Ethics on rainy hunts

[TreeGuy]

I've never really thought about it until I was talking to some fellow hunters... I mentioned getting new rain gear and immediately got scalded for bow hunting in the rain. " Can't follow blood " " can't recover deer" "not doing the animal justice" "unethical". Etc etc. I guess i feel personally that bow season is all about the well placed shot, not weather, not broadhead, not Mathews or elite... If I make the shot, I'm good. So, since I felt guilty for about .00004 seconds, i figured I'd see how do you guys and gals feel about it ?

[Marion]

I've never really thought about it until I was talking to some fellow hunters... I mentioned getting new rain gear and immediately got scalded for bow hunting in the rain. " Can't follow blood " " can't recover deer" "not doing the animal justice" "unethical". Etc etc. I guess i feel personally that bow season is all about the well placed shot, not weather, not broadhead, not Mathews or elite... If I make the shot, I'm good. So, since I felt guilty for about .00004 seconds, i figured I'd see how do you guys and gals feel about it ?

Everyone knows Elite is the creme de la creme. But back to your original point. I agree. A well placed shot double lung that deer should be dropping within sight

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[Bow sniper]

I will hunt in light rain but if the wind picks up I will call it a day

[Four Season Whitetail's]

9 minutes ago, The Jerkman said:

Everyone knows Elite is the creme de la creme. But back to your original point. I agree. A well placed shot double lung that deer should be dropping within sight

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And how many on average do you think can do this feat on a regular basis?  Many more would be lost in rain than retrieved.

[stoneam2006]

I hunt rain, wind,snow,sleet you name it if I have time to go I'm gone. But to me if your going to hunt in those conditions just practice in them and keep your ranges well within comfort zone. For me 30 yards in rain snow 20 in wind. But I have shot out to 60 in a steady breeze and understand how it moves my arrow. Practice in all conditions hunt in all conditions. As said a well placed shot is dead deer.

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[Jeremy K]

I'm not starving currently ,anything more then a light rain and i'll call it quits . We tracked a deer in the rain at night before , sure it stinks but its part of the game.

[Marion]

And how many on average do you think can do this feat on a regular basis?  Many more would be lost in rain than retrieved.

Oh I don't disagree. Which is why if you are going to hunt the rain you need to have a high percentage shot. You're not going to be taking the same shots in rain as you are perfect conditions

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[CharlieNY]

Here is the way that I see it. Bowhunter instructors and professional bowhunters teach you to wait for a period of time before you start tracking a deer that you have hit. Deer rarely drop within sight after being struck with an arrow. They also teach you that if you start to track too soon, you will only push the deer and reduce your chances of recovery. Now for the rain. Nothing washes away fresh blood like cold water. Many times there is not a highly visible blood trail even with a good hit. The rain will make that blood trail disappear in minutes, and you will be searching for your deer without a blood trail. It will be more likely than not that you will not find your kill. I would rather not hunt in the rain, than hit a deer and not recover it. We all have to make our own choices.

[maytom]

Not a fan of hunting in rain. It can be tuff trying to stay in a stand hours on end hoping for a chance at a nice buck. Then whip in some rain and now it turns into an endurance test. Yes, I have one of those umbrella's for the tree stand but, even then the water still gets by where you tie the straps around the tree. Everything gets soaked, not fun or something that I want to try to endure for hours on end, yet alone, like mentioned the loss of a blood trail. To each his own though, it may be the only chance you have to get out there. Being retired I can be selective on which days I want to hunt.

[Cabin Fever]

45 minutes ago, The Jerkman said:

A well placed shot double lung that deer should be dropping within sight

But isn't that the "plan" ALL the time?? Unfortunately, it doesn't always work out that way! You hear "excuses" all the time in perfect weather such as the deer jumped the string, the arrow hit an unseen twig and deflected, the deer took a step just as I shot, etc... for making a poor shot. Bad shots happen! No one plans on them. They can happen at any time. It really sucks when it happens when tracking conditions are at their worst.   

[BizCT]

The bigger question is bowhunting in general even ethical for the average guy? I always wonder how many deer are injured each bow season.


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[stoneam2006]

The bigger question is bowhunting in general even ethical for the average guy? I always wonder how many deer are injured each bow season.


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It's not

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[Uncle Nicky]

You opened up a can of worms with this question....I don't care what anyone else does, but I personally won't bowhunt in the rain, or even hunt an afternoon when rain is in the forecast overnight. Yes, I know deer move a lot before a storm, but too chancy for me, I'd rather come back on a day when tracking conditions are better.  

[grampy]

I'm just a big WUSS! I hate getting soaked. And I'm sick over losing a deer. I will hunt in a very light drizzle with a light wind. Anything more, I'm packing it in or don't go at all. Many moons ago, I lost a buck with a washed out blood trail. On a marginal hit, I thought would be a chip shot. I was sick about it, and promised myself and that deer, I would never bow hunt in the rain again. I've kept that promise. 

[skiop]

1 hour ago, Biz-R-OWorld said:

I always wonder how many deer are injured each bow season.


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Probably less than what are walking around with blown off legs due to guns

[Buckmaster7600]

As primarily a still hunter I look forward to hunting in rain! I won't bow hunt in a down poor but anything less than that and it's game on!


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[BizCT]

Probably less than what are walking around with blown off legs due to guns

Not sure that's true. Wonder what the true stats are....


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[MACHINIST]

The only weather I won't hunt is heavy downpours,Wind rain/light rain,snow bring it on.They live in it and its like any other day to them.Heavy bad weather is a different story but if its just ho-hum types of weather its nothing to them.I don't have the luxury to hunt when I want so I can't afford to skip days.One of my biggest came from when the winds where so strong I got down from the tree because I was scared and sat on the ground in my climber.A half hour later he strolled in and meet the business end of my 12 gauge!

 

[skiop]

10 minutes ago, Biz-R-OWorld said:

 

 

Not sure that's true. Wonder what the true stats are....


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How many deer have you seen walking around that you could tell were injured due to an arrow vs clearly evident gun shot deer?

Edited October 18, 2016 by skiop

[grampy]

5 minutes ago, Buckmaster7600 said:

As primarily a still hunter I look forward to hunting in rain! I won't bow hunt in a down poor but anything less than that and it's game on!


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And that's perfectly fine by me! Just because I choose not to, doesn't meen someone else can not enjoy hunting in the rain. And be successful doing it! Just based on my own comfort level and experiences,  it's not for me. Ethics is for each of us to decide for ourselves. 

[TreeGuy]

Not sure that's true. Wonder what the true stats are....


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I'd assume if you looked at percent wounded / lost to percent of bow hunters vs percent of gunhunters there has to be 2-3x the guys in the woods to begin with. I will bet that the percentage of misses goes way up come orange army time though...

[BizCT]

How many deer have you seen walking around that you could tell were injured due to an arrow vs clearly evident gun shot deer?

I've never seen an injured deer from either. Only seen a handful of deer when hunting each year and can't remember ever seeing one limping.


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[BizCT]

I'd assume if you looked at percent wounded / lost to percent of bow hunters vs percent of gunhunters there has to be 2-3x the guys in the woods to begin with. I will bet that the percentage of misses goes way up come orange army time though...

Well then maybe a proficiency test should be mandatory for both bow and gun hunters. Of course, buck fever really affects some guys so that would still come into play though. Just thinking out loud.


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[TreeGuy]

Well then maybe a proficiency test should be mandatory for both bow and gun hunters. Of course, buck fever really affects some guys so that would still come into play though. Just thinking out loud.


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Yes, the Dec should release 200" bucks during each season on each hunters property to see how they react and if they can make the shot....

[DirtTime]

I don't think it's unethical to hunt in the rain. As was mentioned, make sure you have practiced in those conditions. The same for really windy days. IMO, you better have your poop wired tight hunting in the rain, a bad shot might mean not recovering a deer. I would rather sit out a rainy day then take a chance of loosing the deer.