Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting hunting in the rain

I shoot deer and was taught its only lead let it fly because if you think about it too much you will never get one its just the thought about how wind changes your point of aim .In NH most my deer are taken within 50yd ,the longest shot I have taken a deer was about 150yd on a power line

Yep and especially following a longish dry spell.

Wet leaves are more comfortable for wiping and help with the clean up.

Whatever the effect, rest assured that it will be in random directions and thus impossible to compensate for.

I almost never see deer when it is raining but with that said the biggest buck that I ever shot was during a heavy rain. I always remember that when I am seeing nothing. miles

2012 opening day of muzzle loader season saw hurricane Sandy ripping through the area. Winds were about 30 to 40 mph and rain was coming down steady.

Driving into the farm I hunt, I saw the two biggest bucks I have ever seen on the hoof ( wide 12 with lots of mass and a tall 10 ) lying in a little patch that had been bush hogged looking like they were loving every minute of it.

Of course when it was light enough to shoot they were nowhere to be found.

I like hunting in the rain.

Deer are out 24-7.

Other hunters, not so much.

I like huntin' in the rain 'cept for when I'm muzzleloader hunting. The rest of it sucks. Camping. Gutting deer. Packing meat. Etc.

I don't mind hunting in the dry / crunchy either. The only thing I really don't like is hunting when it's warm enough I have to worry about getting meat out and chilled before it spoils.

Tom

Some of my best hunts have been as soon as the down pour has ended. Get in when its pourin and as soon as it quits there up and movein. Plus the rain keeps the amateurs out of the woods!

If you are well prepared, I find that rain provides several advantages. Less noise in the woods. Helps with scent. Less hunters.

It's not like I'm a wimp. Prior to getting into deer hunting, I was a caver. I would spend all weekend bellycrawling in water and mud. However, deer hunting in rain has never been my favorite activity. That's not to say I won't. I just do not look forward to it.

Rain brings on all sorts of additional challenges that vex me. The gear gets wet. I get wet. The ground gets wet. I'm not going to hunt with my favorite rifles with the wood stocks, because they might warp. A moment's indiscretion with a leaf leaves my glasses wet and I'm blind until I can get them wiped off. When I do shoot a deer, I have one heck of a time getting the truck in to get them out.

However, that is just me bellyaching. Now we come to the kids. Angus has never come around to accepting inclement weather. Moose has, but it was a long road. My kids treat rain like it is acid dripping from the heavens. They think I'm nuts going out in it.

As the patriarch of deer camp, I've all sorts of additional problems as well. The cabin fills up with wet gear hanging everywhere. The whole house gets filled up with damp air. The back of the house is uncovered and useless. The front porch is often too shallow to protect us from wind-driven rain. Deer camp becomes small and confining. Trying to keep camp organized and hospitable becomes a chore. After a weekend of rain, I usually go home tired and depressed. Yes, I have beaten the rain, but the rain does not care.

I'll take one rain day over 5 days of sunshine. Not talking downpour, but a light steady rain.

+1
Here the seasons are short and if you let rain get in the way, even shorter. There is nothing like still hunting in a light rain, your noise level is down and deer are out. Plus as others have said, it keeps the weekend warriors in the bars or in bed

I agree on this!

Hunting in the east in the rain is a whole lot different than hunting in the west. Here, that rain is COLD.
As I got older, I hunt for the fun of it, but still like the meat. But I'll be darned if I'm going to purposely go out and play in the rain or snow.

Muzzle loader season opens two weeks from today and we usually get a day or so of rain. If I wake up and hear rain on the tent or trailer, I roll over and go back to sleep.

I have rain gear and such if I get caught out in it, but don't do it on purpose

I can't remember ever deer hunting in the rain with rifle. Have hunted deer with a bow in the rain before. I've hunted a lot of antelope in the rain and what feels like 20 lbs of gumbo on each boot.

Rains 3 out of 5 days every year during bow and BP. Hell in '09 every deer I killed was in the rain or wet falling snow.

Rain will effect the shot, and not in a predictable manner.

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Now, it must be raining pretty hard for one to actually hit a raindrop.

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I've shot in the driving rain 50+ times and rarely hit a raindrop.

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So if it is raining pretty hard, keep the shots under a specific range; like for a 30-06, maybe 200 yards?

rain Here In Az Is Hard to Hunt With As It Makes The Optics Nearly Useless.

Yep. Rain is a given here in November. You either plan for it, or stay on the couch. As far a rain hurting bullet flight, I'm yet to see any issue from 0 to 200 yards. That's about as far as I can shoot in the woods that I like to hunt.