Hunting in the rain and getting old?

[reddust]

Try a military Gor-tex jacket,they work great.I shot a couple of bucks in the rain,blood-trails got messed up but I made good shots on them and they did not go far and were easy to find.

[elkken]

I hunt in the rain much like horsehairhunter has described. One item I started using a few years ago and really like is gators. Spot and stalk in the rain gets your pant legs and feet more than any thing. If I'm hunting where at the end of the day I have a place to dry my gear out, like home or a cabin I do not worry about heavy duty rain gear, I just layer with wool and polyprop underware.

Last early elk season I hunted in the rain every day and was hunting out the back of my truck so I used a gortex top and bottom and then layered wool or poly. I have a waterproof pack to put the gortex in if the rains stop.

The hardest part for me as I have gotten older, now 62, is leaving my nice warm bed and getting out in the rain. But every time after I'm out there I'm glad I did.

One last piece of gear I use when it's raing is a hat that keeps the rain off my big ears, like a boonie.

[arrow flynn]

I like to travel light wool gets heavy when wet i take alight gore tex anorak put in on over a fleece pullover when it starts to rain im talking light rain or heavy fog im on the coast and it seems like im always climbing uphill i trieda swannie wool coat warm and then too warm i dropped tha wool coat on abush and picked it up on my way back to camp

[wtpops]

Thanks for all the input guys i think i will be looking at some of the gortex stuff and the frogg toggs. Thanks again.

Think i will look into some gators also, hunting these California hills covered with thigh high wild oats in the rain will soak you through from the knee down no matter what so called water prof boot you have on

[sweet old bill]

at 70 I stay in with rain if light snow showers I sit out as the deer seem to move better.

[Sean B]

When I was in my teens and twenties, I hunted when ever I could, rain or shine.  I never wore anything different.  I just dealt with it.  when i was in my twenties I worked on the back of a garbage truck, and never wore rain gear either, so I was pretty used to being wet.  Well, for some reason in my 30's and 40's something must have happened.  I feel the wet and cold a little more than I used to.

Now I'll wear Goretex if the rain is going to be steady.  I never really want to miss hunting in the rain because you can get some hot action when it does.

[Michael Pfander]

I thought the saying was if you don't have moss growing on your back you never swung a hammer in the NW.
MAP

[Bernie B.]

I don't like hunting in a hard rain for a couple of reasons.  Number one is a washed out blood trail.  The second is as a wearer of glasses it's a real pain when you can't see well due to the wet glasses.  I've never been able to wear a "ball cap" style cap due to the brim and my shooting style.  I definitely think there is a lot of game movement when the rain lets up though!

Bernie Bjorklund

NC Iowa/SW Wisconsin

[USAFdad]

I use the Frogg Toggs and love them. After washing them a few times and going thru the brush they fuzz up and get pretty quiet. Have never gotten wet even after four hours in Alaska rain hunting bears. Tops and bottoms only weigh about a pound and compact fairly well. I use an XL so I can layer under and can still keep my pack under if needed.

[capt eddie]

I work in construction.  So rain means that I do not have to go to work. And the wife doesn't care if I hunt. I wear GoreTex.  I went so far as to set up a specific bow just for hunting in the rain.  I have an elevated flipper rest, String tracker and aluminum arrows with vanes. Now I have no reason, not to be hunting.

[kentuck]

I use the old GI poncho when I have to be in the rain and it's always worked for me.  They can be rolled tight enough to tie on your quiver or pack and that's also a plus.  
when on a stand in a light rain they really get comfy.

[horsehairhunter]

Kentuck-  Where did you get your poncho??  G.Fred talks about them in his ground hunting book and I think they would be great because they are light, but every one I have tried stayed waterproof for about 30 minutes.....

[Hud]

Spot and stalk hunting with any rain gear, is going to test the tolerance of too much mositure on one side or the other. Pretty soon you work up a sweat and have to stop and cool off before moving on.  I try to layer with polyester or other wicking base layers, so I do not get damp and then cold inside.

Sometimes it is easier to wear water proof leg chaps, which come in light, medium or heavy weight (Cabelas sells to upland bird hunters), and a longer Gore Tex jacket. This way the legs and thighs stay dry, and you are ventiated under the rain jacket.

[BBWV]

Hunting in the rain is one of my favorite times to be in the woods slipping. Have took many deer over the years doing this. One product out there for a few years is Frog Togs, really light and compact when not in use

[Stone Knife]

Wool under light gortex, it keeps the rain out and cuts the wind.

[OP-archer]

I use FROGTOGS.  Camo bib bottoms and sipper/snap top.  Been in pouring rain in them and stayed dry.  But I too have noticed that as I age being out in the cold and rain is not nearly as appealing as it used to be.  When I was younger I didn't mind suffering a little bit in order to get the prize at the end - now, my suffering pain level has dropped significantly.  I'm like the old Indian in the western movies (wrapped in a blanket and sitting in front of the fire smoking my pipe) while trying to dissuade the younger bucks from making war...