What weather conditions would put a stop to your hunt?

[David Dumke]

Here's what I'm looking at for weather on saturday.



Just curious what conditions would put you out of a hunt.

How much wind is too much wind, what kind of rain is too heavy, How cold is too cold?

[GreyGoose]

Not sure what would be too much wind, as long as it's fairly constant in direction.  I won't hunt form a stand if the tree is swaying appreciably, and I avoid the woods if it seems like the wind will bring down limbs.  I like to sound cover a breeze gives me, ditto light rain - but I admit, as I get older, I find excuses not to hunt in the rain.  It's almost never too cold for me to hunt, though I might get too cold to take a shot.

[JimB]

Wind can depend on how much your deer are used to.Just know when it is very windy that if deer are moving they can be extremely nervous and high strung.

I don't hunt in rain much because of the likelihood that it will wash out blood trails.A drizzle can be good hunting but use your own judgement on that.

Over most of the whitetail's range,cold usually doesn't hurt.I believe in the deep South it can.In the North,a cold snap can increase activity.Before and after storm fronts can be very good.

Analyze your stand setups and decide which wind direction is best and stay out of there when the direction is wrong.

[Night Wing]

For me, it's rain.    :(   I hate getting rained on and a pouring down gully washer of a rain is the absolute worst.    :mad:

[Jake Diebolt]

I'd say any rain more than a drizzle, just in terms of blood trailing. I need all the help I can get trailing deer, I don't want any of it washing away!

[Randy Koleno]

Cold won't keep me out of the woods, the wind would have to be extreme, but enough rain to mess with a blood trail will keep me inside.

[wtpops]

Its all about comfort for me, the more uncomfortable i get the less fun and when the fun is gone so im i for the day. I dont mind rain as long as its not a down pour and as long as i dont get to cold when wet. Im in California so the main weather issue i run into is the heat, its not to fun running around the foothills at 110 out side.

[KodiakMag]

Down-pour, Lightening, Tornado.

[leatherneck]

Lightening and  constantly changing winds. Never too cold to hunt and the deer never minded the rain.

[Ragnarok Forge]

Major storms with wind knocking down big limbs, etc.  Otherwise the hunt is on.   I love hunting in the rain.  If we only hunted when dry we wouldnt hunt in western Washington.   I keep my shots in close and aim for the top of the heart on rainy days.  Miss low the animal lives, high is lungs.  Dead on is the heart.   Big blood trails and quick kills.  The noise of the rain covers your noise while stalking.

[huntin_sparty]

Wind 20mph or more, Heavy rain that would wash away blood trails and its never too cold!

[Bjorn]

It would take a lot to make me go back to camp or stay there...........tornado, hurricane, blinding blizzard that kinda thing.
Look for places where the animals are likely to hide they will tend to stay put in foul weather.

[mark land]

Tornadoes and thunderstorms would be my limit!

[Michael Pfander]

It sort of depends on the situation. If I am hunting from the house it is different than when I am hunting from a camp.  It is also different when its the last... whatever for the season.  Here rain is always good.  Less noise, more movement, closer shots.  I would have to say that fires are the worst.
MAP

[Swamp Yankee]

We can't use dogs to track here, so hunting in the rain is out of the question for me.

[deaddoc4444]

RAIN     not a slight misty rain  but RAIN    NO BLOOD TRAIL. gets washed away too easy  so I dont want to lose one

[ronp]

Ditto on the heavy rain.  If it will wash away a blood trail, I may stay out and scout around, but I wouldn't hunt/shoot.

[KentuckyTJ]

Around here our bucks are very wary in the wind and I don't think they move much at all when very windy. I know others will disagree but that is what I've found from my first bow hunt in the fall of 1983. Of course maybe I don't know because I'm not out there in high wind right??? Well maybe there is something to that also.

That said my favorite days are the misty wet ones with low wind. Around here our deer move most on days like that. I think they have learned that hunters stay home wet days.

Do remember though you can't kill one from the couch. I'd definitely go if you have a yard pass.

Not a big fan of lightening, I don't ever want to feel that all over tingly feeling again after i got knocked on my butt.  I use to go out and hunt in snow storms, now that i am a crip, I avoid them.  I am dreading hot and no winds. We have a drought going and are covered with those little black and white no seeums, teeth and wings. Actually, no teeth they pee acid on you, it goes straight through tee shirts even. Nothing holds them off for very long. We need rain, if it will put the noseeums down, I will be getting wet.

it takes a lot to run me out of the woods, not so worried about bloodtrails washing out, cause if you hitem rite there down and out in seconds, and i like sneaking around when its windy, they cant here you coming so when you do spot one you can make a desent stalk on them, i use the weather to my advantage.