turkeys in the rain

[bigmster127]

are season in ma. opens tomorrow and they are saying rain. does the rain change my strategy? i guess the questions i have is do they still gobble in the rain, or are they going to come in silent? they are saying 50degrees too. does temperature make a difference? i was hoping to have sunny weather. thanks so much for any input as this will be my first time hunting in the rain.

[liberty1743]

From what I've read, it depends on how severe the weather is. If it's more of a scattered drizzle, you may be able to call them to you. If there's a lot of rain, they're apt to stay under cover. If it's windy, they may not be able to hear you (and vise-versa). It would be nice to hear from some experienced hunters though. I've only read this in books.

[tkmcnam]

I live and hunt in MA as well and won't be out tomorrow but will wait for better weather on Wednesday. I agree the rain intensity has alot to do with their behavior...wind swept stuff will result in a delayed fly down and I usually see the birds more often in the fields since they seem to be less able to hear as well in the woods and they rely more on their vision placing them often in the open. Light rain or drizzle seems to have little affect but if it does stop during hunting hours check out the fields since they like to go to the open areas to dry out. Good luck.

[blueahlijr]

Tkmcnam is rite. Turkey go in the Open areas during rain because they rely on their hearing and vision and when its raining, it messes with them in the wooded areas. So in open areas they can atleast see better. If its a light rain, they will gobble, but since its guna be 50 out, they may not gobble alot or they may wait till later in the afternoon to gobble. If its a hard rain and windy, in my experience, they go to cover, and in my area, they love to go down into small valleys that are somewhat more open but has alot of cover.
Hope i could help somewhat.
GOOD LUCK!
Go get'em!

[BigBuck95]

If it is a sideways, pouring rain, they wont move much if at all. If it is just a light rain or a sprinkle/mist, they love it, and will be out in the fields. It's WIND you really have to worry about.
BigBuck95

[MO Archer]

I love to hunt in non-windy rain. It is the most productive time that can be spent during Turkey Season. They are predictable. Put on the old rain suit and set up on a low open grassy field and stay there all day with some decoys out. It always works for me. They will also travel power line openings if you don't have any fields around.