Trad Gang

Got up this morning and it is raining.  Decided to wait out the rain.  I am wondering how many of you would go out in the rain if you were hunting around home.  If you do go out how do you stay keep yourself and your equipment dry or don't you worry about it. What about blood trails?  Just wondering.

Be prepaired.I pratice in the rain,silicone on feathers,I use a cat quiver, sitka rain gear.As long as there is no lightning,and not a gully washer.Iv always seen deer after a rain.I always pratice with everything before going to the woods,even soaked feathers to see how well they group.

                          Good Luck

I love to hunt in the rain as long as it's not really pouring. I've worked in logging and landclearing since high school. When we were cutting with chainsaws and cable skidders I used to get quite a few days off because of rain,so that is mainly when I hunted.I love stalking around on a rainy day. The woods are quiet and alot of critters are moving.Now we use grapple skidders and feller bunchers so we work through the light rain.Been at it about 25 years,so now I just take the day off to go hunting.  :D

I stopped hunting in the rain a few years ago after loosing a buck in the cattails due to a washed out blood trail.        

Stinks because hunting in a very light rain can be productive, I just don't want to go through that again.

I stopped hunting in the rain after losing the blood trail on two deer.  It still bothers me.  It's a great time for a little scouting, though.

My finest hunting and biggest bucks have been on rainy days.  Not so much during the rain but being there in the stand when the rains stops.

I like a light rain.
Don't wait to track your game like you would on a dry day. Go after him,,, it's slow, quite going until you find it down or give a follow up shot.
Deer will get your scent easier in moist weather so always play the wind while huntinf or following up a trail.
One good thing about rain on public lands,,, you're usually the only one out there!
Even without proper rain gear in a light rain, I can tough it out most of the day if it is above freezing.
I will also ground hunt more than tree standing in the rain. A good time to still hunt and slip around the woods. Even if you don't slip up on something as stated above,,, it's a good time to scout new areas.

Lots of times if I want to hunt, it will be raining, as long as it isn't a downpour, which is not often, I will hunt. Part of life in the tropics.

Danny

What osagetree said X10 !!!

I don't mind hunting in the rain. If the wind is reasonable ill sit if the wind sounds like its going to bring a limb down on my head at any minute I figure the deer feel the same. On these days ill be sneaking and lurking pockets of cover like goldenrod fields corn fields. My Uncle Bud use to say " you can't kill a deer from camp"  :) we proved him wrong a couple times but there is a very good point there!
As far as blood trails... for me a marginal or poor hit is just that rain or shine! Well hit deer often drop in sight. Take good shots at good distances and that means something different for us all :)

Those are the days you want to be sitting in a nice pop-up blind where you are not getting soaked all day or have a special area where you need to sneak in silently. I don't like sitting exposed in a steady rain for very long. If I wake up to rain without a nice, dry blind or a sneaky spot to go, I roll over and go back to sleep.

Allan

amar911,
Bet I would be dead asleep in 5 minutes in a pop up with that rain coming down singing me to sleep.....  :biglaugh:

Cat quivers, and rain gear...
but like stated above the rain washes away blood. So I will hunt if it looks like it will stop soon.  In Colo our rains storms are usually short.

Unless it's Niagaga falls pouring down or there is lightning,I'm there...

You wouldn't get much hunting done in Oregon if you didn't hunt in the rain. But....We don't do a lot of tree stand hunting out here though. i don't think i could handle sitting for long periods in the rain.

If you live in western Washington and hunt there you are most likely to be hunting in the rain. Not only is it wet it is most likely to be brushy too so blood trailing is no small task. Shot placement needs to be good, I shoot Simmons BH's and 3 blade thunderheads for good blood trails.

Most hunting for blacktails and elk is spot and stalk so you need good quiet clothing. I prefer wool or heavy fleece unless it's the early season. I use powdered fletching waterproofing. This year I tried a Cat Quiver VI and liked it pretty well except for the difficulty of getting my stump arrow back in with out taking my pack off.

The good thing about rain is it keeps things quiet and can cover some of your noise. Dress well, keep the wind in your face and hunting in the rain can be fun and successful. I killed my best blacktail in the pouring down rain.

Misty light rain= good hunting. After a rain shower lets up= very good hunting. I get out there whenever time allows unless it's pouring buckets, then I'll hang at camp, ready to go as soon as it stops. Nice quiet walking and rain dripping hides a lot of noise.

During and after a rain is the only time the ground isn't crunchy around here.  It dries out quick!  By far the best time to still hunt.
MAP

Biggest buck I have ever taken was in a downpour under a umbrella, he never knew what hit him, went only 10 yards and fell over.

Not anymore. I have never really liked getting rained on, but as I have gotten older, I like it even less. A brief shower doesn't bother me but if it settles into a steady rain, I pack up and go home.

I love a light rain for hunting especially with a heavy fog.

Not any more,I'm not near as mad at the critters as I used to be. I guess a little good sence does come with age. RW

Best time to hunt our blacktails in the Sierras. Gets realy good when storming. Gets them migrating.Rain is also great for coyotes.

If you really must hunt in a light rain, only take really close shots as wet feathers and a wet arrow rest may affect accuracy. Finding a hit deer with little or no blood trail due to rain is a real ethical issue to consider. May not be too bad when hunting in open areas with really good visibility but could be a recipe for disappointment if hunting a thick area with lots of hiding places for a wounded deer.

Agree on keeping it ethical, but there ARE critters other than deer to hunt!  I don't need a blood trail if I get a rabbit with a blunt.

Yep, I hunt in the rain.  A light rain is a beautiful day for sneak hunting.  The bucks will be freshening their scrapes.  Not as many hunters in the woods.  A well hit deer will usually bolt making the tracking easier than on hard ground and dry leaves in the wind. I have to pick my vacation before the end of March.  

I carry a small ultra light back packing tarp to wait out a thunder storm.  Or use a good quiet rain suit for a all day rain.

I pratice with broadheads in the rain.   Have found wild turkey feathers hold up best to the rain.  And although no shot is guaranteed I keep them close in the rain. For me thats 15 yards and under.

I do alot of my groundhog hunting in the rain. The educated ones can be stalked easier.  And usually your the only one out. And the best reason is my alergies don't act up!

I love hunting in the rain, rain seems to dull animals senses, you just need to be prepared in every way.

It was misting this evening....great evening to be there. Saw 9 and managed to sail one high...wooohoo!
  :knothead:  


 :campfire:

From Sept 15 to Jan 15 if I can I hunt. Wheather only dictates clothing and how I hunt. I feel age creeping on me. I will not be able to do the things I do forever.

where I'm at on the North OR coast we get an avg of 120" a year with roughly a 9mo wet season and 3 dry so your going to get wet. I've got a couple lightweight hooded camo jackets, other than that just my camo wranglers.

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Originally posted by Arwin:
I stopped hunting in the rain a few years ago after loosing a buck in the cattails due to a washed out blood trail.     :campfire: