Wet Snow/Dry Snow

[Ker_man]

Guys lets hear your thoughts on the running conditions on wet snow in warmer weather,fresh wet, older melting snow, rained on snow. Then thoughts on cold dry fresh fallen, cold dry two day or older snow. If diffrent types of dogs (nose) are better on one or the other. Terry

[CasB]

From what I've seen, dogs have an easier time when it's cold out (below 20 degrees) and there's dry powder snow on tracks that are hours old. I watched dogs today that struggled with tracks less than an hour old in this wet onion snow with air temps in the upper 30's.

[NYCOYOTEHOUNDS]

I agree. The colder the better. If its warm and melting, I do not think they run as good and would prefer bare ground.

[mondomuttruner]

Its funny hounds do a lot better job at 0 to 20 degrees on yotes and beagles(just talking to bunny hunters) do better in the packy snow. maybe I should get a $500,000 gov. grant to figure it out. Seems like below 0 the hounds go other way also, not as bad as above 32 though.

[Ker_man]

Glad to hear your thoughts guys, I also think the tracking seems to go better in colder weather.
The worst seems to be when it is raining on the tracks in the snow. Twice now, once a number of years ago, I've seen dogs that seemed to have less nose, that struggled in the cold weather snow, excell in the wet snow and make other dogs look bad.

There seems to be somthing about fresh fallen fluffy snow that would seem to have slightly worse senting conditions that for example day old snow............Still thinking about this one.

[lakeviewwalker]

I also think the scenting is better when it is colder and the snow is firm. Seems like the dogs struggle a little more when the snow is real slushy and wet especially if you mix in some deer. Just my opinion have had others disagree with me.

[rickybobby77]

I agree 100 percent. I run really hard all winter at least five days a week. I would much rather run on snow when its ten to twenty degrees. The quality of the races and presure the dogs can put on a coyote really depend on the snow conditions around here. I would much rather run on bare ground than that onion snow anyday. My dogs catch quite a few coyotes in the winter but I really would call it a lucky day if they caught one on onion wet snow. Just seams like even if the track is fairly fresh they really have to grind to keep it going and end up falling to far behind. I would say this would probably be true just about anywhere there is snow and hounds making music. later Ricky Bobby

[wvreddogs]

I think dry cold the sent freezes to the ground, wet snow or rain seems to wash sent away, iv run tracks when the ground was frozen, then snow on the track dogs still ran it, the track snowed completely snowed over , thought my dogs was going crazy

[bbde17]

i think everyone has got good points, i also believe that cold dry packed or fluffy snow seems best. ive also seen dogs really pour it on in wet melting snow, but i believe its a lot of luck, well i shouldnt say luck but heres my thinking. if you have a couple dogs and by chance the one dog with the best nose ends up out front and runs the track you could have a god race. if one of the weaker dogs or lets say an inexperienced dog happens to get out front and makes a check or a full blown miss it, has run through the track pretty well elimating any scent in that melting water logged snow, making it much harder for another dog to pick it back up. i could be horribly wrong just what ive noticed

[felbedp]

I agree that a cold snow is much better than a warm thawing snow. The last time I made that statement we ran one of those rare coyotes that ran just in front of the dogs to make a liar out of me that day. You know how that goes......

[bbde17]

aint that the truth. the second you think you have it figured out theyll make you a liar everytime