# Bowhunting when its RAINING



## tcba1987 (Jun 22, 2004)

Ive got a question, do you guys bow hunt when its raining ??? ive always been told by my dad that bowhunting when its raining is pointless that if you hit a deer the rain will wash away the blood trail and that you will lose your deer. What do you all think ??? I havent hunted in the rain yet but i am getting tempted to go out, it seems like i see twice as many deer in the fields when it is raining and ive seen alot of trucks go past with bucks on them when its raining. Thanks for any advice you guys can give me. oh yeah one more question after THE SHOT how long should i wait to track a deer whether its raining or not ???


----------



## Lewis (Apr 5, 2004)

I have taken many deer on dreary,drizzly days with a bow.
These can be your best days to hunt as the deer always feel more comfortable moving during low light periods.
However,I will not bowhunt in a hard, downpouring rain,both for my comfort and the bloodtrailing issue.

With proper shot selection,it is almost impossible to lose a deer,raining or not.
If you put a broadhead through both of a Deer's lungs or through its heart...it will be dead within 100 yards of your stand.
After the shot,it is very important to watch the deer leave.
While you are wating force yourself to make mental notes as to which way the deer went.
Really pay attention to specific trees,vines,humps and other landmarks it passed.
Paying attention here and making good mental notes,will do a LOT of the bloodtrailing for you.

As far as waiting goes...if I am 100% confident that I hit the kill zone,I wait 30 minutes.
If you are not sure,waiting a couple hours or until the next morning is a good idea.

You just have to discipline yourself to remain calm at the magic moment.
Settle down and force yourself to pick a very specific spot or hair on the deer.
Take your shot and make it a point to follow through.
In other words, do not move your bow or body from the point of release.
You would be surprised at the number of beginning hunters who jerk their bow at the moment of the shot to see if they hit the deer.
Keep your body and bow steady and follow the arrow with your eyes,you will see exactly where you hit the deer.
This information is important and will help guide you on long to wait before trailing a wounded deer.
My buddies tease me at times,but I prefer very bright colored fletching on my arrows.
I have 2 neon pink and one white fletching on my arrows.
Not only does it make finding your arrow easier,but it allows you to really track arrow flight and hit location.

You are missing out on some great hunting by not hunting the drizzly days,especially with the peak of the rut happening right now.
Good luck with your hunting!


----------



## chase845 (Nov 2, 2005)

I agree about the blood trail, you should still be able to track the deer. But I never see deer in the rain, maybe I'm doing something wrong? I still hunt if it's raining because I'd rather be doing that than anything else, but I see very few deer in the rain.


----------



## DaleM (Apr 5, 2004)

I myself like hunting in a light rain, as Lewis said you can move with ease and it also keep some of the scent down. One of the biggest Deer I took was in a light rain/snow. I give the deer 20-30 minutes then go to where I shot and check to see if there is good blood. Tracking shouldn't be a real problem if you follow the rules. NEVER give up on tracking your deer. Even a small spot of blood is all you need. 
Yesterday there were 3 deer brought in to our camp, and it was raining in Hocking Co. most of the day. 
TCBA- he reason you see several deer on or in trucks when it's raining???? Those guys have most likely decided to head home rather than get wetter


----------



## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

i totally agree with lewis.he's got a lot of bowhunting experience and knows his stuff.when i was bowhunting,i loved a light rain.as mentioned,it helps mask your scent and sound,and the deer can feel more comfortable at such times.
i've walked up on several deer under those conditions.including two monster bucks who didn't know i was there(i loved still hunting/stalking under those conditions)
they just managed to escape without my getting a shot,due to cover and other variables.i watched one walk through my yard in mid morning and later he bedded down less than 100 yards from the house.i was standing 10 feet from him when he finally bolted from behind the bush he was laying behind.


----------



## chase845 (Nov 2, 2005)

You guys have any particular locations you like to hunt in the rain? Fields cover, etc.? Lewis you mentioned something about bright fletchings to make your arrow more visible. Have you tried a Lumenok yet? I started using them last year and they are hands down the coolest bowhunting toy I have.


----------



## Header (Apr 14, 2004)

If it is a hard rain, stay home, the deer don't like it either they bed down. However, after the hard rain slows or quits you should be in the field they are moving. I should have been out Saturday but had other things going on, it was a prepect day, light rain most of it, cleared in the afternoon.


----------



## DaleM (Apr 5, 2004)

Chase, I have a creek bottom I love to hunt. It seems when it's light rain or cold rain they like to sneak down there to get out of the wind or the weather. I have had deer actually walk in the creeks edge and almost walk up to me. I'll be there later this week if the doctor says I can  If not this week the entire Gun season.


----------



## chase845 (Nov 2, 2005)

Thanks I might try hanging a stand in my creek bottom for this week. My meteorology is pretty terrible so this might be way off, but I'll ask anyway. In periods of light rain, do you have to worry about the thermals pushing your scent down? Or is there no correlation?


----------



## DaleM (Apr 5, 2004)

Actually it seems that with the rain, it brings the natural smells out, such as the leaves, pine etc. I use the earth scent spray or waffers you pin on your coat. The deer seems to move easier do to noise not being so much to worry about.


----------



## RiverWader (Apr 1, 2006)

I also like to hunt in the light rain makes it easier to sneak into the woods, But I wont bow hunt in aheavy downpour


----------



## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

The rain is double edged sword.

Those dark dreary drizzly days are awesome for deer movement and for providing shot opportunities, but it also makes it much harder, to almost impossible, depending on the rainfall, to track a deer by the blood trail alone.

Lets face it, the blood trail is the number one resource, by a huge margin, we have as bowhunters to find a fallen deer. If you elect to hunt in any kind of rain that even begins to diminish the possibility of a blood trail I think you need to change your shot selection to address the conditions. Lewis was 100% dead on when he said a deer shot through both lungs is almost always dead withing 100 yds. So if you are hunting in a light rain that might reduce the blood trail, MAKE SURE you only take shots that you are 100% sure you can make a good clean shot. This would probably mean reducing your normal shooting range, or hunting a more open area where tracking might be easier. Any rain hard enough to eliminate a blood trail in a few minutes and I wouldn't shot at all.

There are bunches of accounts of lost deer this year and every year that occur with bad hits, or marginal shots. These sad stories are happening in good dry tracking weather. Make a marginal shot in a rain and you don't stand much of a chance of recovery. 

Instead of taking any even remotely questionable shot in the rain, and maybe losing a deer. Let him walk and kill him tomorrow. You owe yourself and the deer a clean quick kill and recovery.

My opinion


----------



## catfish_hunter (May 31, 2005)

Great Thread...I myself like to hunt in the snow...I think a good light snow with about an inch or so on the ground is the best for deer hunting....you can see a long ways and you can track them very easily...I hope we get at least a day or two of good snow for gun season this year!!


----------



## oxmos (Apr 13, 2005)

Yep I hunt in the rain if it's not a total gully washer.
Taken Saturday morning in the light rain.


----------



## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

oxmos,

Nice buck!!


----------



## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

I agree with what others have said on hunting the rain. Light rain or drizzle is manageable and I actually really enjoy being in the woods on those days. The only time I will hunt in heavy rain is during gun season where hunting opportunities are limited. I will usually opt for still hunting and glassing bedding areas. During the heavy rain the deer will spend a good bit of the time bedded down and those conditions are the best of all for getting in shooting distance.


----------



## Whaler (Nov 16, 2004)

Oxmos, that's a beauty !


----------



## tcba1987 (Jun 22, 2004)

Oxmos that is a AWESOME buck !!!


----------



## wvsportsman (Feb 21, 2006)

WTG oxmos. thats a dandy buck.


----------



## Fishstix (Aug 16, 2005)

I seem to always see a lot more deer in a light rain. The deer don't seem to move as much in a down pour, but in a light rain you should be money. I shot a nice wall hanger last year in a rain very similar to this past weekend.

That is one heck of a buck you shot. Congrats!


----------



## halfrack (Oct 13, 2004)

I really like tohunt in a light rain my friends never understood why i do it.But i agree you need to make sure of a good shot as you do when it is nice out too.Where i work i see lots of deer out when there is a light rain too.So yes they do move alot then i think.The deer i shot this year it was raining lightly ,it is posted on this form as the election day buck..So good luck and be safe..


----------



## flypilot33 (Feb 9, 2006)

This was shot in a light rain.


----------



## chase845 (Nov 2, 2005)

ok this is bull$h%t! I cannot see deer in rain! I was out today in the stand at 1, saw little bucks and some does while it was calm and sunny. Enter the rain at 3 and I see nothing. I'm trying to become a believer


----------



## big fish (Oct 9, 2005)

i would hunt in a very light rain. i like the rain because it would get rid of my scent on the ground and i would be easier to fet around the ground without the leaves cracking and sticks breaking loudly


----------

