Light rain, definitely hunt it, throw on some raingear and get out there. Heavier rain don't bother going out unless it is supposed to stop while on stand, the deer come out of the woodwork following heavy rain in my experience.
I'll hunt in the rain. I may choose to not shoot if it's a complete downpour, but I'm still likely to be out there.
I don't like hunting while it's raining, I like paying attention to the forecast, primarily if you can hit the woods right before the rain stopps and it's suppose to clear up, watch out those deer that have been bedded down all day or during the rain will be back up on their feet; thats when I shot my 11 pointer last year. I watched the forecast and got off work alittle early to get settled in before rain stopped. It had been raining basically all day. About 45 minutes after rain stopped it cleared up, did alittle light grunting and tickeled the horns, and he came by. Try it if you can, but I do like paying attention to storm fronts, especially afterwards! good luck...
Not sure why the point in your season has to do with anything. You either hunt in the rain or don't. What difference does it make if it's early, rut, late, etc....? The decision of why or why not is the same.
Well I hunted in the "rain" today, we have a few short showers pass by tonight and I ended up seeing around a dozen deer with 3 being bucks, 3 being doe, and never got a good look at the others. The rain has always been one of my favorite times to hunt, less people in the woods and the deer are on their feet.
I love to hunt the rain especially a light mist or drizzle, I have seen some really nice bucks after sitting through a downpour in the pre rut. I think they check and freshen scrapes at that time. Might not shoot a deer in the downpour but will after. I guess it would depend on many factors.
Exactly what I did today. Shortly after I made this post, I checked the hour by hour forecast on three weather sites. It showed the rain clearing around 4pm, and then picking up again later this evening. Long story short, I was in stand this evening, saw three doe and a young buck. Oddly enough they began moving after the rain started to pick up a bit. Simple. Same reason hunters will often hunt all day sits during the various stages of the rut, but not in the early season. Same reason people will often hunt more aggressively as the season nears the end. Not saying that it's justifiable, but I could see some hunting in rainy weather if there was perceived likelihood of catching a buck on his feet during the rut, or hunting rainy days toward the end of the season as the pressure (again self-imposed) mounts. You frequently hear of hunters on here and other forums hunting a less aggressively and more selectively early in the season, and then ramping up the time and effort as the season peaks/ends. Again, that was the reasoning behind the mention of timing.
I dont mind hunting in the rain as long as its not pouring. My favorite is a cold day with just that misty drizzle. Deer seem to really be on the move during days like that.
X2!!! Cloudy, light mist, kind of chilly...I'll grab the rain gear, something to snack on, a lot of water and sit from sunup til sundown... Always seems to me that they're moving a bit more on the misty mornings/evenings, and there is a better chance of mid day movement when its a low light day. Downpours suck, IMHO, even with good rain gear. And I don't like the odds if the blood trail is going to get washed away in a short period of time (30 minutes or less). Just don't want to take the chance of losing one if that's the case. So light rain that tapers to a drizzle or mist, yup, I say get out there and stay out there. Heavy rain, I'd rather be in the house drinking coffee and planning the next hunt.
Fair enough. Well if it's not a matter of bloodtrail a hunter is worried about when deciding to hunt in the rain or not, then I say hunt in a monsoon! Personally I will hunt in rain, sleet, snow , wind, heat, whatever. I don't miss a single day (morning and afternoon) through the entire season aside from dangerous weather or................. If I decide it's raining too heavy to effect a bloodtrail on a deer. Moderate to heavy rain I won't go just for that reason not because I don't want to end up with the sniffles.
:D Yeah, I can stay dry pretty well if I have to. For me, the concern with heavy rain is like you said, the blood trails.
I don't let the rain keep me from hunting unless it's is seriously storming with strong winds and lightning. In my opinion one of the best times to be in the woods is right after a hard driving rain stops. The bucks will move and refresh scrapes after a rain and if your in an area with that kind of sign you'll likely see deer. I've killed a few deer over the last few years in rainy conditions. If it's really storming hard but supposed to let up or stop I'll go out and sit in the truck till it lets up and then go get in the stand.
