It's raining here in Iowa! Any secrets on hunting in the rain...mist...
keep your fletching dry....
QuoteOriginally posted by NightHawk:
keep your fletching dry....
Ill second that one
I stillhunt during the rain...
JDS III
I don't like to hunt in the rain with a bow ( That's Me) but when the rain stops the witching hr starts. Well it has in the past. Like others have said... Keep them feathers dry the best you can.
Thanks boys! I might try the still hunting
Just exactly what happens when the feathers get wet? I haven't hunted in the rain yet.
Is flight affected THAT much?
Cold light rain/mist is my favorite hunting. Takes a lot to skew your fletch. Cover it with something; body, hand, towel, plastic, etc.
I don't hunt in the rain because it washes away the blood trail.
I haven't found wet feathers to be a problem. If you've put in the time to get them tuned correctly, wet feathers work just fine.
Nor'easter
You obviously haven't shot the course at Cloverdale during one of their "Summer showers"! I've watched the rain knock my arrow to the ground, on it's way to the target! LOL!
I plan my day to be out there when the rain is letting up. They get up and shake off and go look for dinner!
Yeah, I don't hunt during the rain either. For me the best time is as soon as it stops, I'm out there, the deer will move. To much can happen hunting before and during the rain, the biggest problem is the blood will get washed away, in my book, its not worth the chance!
What methods do people use to protect their fletchings. I use a qwickee quiver and most things I've tried fall off. I usually still hunt.
I think one of the main purposes to the whole 'bareshaft planing' method is to get arrows that fly well even without fletching...so when you're out and your fletching gets wet it wont effect flight very much.
I usually don't like it cause of the blood trail thing. but also everything that isn't waterproof gets soaked/has to be layed out to dry...broadheads rust, etc.
although I may not have a choice this weekend. this may be my only saturday to hunt a full day until november and its supposed to pour! figures!
Keep the wind at your face and poke around the fields before dark especially if the woods are loud or hunt the pine they may be bedding there
jeeps
Just stand there. :D And hope it quits.
best idea i heard for keeping fletching dry with a bow quiver was to use condoms over your fletching (no lubrication-dry). just pull it off over the fletching before you or the animal is close. You have to take your broadhead off first and poke a hole through it with a field point before you slide it down the arrow shaft over the fletch.
R
I spray my feathers down with No Snow for those few times I may get caught out there using my backquiver or bow quiver. If I know a storm is coming, then I use my Catquiver 3.5.
Hunting in the rain or light mist is a great opportunity for stillhunting or even sitting. Deer feed in the rain...downpours also. We took 2 deer last year in the rain, calling and rattling. Plus, the rain will keep your scent down.
The ArrowMaster quiver really helps keep your feathers dry. Another option, Have a second bow around set up with a flipper rest and go ahead and use vanes.
ChuckC
I see more game, closer, when it rains. Got wool? Just stay warm and mainly dry. Its not fun if you are cold and wet. Wool with a good thin base layer of wicking material. You might be slightly damp but never cold and never uncomfortable.
I like a hat that keeps the drops off the back of my neck- hate that can't stand it so don't put up with it.
Good luck and enjoy it!
Joshua
I used to like sneaking around in the rain, but I have recently lost 2 deer due to heavy rain washing away blood trails. So, I no longer bow hunt when it rains. I keep my wool for cold, dry weather. Or a little snow!
Ron
Doesn't affect fletching if you're arrows are correctly spined and bare shafted. I use a 3 blade broadhead (which may or may not have anything to do with it), practice by placing the fletched end in a bucket of water, and let 'em fly. I'd listen to the guys who constantly hunt in the rain- Pacific Northwest and Alaskans tend to agree on this subject.
Great time to still hunt! As others have said, if you arrows are tuned the wet feathers won't hurt much.
I am going to get hammered here but as far as rain washing away blood trails...it happens.
I try to be as ethical as possible, but you can "ethical" yourself into never getting a shot or making a kill. And if the rain helps you get a shot..Take It!
"The (deer, hog, etc...) was too far...too alert..too much rain...not quartering away....etc...
Yeah it sucks to lose an animal, but it isn't wasted. Compensatory Mortality, if you don't shoot it it will die of something else.
Rain is great time to hunt or fish. (especially since no one else will be out there and it is so nice to have the woods to yourself) OK, let me have it!
John
Hunting in a light rain is fun and not too dangerous for the blood trail but heavy rains... no thanks.
Exactly right Sendero25.
I like hunting in a light rain. I did lose a hog once when a heavy rain started after I made my shot. I felt terrible but it was a very makeable shot.If you wait for the absolute perfect time to hunt(or do anything) you won't hunt much if at all. I take advantage of anytime I can be in the woods.
heres a 'follow up' question.....what about chance of thunder showers or thunderstorms ????? (what they are calling for tomorrow in CT)
I'm thinkin being 20 feet up a tree on a cast aluminum platform isn't the safest place to be when they're calling for lightning.
I've shot many deer still hunting in a light rain and or mist. Keep your shots close and use a string tracker.
Depends on how hard it rains. Light rain is great and keeps the deer moving and keeps you quiet and kills some scent. Heavy rain beds deer down and washes away blood trails.
How do I hunt in the rain? With a cup of coffee in my chair "hunting" for a football game on TV :-).
I just don't enjoy hunting in the rain because I always worry about losing a blood trail. I know, I know, I should be able to track them without any blood and I probably can. But I don't enjoy the whole experience so I chose to stay home.
http://www.3riversarchery.com/product.asp?i=5086
This fletch-dry is great I use it when it rains.
This SW wind is killing me! I only have one spot in Linn county for my antlerless tag should I still hunt around my stand or try another area Ive been hunting it pretty hard...I think the heavy rain yesterday kept the regulars on the other side of the park in the spruce trees
Have used my catquiver in downpours. I spray the feathers with Scotchguard. Spray them several times during the season. Don't touch the wet feathers. You will have no problem.
I keep a strap on attachment bracket handy in my tub of hunting clothes, along with a stringtracker. Hunting in the rain , and definitely right afterwards ca nbe awesome. After losing a deer many years ago to a downpour right after shooting him, I keep the stringtracker handy. I limit my shots to close shots,15 yd or so.Not much more.
take a very long spear with a sharp as point. :biglaugh: in other words leave the bow at home.
Mist and light rain, no problem. Take the good shot. Heavy rain, not for me. It may be possible, but I don't think it wise...
Feathers? Waterproof them AND cover them when you can. The Arrow Master and Cat Quivers are good for keeping feathers dry. I dont' have any more Cat Quivers but I DO have an Arrow Master (Thanks Ron!) and that will be with me tomorrow as I still-hunt for deer in what I hope will be a light rain.
If it rains hard for a while, slip under a tree and wait it out. It's best to be there when the rain stops.
Blessings! todd
well...snuck out yesterday in CT during a lull in the storm. set up under a hemlock on the ground near a converging hub and stayed pretty dry for a couple hours. it got very dark so I pulled out my iphone and pulled up the satellite weather maps on weather.com and there was a hug thunder cell baring down on my so I packed up and headed out with thunder booming over my head. didn't see anything but at least I got out for a few.
If I waited for it to stop raining I would never get to hunt. Wish I could get back to Hudson one of these yrs and hunt western MA with Hickstick...PR
I too love to hunt in a light misty rain but anything that is strong enough to wash away a blood trail is a no-no.
However, I'm not afraid to set out in a downpour if properly dressed. Especially in the early pre rut when hunting near a couple of good scrapes. I think it was Gene and Barry who wrote about bucks going around just after a rain storm to freshen their scrapes. Seems to work for me. Just have to make the call on whether or not there is more rain coming that could wipe out a blood trail and choose accordingly to shoot or not shoot.
Well I like to stay in the tee pee tent with a fire going playing cards if there is company, if it's raining REAL HARD......as soon as it dies down or quits I am out the door (stoke the fire before by putting barbeque briquettes in it) and I am off.
Never found that wet fletch was a problem but I use to use my cat quiver then , but I have ordered one of the new Safari Tuff side quiver from 3 rivers to see how they work out.
I always rub a bit of vaseline on my tips after I sharpen them too and that keeps them from rusting.
I love it after a rain...it's quite, fresh, and I find game start to move around then too. I put on my wool gaters I got with my Sleeping Indian outfit and I am warm and comfortable and quiet.
Jer Bear
Jerry...I heard about the Vaseline thing...but heard on here that Vaseline is a coagulant so its probably not the best thing for coating something you intend to cause severe bleeding.
anyone else have good tricks for protecting edges?...I've heard sharpie markers? anyone have experience?
gun oil, etc..light coat.
I have and arrow master this year, but when I use a bow quiver I like one I can take off and put on with the arrows in it. In the rain I put it on upside down when stand hunting. I put a plastic bag over the feathers. Better yet I just take it off and hang it on the tree with the bag. For the arrow on the bow I try to tuck it under cover as much as possible. I have even taken a zip lock and cut the bottom out to make a little tent to hold over the fletching. When needed I just swap out an arrow. This has worked well for me in the past.
I did the ziplock bags...very cheap and very effective for stand hunting. Lol I'm sure Washington never goes two days with out rain that must be tough. Never really thought of the bucks going to their scrapes after a good rain...common sense eh I suppose...I will definetly try that if the opportunity arrises
Will vegitable oil keep a broadhead from rusting? Is there a reason you should not use that?
move slow, use binos, its a perfect time to get out and sneak hunt. Shot this one in the rain a couple years ago.
(http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee291/chonaker4/PA190001-1.jpg)
Gray goose feathers for fletch and a lumenok for visibility and an Arrow Master quiver. Most of the time I sit out rainy days. Several times I have lost deer overnite when I had to leave them only to have rain wash out all the sign. For me, unless I am on a guided or away from home hunt that limits my time afield I prefer to hunt after the rain stops.
I'll hunt the misty rain the same as I do when it's dry.Or I'll have still hunting areas I'll go.But I won't wast one of my good areas.As for real rain well I uslly hunt every day so Iwon't hunt the rain.I 40 years of hunting the -'s far out way the +'s.Istay home and get ready for the next day.