hunting in the rain?!?

[sticks&stringz]

well, this is going to be my first trad season, i built myself an ilf riser and just finished putting it all together,i got to thinking about hunting and realized that i really like to wait out the rain when i hunt but i dont know how to protect my feathers from being soaked.What do you guys use to protect your feathers from the rain?

[Pine]

I've never worried about the feathers getting wet , they shoot fine at close range .

[The Whittler]

I don't hunt in the rain. I always wonder if it will wash out the blood trail. I won't take the chance.

[LB_hntr]

I hunt in the rain all the time. Some of my best hunts happen in the rain.
I test my arrows with broadheads and wet feathers before hand to make sure they fly good wet. If they don't I change things until they do.
Blood trailing is only one tool in the deer recovery arsenal so I never worry about the blood trail washing out. And in reality 70% of the deer I kill I watch go down or hear crash anyway. It also takes a pretty good rain or a long time in a light rain to wash the trail out. Never lost a deer killed in the rain.
 Now snowing is a different matter. If we are getting a couple inches an hour of snow I won't hunt.

[David Mitchell]

I use a fletch cover or Cat Quiver which really keeps feathers dry.

[RAU]

I've heard you can cover the fetching of the arrow on your string with one of those little plastic bags used as baby bottle liners and they suposedly fly off at the shot and don't effect flight at all. I never tried it but always meant to.

[Shadowhnter]

I use wild goose feathers, which are naturally water proof.

[John3]

Don't worry about wet feathers.... They will fly fine,

[durp]

DONT try the babybottle bags...they sound like a 300 mag when u shoot with them still on...just get a fletch cover from asbell and go hunt.

[Homey88]

Rust oleum never wet boot and shoe. Spray on, the odor goes away in a day.

[Msturm]

I just learned a bunch of new stuff!  Thanks guys. Great thread.

I keep one goose feather fletching in my quiver incase I get a tropical downpour.  Im going to try to shoot my arrows wet and see how they do.

[PeteA]

I don't really like hunting in the rain. I've heard the fly fishing floatant, Gink, works well. Never tried it but it makes sense. It's meant for dry flies which are made of feathers and dubbing.

[dbd870]

I won't hunt in much of a rain with a bow - worry about the blood trail as well.

[huskyarcher]

I dont like hunting in the rain much. Ive gotten more and more obsessed with having a camera with me and the rain doesnt allow that.

[Red Beastmaster]

I have been on enough "hands and knees looking for pin head drops" blood trails to not hunt in the rain if I can help it.

That being said, I do get into wet or snowy conditions. I waterproof my fletching with a fine mist of silicone spray.

[Chain2]

I never hunt in the rain. I'm colored blind and with all the red leaves on I would never see the blood. I have done the peroxide trick before but I just wait for a nicer day now.

[JamesV]

Stick on an elevated rest and use vanes if you are going to hunt in the rain.

James

[Pete McMiller]

I've used Feather-Dri or Fletch-dry type of powder for years.  Rub it in good and blow off the excess.  Shoot the arrows several times to get any residual powder off and go hunt in the rain if you like.  It feels like rosen powder and will keep the feathers dry even after sticking them in a pail of water.

I usually won't start a hunt in the rain but I won't end one just because it starts to rain, especially if I'm miles from camp.  Of course there are places where if you don't hunt in the rain, you may not hunt at all.  My first trip to Newfoundland was like that - wore my rain gear everyday.

[Etter]

I use spray on waterproofer that is made for boots and tents and stuff. It works great. Helps a lot when trying to remove blood as well.

[Sam McMichael]

I have used the powdered products with pretty good success. However, I have never used it in a driving rain, because I leave when the rain gets heavy. I guess I am like a cat, I just don't like being wet.