Hunting in the rain

[2bird]

Hey guys, my buddy (Bronz here on TG)and I are going on a weekend hunt, leaving tomorrow morning. The weather call for some decent rain tomorrow and up until about 8 am Saturday morning.

We both have fletch dry type stuff on our fletching, but "I" (maybe not him as he is a far better hunter then I am)was wondering if you guys had some tips for hunting in the rain? Thanks

[Hoyt]

Supposed to rain here until next Wed. I've had rain wash out blood trails back when I used to bow hunt any type of weather.

Now days I don't purposely hunt in rain and if caught in it I'll come out unless it's a mist or light rain. If it seems like it's going to be a soaking rain I come out.

I don't carry rain gear.

[greg fields]

I pretty much follow Hoyt.

[RAU]

I don't sit in soaking rain anymore either. I never tried it but someone was talking about putting those plastic bag baby bottle liners over the arrow fletching of the arrow that you have on the string while on stand to keep it dry. Supposedly you don't have to take it off to shoot it just stays behind at the shot and doesn't effect flight. Might be worth a try

[JamesV]

If I get wet hunting it is an accident, first drop and I am gone. Retired and can hunt every day so why should I hunt in the rain???? I would rather go to town and eat the chinese buffet and hunt tomorrow when the sun is shinning.

[reddogge]

I lost a nice buck decades ago hit before it rained and then a gully washer ensued. Lost the buck and never hunted in the rain again. I was sick.

[DeCurry]

I typically avoid hunting in the rain simply because I don't like being cold and miserable. However, in recent years I've made it a point of going out as soon as the rain stops or becomes bearable as I've found some very fresh and amazingly large buck tracks during this time (and hope to find one of the bucks that made them some day, preferably within 20 yards, broadside... looking the other way... heh); it seems the rain gets the big boys moving around (experienced this just a few weeks ago actually but it was unfortunately on what was only a scouting trip as it was 1 week before season opened).

FYI, I wouldn't worry so much about your feathers getting wet. I read once (possibly here) that it shouldn't make much, if any, difference to arrow flight -- we bare shaft tune our arrows after all (or should if you don't). Having wet fletching is very similar to this. The person making the statement said to give this experiment a try: soak the fletchings on an arrow and then go shoot, see what happens (shoot the wet arrows next to dry ones as well). I tried this numerous times. I was just as accurate as ever and noticed no irregularities in flight path. The only issue might arise due to high winds or other factors where fletchings help stabilize the arrow; otherwise, you shouldn't see much if any difference in the flight of the arrow so long as they're properly tuned.

[smokin joe]

We find our animals by blood trailing. Hunting in a light mist or drizzle is not a problem, but steady or heavy rain washes out the blood we need to find our game. I wait out the rain and get out as soon as it stops.

Waiting out the rain in a pop up blind with a good paperback and a thermos of hot soup is not too bad. If you are in a good spot and the rain stops it is a good idea to close up the thermos and be ready. Critters will move after a rain.

[ISP 5353]

I seldom hunt in the rain, but I like hunting right after a big rain.  Deer often start moving as it clears.

[Bowwild]

While I've seen 5 of my last 6 recurve deer fall, I used a blood-trail to find the last one (last season). She ran to the top of a ridge and made a fairly sharp right turn that took a blood trail to figure out.

Just last week I helped my son track and find a 7 point he shot. While the deer went in a predictable direction it was fairly wooly and the blood trail was useful to find this deer which ran about 90-100 yards.

So, while most of the time a blood trail isn't necessary, I don't purposely hunt in the rain  for fear of making tracking difficult. I also agree with the "fun" part of the equation and sitting in rain doesn't make my list.

A hunt that I was supposed to make last week was expensive and exotic for me. I was taking some vaned arrows (plastic) and shooting from a springy rest, just in case I encountered rain. I cancelled the bucket list hunt and shaved the vanes off those arrows. Refletched with 4" feathers.

[Wannabe1]

Our late season here in Oregon can get pretty wet at times. I won't hunt in a steady rain but, if it's a light mist I'll get out there. Really afraid to shoot my first ever and loose it because of a washed out blood trail.

[LB_hntr]

Hunting in the rain is a very personal thing that varies with each situation and stand location.
There is no denying the fact that deer move well in the rain. And I hunt in the rain a lot. But I also have my personal limitations on shot distance, cover and thickness of the woods I will hunt in the rain, and other factors. Every factor and decision is made to optimize the hunting time and also keep very high odds of recovery.
Only you know what you are comfortable with and what will work good.
Nothing wrong with hunting in the rain if you put all the factors in order to make sure you have good recovery odds.
Also nothing wrong with sitting on the couch with a beer and a good movie and waiting to hunt until rain clears.

[Pointer]

I don't mind a drizzle but if it becomes a steady rain I don't bother...blood trailing is too iffy in a steady rain

[tracker1]

I passed up 2 different bucks during the first 5 days of our season because it was raining pretty hard both times.  I did see a lot of deer moving in the rain but I was definitely worried about having a good blood trail.

[2bird]

Ok thanks guys

[dbd870]

Like the others I want a blood trail so rain is a no go for me; now after a storm, good time to be out.

[mgf]

The first problem the rain causes me is that it rains all over my glasses and I can't see anything anyway.

That said, I've sat in my tripod in the backyard on drizzly misty sort of days and watched deer feed out in the cut corn ALL DAY. So I'll try to hunt in that kind of weather.

I don't worry much about my fletching. Sometimes I'll put a plastic bag or something over the top of my quiver. I don't bother with a quiver in the backyard and just lay my extra arrows down on the platform with the fletch end in a bag. Sometimes I put a magnet in the bag to keep the wind from blowing my arrows off the platform.

I've got a bad habit of laying the bow in my lap when I'm sitting so I'll give the nocked arrow a little protection with my hand or lay a glove over it or something. It's going to get wet anyway.

Shoot some wet arrows. This past "summer" (if you could call it that) it seems we had a heavy due almost every night. I couldn't hardly get the grass cut because it never dried out.

I go out "stumping" when the grass is wet and the fletching is soaking wet and matted down from the first shot on. They still shoot ok...at the distances that we're probably talking about.

[damascusdave]

This thread should be required reading for all first time, and some long time, bowhunters...it makes me proud to be a Tradganger

DDave

[bentpole]

Over the years I have stopped hunting in the rain. Loosing a blood trail stinks! I shot a doe early season a few years back. A few minutes after the shot the skies opening up. I knew the doe was dead but I never did find her.I vowed to stop hunting in the rain at that time.

[KentuckyTJ]

Oops sorry