Weeks back I decided to pick a day to take off from work this week and hunt all day. I chose Tuesday Nov 5 (tomorrow). As it turns out it is 100% chance for rain tomorrow so I will be hunting in the rain. In 8 years of bowhunting I really haven't hunted much in the rain. 1) How will deer movement be affected by the rain? Will rut activity not be affected by it? 2) Will the rain affect my bow at all or hurt the strings or cams?
the deer will move in the rain but sometimes they can be a little on the edge sometimes lazy. they'll like to stay around the bedding area. 2) It hasn't messed up anything on my bow. I know you don't want to get them soaked cause it can sometimes take some of the wax off the string. I normally will wax mine before and after the hunt and also dry everything before putting it in the case
I've had good luck in the rain over the years. Just make sure of your shot because you will not be following a blood trail in the rain. Wipe your equipment down after and wax the string. Good luck!
Enjoy the day, they are still out there so get out there with em. Try to stay warm and keep your feet dry and your bow should be fine, wax it...Good Luck!
Just hunted this pass weekend in the rain and the deer where up and moving. Not gonna get a deer sitting at home. Goodluck!
Depends on the rain and the timing of said rain. If it's a slow steady rain, deer will probably be in cover as the rain starts but will eventually start to move in the rain. Just like people, they need to eat and go about their day and a steady rain won't stop them. I hunted a whole day in the rain this year and every deer I saw was not in timber but rather in open fields, CRP/hedgerow brush, etc. I assume they didn't like the sound of the rain hitting the tree canopy and felt safer in low thick brush. I saw over 20 deer that day, mostly does and fawns but still, a lot of deer movement. A light drizzle shouldn't affect movement that much. Heavy downpours and winds however, will keep deer locked in cover for the most part.
Thanks for the info guys. It sounds like it is going to be a slow all day rain so hopefully the bucks will be chasing. I will be ready for the weather. I hope I can shoot my biggest buck in the rain! I know I have to make the perfect shot because there will be no blood trailing.
I never have any luck in the rain. I don't even own rain gear any more because my sightings are always so poor in the rain I seldom hunt in it these days. I am talking a steady hard rain, not a light drizzle.
Blood trails and rain..all bad. As soon as it stops I love sitting over a scrape line as bucks will hit them right away. A lot of times when you have the time off you have to hunt when you can.
A deer can be blood trailed in the rain unless it is pouring. I would stay away from thickets and concentrate on places where you can see for as far as possible where he goes after the shot. Open fields do seem to be the ticket on rainy days for me too, especially fresh cutovers. (Fields with freshly harvested timber) Note... a lot of hunters shoot deer in the rain and lose their deer by taking up the trail too soon. Even if it is raining... don't rush the tracking job. If it is raining hard... I'd question shooting... probably better to let him walk.
You have a much better chance at killing a deer than I because I'll be repairing my shed and chasing all the critters out :-( Good luck and enjoy!
Last Thursday (Oct 31) I hadnt gotten in the tree for more than 5 minutes when a big rain squall hit that included wind gusts of up to 25 mph (I'm guessing). It couldnt have been a half hour later, during the height of it that I saw a nice 8 pointer chasing a doe around, followed by her fawn and a spike buck. They were not phased by the wind and rain at all.
