expecting severe coastal flooding from waves up to 15 feet tall (expected path of Irene).

Irene is predicted to weaken some as it travels up the coast, but this Category 3 storm is still expected to deliver winds of 50 to 70 mph when it reaches New York City on Saturday. This will be the first hurricane to hit New York since September 6, 2008, when Hurricane Hanna struck Long Island with winds up to 52 mph.

New York City’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg has ordered nursing homes and five hospitals in low-lying areas evacuated beginning Friday, and said he would order 270,000 more people moved by Saturday if the storm stays on its current path.

"For the general public, it's a good idea to move Friday," Bloomberg said. "Keep in mind, it is possible—I don't know that I want to say likely—but it is very conceivable…that Saturday morning at 8 o'clock, we're going to say, 'Look, the forecast has not changed. The storm is still barreling down on us. It's still very dangerous. You must get out of these areas.'"

The storm is expected to hit Boston on Sunday. Flooding is expected from the 6 to 12 inches of rain predicted for the New Jersey shore, Long Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Hurricane Preparedness

Getting ready for a hurricane can be a little intimidating, but it accomplishes two vital things. First, preparing for trouble removes some of the helplessness that many people feel when an emergency is imminent, and preparing puts you in the right mindset to be a survivor, not a victim. Secondly, preparing for a storm forces you to gather the supplies and make the plans that can help you adapt to the changing environment of a disaster. This can even give you the security and the resources to help others, as you put the pieces back together after a storm.

As you prepare for a hurricane, consider that you may lose power, which obviously takes away many of our modern conveniences. Make sure you have plenty of easy-to-fix, no-cook foods on hand and ample sources of lighting. Lean toward battery operated lights instead of candles to reduce the hazard of fire during and after the storm. Also, make sure you know the routes to evacuate inland, away from the hurricane’s path.

• Know where your gas, water and electrical shut-offs are located.

• Gather at least a 72-hour supply of water and food for each person in your home, plus flash lights, first aid supplies and hygiene items. Have something to pass the time for each person with you (books, board games, coloring books for the kids, and other items that don’t require electricity).

• Fully charge your cell phone and other electronics before the power goes out, and have a back-up power source on hand, like a car charger or an external battery pack like the Energizer XP1000 http://www.energizerpowerpacks.com/us/products/xp1000/

• Have a battery-powered radio so you can stay alert to evacuation notices, disaster news and instructions.

If You Must Evacuate

When the evacuation notice is given, the things you do next depend on whether you have to leave in a few hours or at that moment.

• If you only have minutes to get out, don’t waste time gathering possessions. Most things can be replaced, lives cannot.

• If you have more time, stay very alert to storm and flood watches and warnings for your local area, and the areas upriver from your location.

• Drinking water contamination can be a serious issue during and after a flood, so make sure you have safe water with you as you evacuate.

• If you have a day to prepare, move important things to the highest and driest location you have. Bring important and irreplaceable papers, photos, files and data with you as you leave.

• As you evacuate, take plenty of cash, no-cook foods, spare clothes, hygiene items, your cell phone charger, rain gear and lots of bug-out-type supplies in case you have to provide for yourself after your exodus.

• Don’t try to ride it out. If you are instructed to evacuate, DO SO!

Hurricane Survival Guide Our comprehensive guide will teach you how to stay safe when a hurricane hits.

Keep a Post-Disaster Checklist

31 Items to Keep in Your Urban First Aid Kit: Sometimes the disaster doesn't kill you, but the aftermath could. And on that theme, here is a quick mayhem checklist for you to consider.

Flood Evacuation: Lessons Learned From the 2011 Spring Floods

How to Prepare for Disasters

Hurricane Tracker Blog

Flood Survival Tips: Be ready for everything that Irene's got, review these tips and make sure you know the do's and dont's of flood survival.

8 Weather Warnings: If you're caught on the water without a barometer, look for nature's clues to approaching weather.

The Bug Out Bag: What if you had only three minutes to grab whatever you could take from your home, and the rest of your belongings would be lost forever?

Tornado Survival Tips: Hurricanes regularly give way to tornadoes. When twisters hit, here's how to stay alive.

Survival Wish List: A roundup of the best and most innovative survival gear ever introduced.

Turkey Forecast: Beat the Rain

Alex Robinson — Thu, 05 May 2011 09:16:38 -0400

For the coming week I’ve decided to rate the regions by a combination of precipitation and temperature forecasts. Of course, these are an overview of the whole week and individual areas and days may vary. While it's nice to be able to pick your days to hunt, most of us have to deal with busy work schedules which means weekends are the only option. If this forces you to hunt in rainy and cool weather, find roosting birds and set up as close as you can, to increase your odds.

As a whole, the northern states are going to be cool and wet. The coldest and rainiest areas look to be the Great Lakes and the upper Midwest. The best areas look to be the southern tier states, which will see a much-needed drier and warmer week. The middle states, such as Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri and Illinois will have normal seasonal conditions.

The moon times this week are the 1st quarter on the 10th and the crossing of the equator on the 12th. The crossing days always create turbulence in the atmosphere and usually stimulate wildlife activity. Throughout much of the country the birds are in a breeding stage or close to it.

If you’ve never tried it, use a squealing hen call which mimics a hen during this period. It can really get the toms going. Good Luck!

Gobbler Forecast April 29 - May 5

Alex Robinson — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 10:22:58 -0400

As we enter into May I’ve decided to take a look at the top 20 typical NWTF record birds and the dates they were killed on. Eight of the top 20 were taken after May 1st. On this week's map I’ve marked the states and dates of harvest as a reference. I also looked at the calls used, I was little surprised to see 14 of 20 were called in with a diaphragm.

The top state was Iowa (with 5 entries) followed by Missouri (4 entries). Four record birds were harvested before April 15th, eight were taken between April 15th and April 30th. May 1st to the 15th yielded 6 entries and there were only two after May 15th.

Now back to the forecast for April 29th through May 5th. These dates are sandwiched around a new moon on the 2nd, which will help get the birds moving if weather cooperates.

Here’s the forecast for your regions:

NE – Friday thru Sunday look partly cloudy in most areas. Next week looks like showers and t-storms. My pick here is Sunday. Best days: April 29th, 30th and May 1st.

SE – Drier conditions this weekend make it a good bet. T-storms early next week could reduce gobbling in some areas. Best days: April 29th, 30th, May 1st and 5th.

Great Lakes – Saturday AM looks like good conditions in many areas. Showers return next week with a break on Tuesday. Best days: May 30th, April 1st and 3rd.

NC – Wind, snow and rain Friday and Saturday. Sunday could be good, but Monday during the new moon is my choice. Best days: May 2nd and 3rd.

SC – Windy conditions on Friday, the day after high winds are normally very good for calling. Cool Sunday but warming the first part of the week. Best days: April 30th, May 3rd and 4th.

NW – Cloudy and cool Friday, sunny and warmer for the weekend. This should be the best weekend of the year here. Best days: April 30th, May 1st, 4th and 5th.

SW – Wind Friday, cold Sunday in many areas. A rising barometer and sun from then on should heat things up. Best days: May 1st, 2n, 3rd, 4th and 5th.

Moon – Effects to watch are Apogee on the 29th, new moon on the 2nd and peak north declination on the 5th.

Tip – Many southern states are in post-breeding gobbling. The toms will be on the move looking for more hens. Mix your calls up and try your diaphragm, as I stated before 70 percent of the top 20 were called in with this method.

To find the forecast in your turkey woods go to OL Weather

High Water

EricAichele — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 10:47:17 -0400

Gobbler Forecast April 8-15

Alex Robinson — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 11:50:52 -0400

Heading into the heart of April, gobbling should be in full swing in all regions of the country. The northern states are still cool and unsettled while the south central is already in heat wave and drought conditions.

Pulling out the days with windy conditions and rain or showers, these days really tend to slow turkey calling. And looking for clearing and dry conditions with lower humidity we will find more active birds. Throw in warming temperatures and days with the dew point equal to the air temperature and you’ve got prime days. With that in mind, here’s the best days of the week for your region:

NE – April 9th (pm) and 13th
SE – April 8th, 10th, 12th and 13th
SC – April 8th (pm), 11th, 12th and 15th
GL – April 9th, 12th and 13th
NC – April 12th-15th
NW – April 8th, 9th, 11th and 12th
SW – April 11th – 15th

Moon – April 18th is a full moon. As we close in on the 48 hours surrounding this date, keep in mind that full moon days produce many records in the NWTF book over the last 20 years.

Tip – Turkeys will tolerate wind up to about 20 mph. It’s best if it’s calm (0-5mph). If it’s above 20 mph they tend to hole up and talk far less.

For the turkey forecast in your state go to OL Weather.

Gobbler Forecast April 1-8

Alex Robinson — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 11:06:32 -0400

As we head into the first weekend in April virtually every region is heating up with pre-breeding gobbling. The only problem is weather in some areas is just not cooperating to make things really hot. But a mix of interesting moon changes should help. The moon crosses the equator on Friday, there is an apogee (point at which the moon is farthest from the earth) on Saturday and a new moon on Sunday.

These lunar occurrences happening all in close proximity to each other should really get the toms vocal this weekend. Here's the regional forecast:

NE – It will be cooler and wetter than average for most of next week. The good news is fair weather on Saturday and Sunday, the next best bet is the following Friday. Best days: April 2nd, 3rd and 8th.

SE – This region will be warmer than normal and along with that comes passing systems. New moon day looks great! Best days: April 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 8th.

SC – Hot, Hot! Warm and dry throughout most of this region should make virtually every morning good. Best days: April 1st-8th.

GL – Cool and wet for the most part. Winter hangs on here, but there are some exceptions for the evening of the 2nd and the following morning which looks good. Best days: April 2nd, 3rd and 6th.

NC – A lot like the Great Lakes region, many northern states still have snow on the ground. A storm system for Sunday and Monday will slow things up, before it hits it looks very good. Best days: April 1st (pm), 2nd (am), 5th and 6th.

NW – A windy Thursday leads to a Friday that looks great. Off and on rain next week and cool. Best days: April 1st, 3rd, 4th and 8th.

SW – Get out Friday if you can. High winds in many areas over the weekend, but after they die down the weather factors look great. Best days: April 1st, 4th –8th.

Moon – The new moon on the 3rd and two days on either side of the new moon are great bets if weather permits.

Tip of the week – Research shows dry days with low humidity are the best days to call. It takes 12-16 hours after rain has stopped to really get the birds talking again. Good Luck!

To find the turkey hunting conditions in your area go to OL Weather.

Photo: blackthroatedwarbler

Gobbling Forecast March 25 - April 1

Alex Robinson — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 09:56:08 -0400

As we head toward the end of March, winter remains hanging on in many regions east of the Mississippi. Along with the below average temperatures comes above normal precipitation for much of the Northeast and Southeast. The Great Lakes and north central will be cool but dry out.

The Northwest and Southwest will heat up with above average temperatures. This time of year fronts will come and go every few days and picking the windows in between with rising barometers, warmer temperatures, calming winds and clear skies can really improve your odds. These factors and a new (like on April 3rd) or full moon can really get the toms talking. All these factors are considered as we try and help you harvest your next gobbler
.
Here’s your regions:

NE – Looking here I see passing fronts and well below normal temperatures. The system breaks of prime conditions and warming are few this week. But there are two good bets – Best days: March 26th and 31st.

SE – Cool and wet from Saturday thru Tuesday. Friday looks good before systems sweep through and things should really pick up the middle to end of next week. Best days: March 25th, 30th and 31st.

GL – Cool, but relatively dry after all the snow and rain this week. Pre-breeding gobbling is just starting in this region and dryer warmer days such as the 27th, 30th, and 31st are good bets.

SC – Passing fronts about every other day. In between as the barometer rises along with clearing skies should make these mornings good. Best days: March 25th, 27th and 30th.

NC – Winter with a vengeance returned this week but much warmer temperatures and drier conditions by Tuesday should fire things up as this region is just beginning its pre-breed gobbling also. Best days: March 29th, 30th and 31st.

NW – Warm and wet and just kicking off the gobbling season here too. Clear day opportunities are good bets on the 27th and 30th.

SW – Warmer and drier than normal should make it active almost all week. Looking at all weather factors the best days are March 26th, 29th, 30th and April 1st.

Summary – April 3rd brings a new moon. On and around this phase has always produced trophy birds. Starting two days before (1st) and running the same after (5th) are great calling times if proper weather factors coincide.

Tip of the week – Mornings with dew are some of the very best calling days. Check your weather and look for days with a dew point within + or -3 degrees of the air temperature. You won’t be disappointed.
Good Luck!

Winter's Wrath

Alex Robinson — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 10:25:00 -0500

You could sense a tipping point last week. Our grinding winter weather — which has been intensifying since mid December — is finally taking its toll on critters, especially those whitetail bucks that entered the winter run down and ragged from the rut.

Since the week before Thanksgiving, we’ve been above freezing only three times, and our low temperatures during December averaged just above zero here in Montana. We have already experienced some 30-below mornings, bitter cold that we don’t expect until February most years.

Since New Year’s Eve, when we got an additional 8 inches of snow on top of the two feet already on the ground, deer have been shedding their notorious nervous fear of humans and have been coming ever closer to our homesteads here in the Milk River Valley.

We feed horses, and the hay bales yarded near the corrals are getting hit by up to 50 deer a night. In the morning you can see the quantitative impact of all those mouths, bales shredded, more hay stamped into the ground by hundreds of hooves that are bloody and bruised from punching through drifted snow, dozens of dish-shaped beds in the hay where deer found some insulation from the killing cold.

This is the dark side of living among so many deer, and in a part of the world where wildlife populations boom and bust with weather conditions.

It’s been nearly a decade since the last epidemic of EHD, or epizootic hemmorhagic disease, swept through here. And while it’s been cold and snowy the last three winters, we haven’t seen a colossal winterkill in nearly seven years. So maybe it’s time that our booming whitetail populations got tamped back.

Still, that realization doesn’t make it any easier to find victims of the cold and snow. I took a snow-stomping hike yesterday, rifle in hand to pick off cottontails, and found more carcasses than I expected, including the winterkilled buck pictured here. Will the weather take more deer?

It seems likely. And while I don’t like to see the hay intended for my horses feed so many deer, it’s hard to deprive them of the emergency rations they obviously need so desperately.

To check out the weather forecast in your area go to: OL Weather

Whitetail Weather Forecast Dec. 27 - Jan. 2

Alex Robinson — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 18:27:13 -0500

As we enter the last week of Whitetail Forecasts for 2010, we will see a diversity of hunting weather conditions. In the NE, deer should be yarding up and staying close to food sources. In the SE, record lows early in the week will stimulate post-rut movement. In the deep SW, we’ll see 70-degree highs hampering movement, while the midwest will be cool and dry until another blast of snow sweeps through later in the week. Here’s your regions:

NE – As the major snowstorm lets up, temperatures will warm and pressure will rise. There is a 3-day window before another front and more precipitation comes in on Saturday. Best days: December 29th, 30th and 31st.

SE – Record lows early in the week come with extreme high pressure. This combination should make for some great late season hunting. Catch the time frames before precipitation moves in on Friday. Best days: December 29th and 30th.

SC – A fairly significant low will settle in on Thursday and Friday (1000). Both sides of this front should be good bets. Best days: December 29th and January 1st.

MW – Cool and dry will last for a couple days. As the wind picks up a major LP (990) will follow and set in on Thursday and Friday. My picks are Tuesday and Saturday as pressure spikes on these days. Best days: December 28th and January 1st.

NW – A deep low pressure front (996) heads east on Wednesday, as it clears out deer will move. The hp will top out on New Year's Day (1032), before dropping off again next week. Best days: December 30th and January 2nd.

SW – Cooler temperatures will come with a system that will pass through Wednesday and Thursday. As it clears out on Friday, deer movement should be great. Best days: December 31st and January 1st.

Moon – The weekend moon times are very good to excellent as we inch towards the new moon. Both am and pm times are worth a try. Solar activity continues to be quiet and not a factor. Good Luck!

For more information on hunting and fishing conditions where you live go to www.outdoorlife.com/weather

Best Day to Deer Hunt: Dec. 21

Alex Robinson — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 09:46:42 -0500

Winter begins on the 21st of December every year. This year it has a special meaning for serious whitetail hunters. The winter solstice is when the sun is at its peak south. What’s special about this one is there’s a total lunar eclipse of the full moon the day after peak north lunar ascension.

OK, before you nod off like I'm giving a science lecture, consider this: in my many hours of breaking down trophy harvest data, one day stuck when I flipped through years of data, Nov. 8, 2003! On that day there was a total (not partial or prenumbral) eclipse of a full moon.

Amongst the 20 plus years of records it happened to be the number 1 day all-time. In fact, a two-day span around this date was off the charts for harvest. We are talking 400 P & Y bucks registered, 136 on the day of the eclipse. I decided to look into other lunar eclipses, not too many, especially total eclipses, but what I did find was one of the best (top two) days all-time for the month of December was a prenumbral eclipse.

I’m not totally sure why these days have an effect on deer movement, but they do. My advice, take the 21st off, head for the field and see what happens. We would appreciate any and all feedback on your hunt if you do. And mark on your calendar Dec. 10, 2011 also, as this event will happen again, then won’t repeat until Oct. 8, 2014 (at least during fall hunting seasons). Good Luck!

Fish America: There's Never a Bad Week of Fishing

Alex Robinson — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 12:59:44 -0500

Pictured here is a rainbow trout taken from The Lower Mountain Fork River in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. This is the only fish I’ve got to show for the week. A cold front moving in had trout on the river scarce and selective. I’m hopeful a trip to the White River in Arkansas, some legendary trout water, will offer redemption.

One week, one rainbow; an abject failure right?

The rainbow was caught by Oklahoma guide Greg Dodds. Greg, a father, husband, airline mechanic and former strong safety on his base team in the Marine Corps, loves fly-fishing enough to get up at 4:30 a.m. to make the three-hour drive from his home in Broken Arrow to Broken Bow. He makes this trek because if it seems to you like Oklahoma is a state short on places to drift a dry, then you’re right.

I’ve set my cell phone alarm for pre-sunrise hours plenty of times on this trip, but I didn’t have to Saturday; Greg’s 3-pound Yorkshire terrier (who without a haircult looks like a streamer fly you might throw for muskies) stood patiently on my chest staring at my eyes until they opened, on the couch that Greg didn’t hesitate to offer.

Greg and I weren’t alone though, we were part of a convoy making the journey to Broken Bow. In all, seven members the Oklahoma Fly Fishers, a club of which Greg is the president, made the three-plus hour trek for trout. The club meets monthly and makes two annual trips to the White River for a week of “fly-tying, trout fishing, plenty of food and single malt scotch.” They are pictured here, in the midst of a mid-day strategy session to attempt to figure out the fish. Home made roasted peanuts, no-frills baloney sandwiches and a bag of mini-snickers provided food for thought, though the remainder of the day would prove equally challenging. The club had its Christmas banquet Friday night, and they were quick to pull up an extra chair for out-of-town fisherman. Salad, salmon and pecan pie might make for the best meal I’ve had on the trip, and I finally got to use the one collared shirt I brought.

A lack of light finally pushed us off the water Saturday, and after thanking Greg repeatedly, he and I went our separate ways. He went back to his family in Broken Arrow, and I made it as far as Hot Springs, Arkansas. I wound up talking with a local Arkansas guitarist, Steve, in a bar about Eric Clapton’s version of Little Wing, how Duane Allman inspired him to pick up a guitar, and walleye fishing in his home state of Michigan. After a shot of peppermint schnapps in honor of Christmas, electric guitars and walleyes, he said “I love the guitar, but I’m a fisherman first, I’ve been fishing my whole life,” showing me a photo of a 30-inch Arkansas walleye on his phone. I’d go back to see Steve rip through Midnight Rider on stage the next night.

Maybe it was the Schnapps, but for a second there, I forgot that it was a bad week of fishing.

Whitetail Weather Forecast Dec. 13-19

Alex Robinson — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 09:23:27 -0500

Winter has been coming early to much of the USA. In between the numerous systems coming through, we should see active feeding and secondary rut action. Many areas will see windy conditions, and as they die down in your area midweek, deer will move. Also, keep track of your areas exact barometric cycles with OL Weather and hunt while pressure is rising and above 30.10. Here are your regions:

NE – Lake effect snow and winds through Wednesday will hamper deer activity. High pressure will build and peak on Friday before dropping some by the weekend. Best days: Dec. 16th and 17th.

SE – Cool and windy conditions with some rain will give way to warmer/drier weather by the end of the week. Your low pressure point will be sometime on Friday (1012). Best days: Dec. 16th and 18th.

SC – Below normal temperatures to begin the week and warming by end. Periods of light precipitation will be good opportunities to get out. The biggest low passes through on Wednesday (996). Best days: Dec. 16th and 18th.

MW – Cold and snowy, moderating snow showers by the weekend. Highest pressure in the nation should set in on Saturday (1032). When it’s this high it’s usually excellent hunting if the other weather factors cooperate. Best days: Dec. 16th and 18th.

NW – Rain and snow persists with moderating temperatures by mid-week and beyond. A major low will come in off the coast next Monday. So Sunday becomes a good bet. Best days: Dec. 15th and 19th.

SW – Should be very warm in most areas with a chance of showers on Wednesday and Thursday. Hunting both sides of these days could be productive. Best days: Dec. 14th and 17th.

Moon – According to the moon data records early week is fair. Starting Wednesday through Sunday mid-day and PM hours are rated as good. Solar activity is not a factor this week. Good Luck!

Whitetail Weather Forecast Dec. 7-12

Alex Robinson — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 10:08:46 -0500

We enter the second week of December with most of the nation dealing with wind, snow and below average temperatures. The secondary rut kicks in the north as the primary rut will be going on in the southern states. Finding the hunting window between storms and as pressure rises above 30.10 is key. Here are your regions:

NE – Strong winds Tuesday and Wednesday and low barometric pressure will give way to drying conditions and rising pressure on Thursday. Saturday is also a good window between fronts. Best days: December 9th and 11th.

SE – Colder temperatures engulf the region midweek increasing activity. Thursday will see the peak of the week with a 1025(BP). A large low comes in on Sunday, Saturday PM, before it arrives should be good. Best days: December 9th and 11th.

MW – A very windy but dry storm will sweep across many areas Thursday and Friday. Hunting the times before and after are great bets. Cold temperatures will also keep things moving. Best days: December 8th and 11th.

SC – Below average temperatures and hunting before and after a low (1008) on Saturday should be effective. Very high barometric pressure follows (1030) on Sunday. This rising window should be good. Best days: December 10th and 12th.

NW – Lots of storm systems invade the northwest creating overcast skies, snow and cool temperatures. Great conditions if the winds stay low. A major low on Friday will hold deer up. Best days: December 9th and 11th.

SW – Above average temperatures will hamper movement, but a low pressure front on Saturday will pick things up. Best days: December 10th and 12th.

Moon times – Tuesday AM/PM is rated very good. For Wednesday through Sunday PM hours should all be good. A slight increase in solar activity on Saturday and Sunday will stimulate activity some. Good Luck!