12AW Early Hunt- When does it Snow?

[PhxDT]

Curious what people think:  how often is the snow in sufficient quantity on the early 12AW hunt to push the deer off the top?

[CatfishKev]

Typically the early hunt they are just starting to trickle off the top, and there are still plenty on top as well.  On the early hunt last year there was a light dusting one morning but no real snow until the late hunt. 

[Roosevelt Mark]

It snowed and melted before the early hunt last year.

[muley224]

Its not always large snowfall that moves them down. If there is several hard freezes up top and their browse freezes several times, it will lose its nutrients. Does will leave first. If Rut hits that will bring down the Bucks. Usually the Bigger ones last.

[Hoss50]

Last year it snowed and melted twice before the early hunt. We did not see many deer up high by the canyon park boundaries. 

Forest service was working that area too and confirmed what we were seeing when we inquired. 

[lancetkenyon]

3 hours ago, muley224 said:

Its not always large snowfall that moves them down. If there is several hard freezes up top and their browse freezes several times, it will lose its nutrients. Does will leave first. If Rut hits that will bring down the Bucks. Usually the Bigger ones last.

Shut.  Up.  

The bucks go down as soon as it hits 55°.  You should totally stay down low.....the whole time....

I agree, not really snow that pushes them down.  Unless it is 2'+.  Frozen solid water sources, frozen browse, missing ladies.  

I have seen it snow as early as Sept., and sometimes in November/December, there is still no snow.  Depends on the year.  Not really a whole lot to speak of on the early hunt.  A few inches to a foot in some years usually.  Not enough to push.  But on occasion,  they can get hammered in October.

Play it by ear, keep tabs before the hunt, and plan accordingly for ALL weather conditions. 

[muley224]

A friend of mine had the late hunt there in 2009. We set camp down by Saddle Mtn trailhead. Only saw 1 deer in 3 days, no other camps either. Went up top and all hunters up by Jacobs Lake taking Deer. We stayed up top and he killed the next morning. Its hard to pinpoint the migration. When it happens it doesnt take them long to get down.

[AZbowhntr]

I have had the early tag twice in the last ten years or so.  The first time there was a good hard freeze and nothing was up top.  Ended up finding everything along the 22 road in the transition.  The last time I had the tag they were all up top and I killed my buck literally a couple hundred yards from main road going down to the park.

[Hoss50]

Off the top can mean different things too. Last year there were not a lot of deer near the park, but lower in the pines going north were still lot of deer. Near the park they still had standing snow in the shaded areas. Towards Jacob's there was no snow left. It was noticeably warmer near Jacobs then right on the park boundary. 

Last year we saw deer from the pine trees all the way down to the scrub. Just nothing higher up by the park. 

[azbow]

Where is the best place to get diesel after leaving Flagstaff (cheapest) before getting to Jacob Lake?

 

[lancetkenyon]

Cameron, then Vermillion Cliffs/Lee's Ferry.

[trphyhntr]

i had the early hunt in like 2000 or 2001 i think, and it dumped like 2ft of snow 

[wildwoody]

When ever it wants to..

[Roosevelt Mark]

I think I was paying about 5 bucks a gallon a jacobs lake. But we loaded up 55 gal in the truck on the rez. And I still had to buy some fuel jl. It Cameron the do give ya a cash discount so keep that in mind.

[Hoss50]

I filled up in Cameron on the way up. Then I stopped off in Fredonia after the first day of hunting when we dumped my buck at the processor. By about day 5 I had to pay the $5 a gallon in Jacob's, but I only put enough in to get back to Cameron on the way home. 

I did have to get a couple pints of power steering fluid in Jacob's lake on day 2 as the cap on my PS pump went MIA. 1 pint was like $12 or $13 or something crazy. We improvised a cap with some aluminum foil and heavy duty rubber band.