barometric pressure and the role it plays

utah_1911

utah_1911

New member
At what point is a barometric pressure change "alot?" less than 15% seems to make a difference. I am not a scientist, a professional coyote caller, or meteroligist. This may all be pure coincidence, or have no merit whatsoever. If coyotes are predictable at one thing it's being unpredictable. But I have been keeping a log and this is what I have seen. This has been recorded over the past 12 weeks. 2 hunts per week. 4 coyotes killed. 2 missed. 3 in the cross hairs but out of range.

Barometric pressure lower than 25.15: no response to locator calls. Periodic responses to solo howls. All of my coyotes were killed this way and at this pressure but one.

Barometric pressure between 25.16-26.16: aggressive and immediate response to locator calls. including barks, yips and howls. Dead silence after sunrise. No coyote has committed to a call after locators.

Barometric pressure between 26.16-26.35: delayed response to locator calls, meaning greater that a minute. Mostly solo howls. No barks or yips. No responses from howls after sunrise. I got howls from pig distress...In Utah...In the desert. One coyote was shot last week with this sound and pressure.

Barometric pressure above 26.35: no response to locator calls. No response to howls. No response to distress. These days were what we refer to as "busts".


Just thought I'd share what I found
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Oh, it has a lot of merit... And, keeping logs will help you pay closer attention to details.

All wild creatures will feed ahead of an approaching storm, as the barometer drops, they lay low and conserve energy during the storm, and immediately after, while the barometer rises. To what extent is dependent upon how severe the storm, how soon it's approaching, where lunar cycles are at, and to what extent all of the above fall into sunrise/sunset. If you want to really kick [beeep], watch lunar cycles that fall shortly after sunrise or before sunset, with an approaching storm of major proportions, falling conveniently in the mix thereof.

A few years back 3 of us were hunting deer, opening weekend of the ND season, and weren't finding but very few. I did manage to sneak up on a nice buck taking a nap in the sweet clover at the bottom of a gravel pit, and tagged him, opening day. But the other two, both of whom had doe tags, managed only 1 doe between them in 2 1/2 days. A severe winter storm was forecast to move in the following Wednesday morning early, and when I checked the lunar charts, we had a full moon, with major feeding period coinciding with sunset Tuesday night. I told the guys, we really need to go riding tonight, because the deer WILL BE OUT. They both kinda laughed, but they bought beer and rode anyhow. Between them and I, we spotted 18 - 19 bucks that evening, all but 1 or 2 would have scored 130 or better. Several would have easily scored 150 or better, and one was a 190 class buck. ALL were running with numerous does. Everywhere we could think of to check, we found deer, and we found respectable bucks. Neither has ever doubted the combination of sunrise/sunset, lunar cycle, and falling barometer since, and both have used it on more than one occasion.

What I can tell you from hundreds of hours spent on the water fishing is, while you may not seem to find luck when the barometer rises, or while it's high, it doesn't mean coyotes cannot be had at that time. During those times fishing, you have to pay VERY close attention to detail, and factor every little itty bitty thing into your game. Color, size, the degree of cup in a spinner blade, a half mile an hour difference in trolling speed, or even how fast you crank your reel, can make the difference in catching or not catching fish, and catching 2 1/2 - 3 lb. fish, or 1 lb. fish. Figuring out where the storm pushed the warm water across the lake last night, can point you in the right direction to find a bite, but then it may take 8 - 10 changes to bait and tackle to find a combination that works, only to find that 6 inches difference in depth can mean you catch fish or don't catch fish. And, 3 inches difference in depth across the point on the island, means catching the occasional single, or hooking up doubles and triples left and right while the guys in the boat next to you cuss and swear.

Predators are predators, be they fish or coyotes, while you're on the right track keeping up with the barometer, and which calls they're responding too, look at moon phases, lunar cycles, volume settings, wind direction, cloudy/or not, not just time of day but how long after sunrise, what kind of territory you're calling them out of, how did they approach, and at the same time, where all of that is at when they're not responding. The more attention you pay to detail, the quicker you'll piece the puzzle together, and the better your odds will be of connecting in any kind of weather.


 
You'll see this in domesticated animals as well, I feed over 500 head of feeders and replacements...
Don't even need to look at the barometer, instead of eating 35lbs per head per day, a day or even two before a low pressure system, they'll pound an easy 40... Get the gear, cause it's gonna be an all day and night sorta thing.
 
Originally Posted By: skinneyYou'll see this in domesticated animals as well, I feed over 500 head of feeders and replacements...
Don't even need to look at the barometer, instead of eating 35lbs per head per day, a day or even two before a low pressure system, they'll pound an easy 40... Get the gear, cause it's gonna be an all day and night sorta thing.


Absolutely, and cattle on range are always a good indicator for wildlife activity. If the cattle are out in the middle of the pastures grazing, the wildlife will generally be feeding too. If the cattle are all laying in the corner of the fence chewing their cud, swatting flies, and sleeping. It's going to be a tough day, pay close attention to what you're doing; keep notes... if you find something that works, refer back to those notes next time you're in a 's-l-o-w' situation. If you had something that worked under smilar conditions, yes of course, use it. But more importantly, those things that didn't work, you might want to skip; especially if they've proven unproductive more than once in the past.
 
I agree with getting howls to locaters, some nights they howl everywhere and some night not a peep but still show up on stand.

Located at two spots an hour ago and go zero response. Pressure here is 29.92, 6 above with a north breeze at about 8.

I have never looked at the pressure on nights they answer and nights they don't but will try to remember.

Cold seems to shut the howling down here when it gets below about 10 degrees.

How many times is this data based on?
 
just the kind of info I have been wanting to know thanks!
Seems one out of three nights no coyotes-fox move, checking traps everyday. I like it when I can use a 3 day check, waste less time and fuel.
 
I started hunting weather fronts much more this year and have been much more sucessful. I haven't paid close enough attention to the barometric pressures associated with the more successful times. I have noticed less activity after a full moon.
 
Originally Posted By: HunterLeeI agree with getting howls to locaters, some nights they howl everywhere and some night not a peep but still show up on stand.

Located at two spots an hour ago and go zero response. Pressure here is 29.92, 6 above with a north breeze at about 8.

I have never looked at the pressure on nights they answer and nights they don't but will try to remember.

Cold seems to shut the howling down here when it gets below about 10 degrees.

How many times is this data based on?



It was 12 weeks and 2 hunts per week. 24 logged hunts. Now mind you these readings were taken with my tx1000 so I'm sure the accuracy isn't perfect, but none the less it shows better luck with a lower barometer.
 
Originally Posted By: HunterLee Thanks, nice to know. I will try to compare notes when I am out this next week or so.

with the horseshoe you have imbedded up...........
you can kill em in a whiteout
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Can anyone point me to a website that would show historical barometric pressure for an area along with a forecast of upcoming barometric pressure?

I have not had luck finding a weather site that will forecast barometric pressure.
 
Originally Posted By: dh223Can anyone point me to a website that would show historical barometric pressure for an area along with a forecast of upcoming barometric pressure?

I have not had luck finding a weather site that will forecast barometric pressure.


Google Says...

This one will give you Historical data at your nearest airport.

Weatherunderground... http://www.wunderground.com/resources/pressure_records.asp

-- OK, go to that page!

-- Run your cursor up over the 'Weather' tab, in the header.

-- Scroll down to 'Airport Weather History'.

-- Input your Zipcode. Click 'Submit'.

-- Go down to the 'Custom' tab, just below the date, and click it.

-- Input desired dates, and click 'Get History'.

-- Then scroll down the page to the graphs... Second one amongst those is Barometric Pressure.

However, you will find temperature, barometric pressure, wind speed, and wind direction there.

----------

As far as future forecast of Barometric Pressure readings, there really isn't anything out there that gives you that.

NOAA provides a 7 day loop of frontal movement, but no actual barometer readings...

http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/day0-7loop.html or, short range...
http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/bwxloop_color_big.html


That map does provide the information in millibar format, and it can be converted to get barometric pressure. However, there's not a real big span in barometric pressure, so it doesn't take much to get used to reading it in millibars...

http://www.csgnetwork.com/pressinmbcvt.html
http://www.theweatherprediction.com/habyhints2/410/

Wind Maps... http://www.wunderground.com/US/Region/US/2xpxWindSpeed.html


For those of you who have the Casio G'zone cell phone, the Isobar maps are also available in the G'z Gear aps on your phone. There is a Barometric Pressure tool in the Ap that will trend historical data, once set up, then if you 'Switch Mode', top of the screen, it will pull up the Isobar Map and track movement of fronts on the Isobar Map.

A few things further to consider in looking at these maps, the closer the bars are together, the higher your wind speed will be; the further apart they are, the calmer it will be.


Some of you have no doubt heard the old timers rhyme about fishing:

Wind out the east, fish bite the least.
Wind out the west, fish bite the best.
Wind out the North, don't venture forth.
Wind out the South, blows the bait in the fish's mouth.


This riddle is all based on movement of frontal systems, Low Pressure systems tend to track west to east, High Pressure systems tend to track in polar directions. East/North winds will typically be seen before an approaching front, and are indicative of change in weather; West/South winds denote a passing front, and a return to stable weather.

While I don't necessarily agree with the old riddle, that the fish/(critters in general) won't bite on east/north winds; feeding patterns will change with that weather shift, the fish will move shallower/deeper, become more/less active, become more/less finicky, feeding times will change, and the average fisherman often doesn't recognize those changes in patterns, and make the necessary adjustments to his presentation to catch fish. The same holds true in hunting, when winds change, so will animal movements, and adjustments have to be made.


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Wikipedia provides a pretty good lesson in winds relating to fronts...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weather_front

Quite a bit to be learned about Barometic Pressure here...
http://www.theweatherprediction.com/habyhints/18/
 
Wow that's really taking it to the next level guys. I tend to hunt when I can but, this may be a very good indicator of when one should not venture out. I've never followed best hunting fishing times etc. but maybe it's something to look into. Thanks for the info. Any advantage is my advantage!
 
No reason to quit hunting when you can Doc, study their movements, pay attention to what they respond to under a given set of conditions, and up your odds whenever you go out. It's more about recognizing the need to make changes, and figuring out what changes to make. And, about knowning when to expect a bite, or understanding why a day was great versus pretty much a bust calling yotes, no matter how hard you tried.

As for the 'Best Hunting/Fishing Times' charts... Yes, they do work. And, they are usually fairly accurate. Buddy and I were comparing notes last fall, in relationship to 2 different Hunting/Fishing Time phone aps. I was fishing; he was bow hunting. When I was catching fish he was seeing deer, when he wasn't seeing deer, I usually wasn't catching fish. Days when he saw only a few deer, I didn't catch a lot of fish. Days I caught a lot of fish, he saw a lot of deer. We were texting back and forth, comparing results daily, and within minutes of my catching a fish, he'd see the first deer on his stand. There was a direct correlation in movements of fish and wildlife, and in predictions on the charts.

Are the charts infallible? No... passing fronts, especially those coinciding with sun up/sun down frequently do have more influence.

We were comparing results found on these 2. Buddy prefers the former, I prefer the latter. Data is pretty much the same, just presented a little differently. Both are pretty reliable.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.antonnikitin.solunarforecast&hl=en
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fishingtimesfree&hl=en


This one figures everything in and weighs your odds based on Sun Up/Sun Down, Lunar Phase and Cycles, and Weather, while giving you options in which chart to use.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.baddaddy.time2huntfree&hl=en

All offer a free 'lite' or a paid version... The paid version usually gives you about 3 times the data.
 
Originally Posted By: Rocky1As for the 'Best Hunting/Fishing Times' charts... Yes, they do work. And, they are usually fairly accurate. Buddy and I were comparing notes last fall, in relationship to 2 different Hunting/Fishing Time phone aps. I was fishing; he was bow hunting. When I was catching fish he was seeing deer, when he wasn't seeing deer, I usually wasn't catching fish. Days when he saw only a few deer, I didn't catch a lot of fish. Days I caught a lot of fish, he saw a lot of deer. We were texting back and forth, comparing results daily, and within minutes of my catching a fish, he'd see the first deer on his stand. There was a direct correlation in movements of fish and wildlife, and in predictions on the charts.



i have noticed this too. there is a place i fish often in early spring. i can usually tell how the fishing is going to be that day by the number of deer i see on the drive there. it has been reliable.
 
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