Did you ever hunt in the rain?.

[Gthphtm]

I have and can remember sitting on a tree stump in front of a pine tree with my bright orange poncho on and having two groups of deer walk down the side of the hill that I was posted on and they stopped  right in front of me grazing,not more then 10 feet away.And that just happened a year we had no party permit.     

[Daveboone]

I prefer to hunt a light rain or drizzle. or sleet. The critters are also uncomfortable and frequently move at all hours, keeps the scent down and the deer tend to keep their eyes lower too. Needless to say it makes still hunting quieter and more effective.

[WNYBuckHunter]

As long as its not pouring, I like hunting in the rain, I always find that the single best time to find deer on the edges of fields is right after it stops raining.

[LIHUNT]

I agree wnybuckhunter. I read somewhere they like to go to the fields right after it rains to get away from that constant dripping noise in the woods. They can relax alittle more.

[Larry]

yes 2 p&y's in the rain

[Fantail]

Yes of course I've hunted in the rain. Not crazy about it but it's a basic question sometimes of how much hunting time you want to loose. We're talking rain, drizzle - not downpour. The other element, wind. Strong wind and rain I'm no fan of but if it's not so bad in a blind or stand umbrella. But wait - theres one other thing to consider, rain washing out your blood trail. Maybe that's more of a bowhunters concern. If it was spring turkey season a few decent hunts have paid off after a rain or thunderstorm. Come to think of it the weather was a foggy drizzle the morning I scored an 11 pnt. Ok well it can pay off. I'm thinking on puiblic land wma perhaps a few less hunters. Or at leaast be prepaired for other hunters kicking them up as they move back to their trucks earlier then usuall.

I also remember one fine slow cold rainy day I'm up in a shallow shotgun stand just wet and miserable. Nothing moving at all and by 10 my butt was numb, and I had to drain. Get out of the stand and moved 30 yards and while I'm takin care of business I spot a nice doe broadside another 30 yards out staring right at me. But instead of a shotgun I got the old shlong in my hand.

[fasteddie]

I use to climb down out of a stand when it started to rain figuring that I didn't want to get soaked and the day was shot . After packing up and driving away , I noticed deer grazing in fields . I guess they figured it's raining and the dumb hunters have left so it's safe to come out . I stay out now .

It's a good time to stalk during bow season as the rain kinda camoflages any sound you make .

[Doc]

If there is any kind of significant rain, I will not bowhunt. Blood-trailing is the concern. In gun season, I will hunt a rain, but only take super high percentage shots that are guaranteed to result in either a knock-down or a very short trail.

Certain drizzley days will definitely put deer in an extreme funk where they walk around only half paying attention. I think it really screws up their senses of smell and hearing and the act so damned dozey, I'm not sure they really are looking around all that much either. Super heavy snow storms seem to have a similar effect.

Doc

[SteveMcD]

In light rain or drizzle absolutely.. seem to see a lot of deer during this time. Heavy downpours and pouring rain - No. Pneumonia is not part of the deal on this!  :

[nyslowhand]

I do agree with you Doc about deer behavior in rain & snow.

I've read contradicting opinions about the deer's scense of smell in moist/wet conditions.

I don't know!!

[wztirem]

Opening day two years ago by me, it was a monsoon. I saw plenty of deer that day and filled my doe tag.

[Doc]

I do agree with you Doc about deer behavior in rain & snow.

I've read contradicting opinions about the deer's scense of smell in moist/wet conditions.

I don't know!!

Yes the official scoop is that any animal's scenting ability is enhanced with moist or humid air. However, what I think makes a difference and what may appear to be a contradiction, is that while rain produces the moisture requirement, the action of the rain or snow is such that it knocks the molecule clusters called "rafts" down to the ground before they get broadcasted very far or create a scent plume.

Another thing about snow is that it leaves very poor scent levels. The scent is purer, because there is no vegetative decomp competition, but because quite often the air above is dryer with less humidity, the airborne component is less effective to the animals scenting capabilities.

I think that because there are often conflicting forces at work, you will often get conflicting stories on what weather does to an animal's ability to read scent. Parts of each story are correct and each element of the weather plays a part. Air temp, ground temp, wind, sunlight, rain, snow, ground features (thermals) and humidity all play a part. Often some of these things oppose each other in terms of final effects. Also involved is whether you are talking about airborne scents or ground scents (tracking). There are conditions where air borne scent is enhanced and ground scents are impaired and vice-versa. So the whole thing gets to be rather complex and inter-twined. Often the exact set of circumstances need to be put together to get the right picture of what the animal is experiencing.

Doc

[ballbusta]

I like hunting in the rain it keeps the scent and noise down plus I hunt state land and it keeps other hunters at home . Deer usually are moving as long as it is not too windy.

[fasteddie]

If I see lightning , I am out of there in a New York minute !  ??? .. ??? .. ???

[Doc]

If I see lightning , I am out of there in a New York minute !  ??? .. ??? .. ???

That's something that will send me packing too. Also, I have been persuaded to get out of the woods by some rather violent winds on a couple of occasions. I have a super reliable gun stand that I often use on opening day that was built around a rather huge old dead maple. Last year when I went up to freshen the thing up a bit prior to gun season, I found that the top had busted out of it and sent a 2' diameter log speared into the ground, exactly where I usually set up my stool. I relocated that stand to a different spot.

Doc

[bushnell]

Yes I have hunted in the rain. I hardly ever see deer in the rain. Now snow on the other hand, that is a whole different game. I have seen and taken deer during in snow storms. The wind can be challenging to hunt in but I have succeded in the wind. I like to find a hollow with some brush because they usually provide some protection from the wind and I usually catch deer coming into the hollow.

[Doewhacker]

I guess it would depend on if it were a hard or rain or just a drizzle. A hard rain is out for me due to the fact that rain washes away blood making it impossible to track a wounded deer.  A light rain is another story, it makes it nice a quiet for still hunting, as does wind and snow.

[Geno C]

i like hunting the rain somtime... light drizzels i usually see good deer movement.

[MuzzyLoader]

YES... and I prefer hunting on a rainy day over hunting on a hot autumn day.  Deer seem to move more on rainy days and you can get close to them - when it's hot they seem to 'sleep' all day.

[JGaruti3]

I love hunting in general so a little rain will not stop me.  I actually bought some really nice waterproof clothing.  I was out there this turkey season for the whole day in pouring rain.  Did not phase me one bit. 

Look in to getting some waterproof clothing...makes a world of difference.  My friend who was with me had no waterproof clothing and he could not last more than two hours.

I actually use that waterproof hunting clothes no matter what the conditions are.  Even if its cold I just like to layer up underneath and keep the waterproof on the outside.

[growalot]

during bow not so much...only in a light drzzle/misting ...during gun...I Sat opening day in gun a coupl of years ago and it just poured all morning long...my son got a great doe but I just got soaked...even with the rain gear...cleaning and drying my rifle was a pain

[Paulie]

With limited time to hunt, rain really kills me. Last year I was pretty much hunting only mornings due to time constraints.....I was able to get out one sat afternoon. The weather was not looking good (I was hopeful that it would hold off). Sure enough, once i got on top of the mountain it poured. Instead of climbing, I settled under a large pine in hopes that it would shelter me from the rain.....within five minutes, I was soaked straight through (I couldn't even keep my Blackberry dry in my pocket under all my clothes. Needless to say, the rain let up a little and a doe appeared in front of me. I was getting read to take her when out of the blue a huge 10 pointer came running in and stopped 20 yards from me. My shot was right on (probably a double lung) if it were not for the small branch that reached out and grabbed my arrow. Needless to say that was the biggest buck I have seen in a long time......so yes I will hunt in the rain (although with the bow, the shot needs to be as close to a slamdunk as you can get or the bow doesn't get pulled back)

[vipertech]

The only time I have ever seen a buck respond from out of nowhere to rattling was during a light rain.  I don't mind hunting in a light rain but heavy rain sucks and I tend to head back to the truck.  Hunting is supposed to be fun.  Not a test to see how much crappy weather I can endure. 

As was mentioned earlier, if I hear thunder or see lightning, I'm immediately out of my stand.  I'll stay in the truck for awhile and maybe take a nap and hope the storm passes quickly.  The time immediately after a storm is a great time to hunt!  Deer seem to like to move around at those times. 

BTW: The same can be said for turkeys.  They seem to like to get out in the fields right after a storm.

[burmjohn]

I'll stay out as long as I'm comfortable...

[Doc]

What's nice about gun season is that you can put on some of the excellent rain-gear available these days and stay dry and comfortable. The extra layer of stuff does not impact your form like it does with a bow and will not interfere with executing the shot. Actually, the best rain-gear that I have is  poncho. Lots of air circulation and nothing gets through.

Doc