Bowhunting In The Rain

VaPredHunter

VaPredHunter

New member
Ok guys Saturday was our bow season opener it rained then it rained and it rained some more so I went back to bed. What do you guys think about bowhunting in the rain? I have been bowhunting 23 years and I never bow hunt in the rain or when there’s 100% chance of rain. I was taught rain washes blood trail away and the chance of recovering your game.
Last year I read an article in Bowhunting magazine about how great bowhunting in the rain can be. They said not to worry about lost game just make sure you make good shots and deer should fall quickly. I have cut a deers heart in two with an arrow and seen them run 200 yards so we all know thats bull.
I agree hunting in the rain can yield some great bucks I grew up in Maryland hunting soybean fields and there’s nothing better then hunting a soybean field on a slow drizzle or dark wet misty day but I think it's to risky to do it with your bow. I have only lost a couple of deer over the years and every time it makes me sick. So I think waiting a day or two for fair weather seems better then shooting what might be a your biggest trophy buck and not be able find him.
 
We are blessed with a long archery season here in Missouri so I don't hunt in the rain. Blood trails can be sparse even with a good shot, no need to complicate matters with rain. I also use feathers on my arrows instead of vanes so it gives me another reason to leave the bow in the case. What I will do in the rain is scout areas that I might want to hunt in good weather the rain will help keep scent and noise to a minimum. I suppose if I were on an expensive guided hunt or had a short season I might hunt on rainy days but it just is not worth the risk to me.
Bob
 
i would not hunt in the rain.have shot many deer with a bow.i can think of only a few that droped in eye sight.i have recovered all my deer but some of them had run close to 200 yards.tracking a deer that runs that far in the rain would be impossible.
 
I agree that it's hard to bloodtrail in the rain, but fresh tracks made on wet ground sometimes makes it easier.

None of my bow hit deer ever left any blood trail until I got within a few yards of where the fell.
 
Quote:
I agree that it's hard to bloodtrail in the rain, but fresh tracks made on wet ground sometimes makes it easier.

None of my bow hit deer ever left any blood trail until I got within a few yards of where the fell.



I agree, often times, my animals will not show blood til the very end. I do hunt the rain. And have taken a few animals in the rain. When the ground is wet it makes tracking much easier. If all you have to rely on is a blood trail, than the rain is bad. I hardly ever follow blood unles I am not sure of the track. Most of my tracking is following the tracks and only using blood to convince me I am on the right trail. I bet hunting the west is different that the heavy woods of the east.
 
I look forward to a good rain. I have been bowhunting for over 20 years. Heck I could not hunt if hunting was rained out, I live in western Washington! It rains and rains here. Hunting does not get good until the rain can cover my noise. I have never had to much problem finding blood in the rain. We hunt some thick stuff and when the blood hits the floor you will find it. I have blood trailed elk in pouring down rain even after a 45 min wait. You just need to look at all the tracking. Look at hoof prints look for a single drop on a branch. I have even used my nose onetime. Stinky elk! Dont get down when it rains deer and elk are less likely to wind you or see you when the forest is talking and moving. Oh ya I love Gore-tex!! Brandon
 
I don't mind hunting in the rain, because animals still move when it's raining. But it's too risky for me when bowhunting. If it starts after I'm on stand I might stay to watch animal movements and hope it stops but the hunting part is over unless it stops raining.
 
I don't like to hunt in the rain, but I find sometimes that I do. Actually, I got my largest deer to date, a 10-point, while it was pouring the sleet. He was hot after a doe. I got this one with a rifle, square through both lungs, but he still ran a short distance.
 
A wet drizzly day or rainy day in late October, or throughout November, is my favorite time to bowhunt. When I can't hunt one of those days, I mope, wondering about all of the good activity I'm missing. 2 years ago I had the best day of hunting I've ever had, didn't tag a deer but saw one monster, and two solid P&Y bucks, as well as a mature 8 point that would not have made P&Y, and it was all in the rain. In fact, it rained enough that day, that the creek I had to cross in the truck, rose too high, and trapped me. I had to exit off of somebody else's property who I don't have permission to walk on, let alone drive my truck across their soggy fields. (The landowner understood by the way, and was cool about it)

I've seen more mature bucks in the daylight in rainy conditions, than at any other daylight time combined.

Large cut broadheads, and comfortable shots are the ticket to the day though.

Bake
 
I like hunting in the rain. I think the deer feel more comfortable in the rain /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif. I have seen more big bucks while hunting in crappy weather conditions than than the "nice" days.

As a matter of fact, on Tuesday it was raining here and I really didnt feel like setting in a tree. I havn't had much free time to hunt so I sucked it up and went out. Long story short, I seen 3 bucks. I seen a monster 10 pt that probably pushes 140" but he never came close enough for a shot. Then I had a 1 1/2 year old 6pt come by and I let him walk. Good thing I did because behind him came a bigger buck. I really only looked at his rack for a split second and decided he was a shooter. I was hunting on the edge of a small bean field. I whacked him and he made it to the edge of the field before I lost sight of him. It was about 80 yards from where I shot him. Found him piled up about 10 yards inside the brush. I was suprised, when I found him, that he was an 11pt. I like the rain. LOL /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 


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