What weather keeps you inside?
 

Today is opening day in MD. I went out this morning and would have gone even if it had been raining then. The rain started as I was walking back to my house . . . and it's been pouring since.

Consider the following factors:
1.) Arrow flight CAN BE affected by rain and/or wind.
2.) Rain can quickly destroy a blood trail.
3.) Most of us can afford to buy food if we can't hunt it. Going hungry isn't likely.
4.) We hunt for fun. We enjoy it. Hunting in the pouring rain isn't much fun.
5.) When it's windy or pouring rain - like it is here - deer don't always move that well.

That's just the first things that come to mind.

I already stated, I would've gone hunting this morning solely because it was opening morning and I took the day off for it. I'm bagging this afternoon - I'll watch a hunting video while staying dry. I'll hunt in nearly every condition during the rut since the chances of encountering a buck the likes of what I'm after improves so much at that time.

What kind of weather discourages you from going hunting?

Be honest.

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

Over 90 degrees, pouring down rain are about it. Tornadoes are bad too.

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

Thunderstorms w/lightning or wind in excess of 20 mph.

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

The only thing that keeps me home is 40+ knot winds or temps well below zero. Otherwise, I can find someplace or something to hunt.

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

I don't much care for wind, it makes it hard to enter without blowing your scent all over the place and its hard to hear in the wind.

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

Windy, heavy rain, high temps (because bugs are out)

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

I don't think I'd hunt a steady, pouring rain. I've just "heard" they don't move much in this environment.

I will hunt in the heat. I did so, yesterday.

I hunted 2 days, last year, in 12 degree weather and it blowing snow. I have good gear!

Jeff

Jeff

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

I agree. Anything short of a lightning storm or hurricane I'm out there hunting it. Last weekend it started pouring and I saw more deer moving than I have ever seen.

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

I hate windy days. Rainy windy days are even worse. I won't even go out if it's a steady rain. The hot weather doesn't bother me too much because I'm used to it in La. We had four consecutive 90+degree days in the midle of Oct. last year. I'll hunt in just about any conditions except a steady rain, unless I'm duck hunting.

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

I hunt in a sturdy, hub style pop up blind so the rain, snow, wind does not effect me.
However the wind will effect my bow shot at longer distances so I will limit myself distance wise depending upon the wind speed.

With a bow, maybe a certain temperature might force me to wear too many clothes to pull back the bow but I havnt had that issue yet.


I get to hunt so few days that i am determined to get out there no matter what the weather.

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

Steady rain................just depressing, no matter how high my spirits were to start I just get bummed really fast when I am getting soaked. I don't think I have seen more then a handful of deer my whole life in steady rain.

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

A hard rain with wind and lightning, a treestand is not a safe place. Depending on what time of the season it is, nothing else usually stops me if I have the time off.

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

The only thing is Thunder Storms with Lightning & HEAVY rain!!!!!! I don't mind any other weather, I just love being able to hunt!!!

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

yep

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

The sound of that steady rain on the top of the ground blind. good camping chair. That's some good sleep right there.
Maybe I'll see a deer or two when the eyes are open

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

If it's legal hunting hours I'm going to be out there no matter the weather. The rain has to stop some time!

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

Downpours and lightning are really the only things that keep me indoors.

I can deal with the wind, I just hunt from a groundblind and hope the wind calms.

I can deal with snow.
I can deal with a slight drizzle.
I can deal with heat.

It takes life threatening weather to usually keep me indoors. Even if the weather is crappy and I won't get a shot; a bad day in the stand always beats a good day at work.

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

I'll hunt in everything but heat and stormy weather
because my $#@ bang together
and thenthe deer spot me and laugh
at the sparks flying out of my %$#

some of you old-timers probably know the inspiration for this little ditty...

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

Heavy rain, high winds and or lightning will keep me out of the woods but that's all!

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

Heavy winds, and or rain or thunderstorms

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

Same here........

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

There you have it

Tim

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

Very windy days and Pouring Rain. Today was the exception, I thought it was supposed to clear up, but I ended up in a monsoon. All of my gear is soaked, trying to get ready for tomorrow but I think I'm going to be sitting in a wet climber...

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

illl hutn in anything except lightning i have hunted in a hrricane until the blind blew away (true story) and hunted in the rain two days ago all afternoon and come to find out the blind has a leak[:'(]

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

Wind never affects me, I just change hunting methods--definately don't want to sit in a tree swaying back and forth like a cattail. Stalking can be good during a heavy wind.

I Don't really want to sit in a LASTING heavy downpour however. I've seen some of the biggest bucks when the weather was bad

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

Rain, makes it too hard to track deer. I hunted gun season last year in the pouring rain. I was in a blind so I didn't care, I didn't get wet. However I shot a deer at dusk with my slug gun and it ran off. Shortly after shooting it the heavens opened up and it rained like crazy. No blood trail or sign where I shot it, everything had been washed away in a matter of minutes. I saw where it went in the woods so I started looking there. Had two other guys help me look for a few hours in the heavy rain. We could hardly see. We gave up and came back in the morning. I found it right where we were looking. I am suprised we didn't trip over it;).

I will not hunt in the rain after that. And I won't sit in a stand during the rain either. I am just not that dedicated of hunter. I do it for enjoyment, not because I need to. And sitting in the rain for hours is not my idea of fun. Plus I can't afford to get sick.

Snow and wind don't bother me much though, unless it is REALLY cold. I don't hunt the late season unless I'm in a blind with a heater. I know, I'm a wuss, but I can live with it.

Paul

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

I have a shooting house I can hunt out of if it is raining but I absolutley hate the wind.

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

heat and lightning. nothing worse than south texas heat when you want to do anything outside.

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

tunder storms and a heavy down-pour[:'(]

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

Crappy SE wind, like the one that is blowing right now.

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

High temps or rain , I absolutely abhor hunting on a rainy day .

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

Itry not tobow hunt in the pouring rain or if it's too hot butI will still gun hunt in the rain. Really bad freezing rain kept me inside once too.. Too much ice on everything.

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

Thunderstorms w/lightning and may 40 mph wind not much keeps me from hunting

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

Lightning is about the only thing that keeps me from hunting. I killed one of my better bucks on a windy day. I had to move my stand after hunting it in the morning because the tree it was in was too small for the wind. It was about 25 mph. The tree was an oak that was about 18" at the base and it was moving too much with that wind. I found a huge oak that was 4 ft. at the base that had a lot of low limbs so I used them as a ladder to get up to about 12 ft. There were 3 scrapes wihtin 15 feet of each other and I thought the deer might be nervous with the wind and would work the scrapes. I set the stand there and went home for breakfast.
The winds accualy picked up a little more as the day went by. I was siding my house and at about 12:30 I had to stop as the wind was trying to rip the siding out of my hands.
There was football to watch and I was tired from fighting the wind in the morning as well as the while trying to work at home.
After the first quarter the Bears were getting their buts kicked and I couldn't take it any more. I showered up and headed to the woods.
It was about 2:30 when I got into the stand. The wind was blowing so hard that this giant tree was swaying. I thought "this is great. I'm tied to this tree and if a limb breaks off I can't even get out of the way." As that thought crossed my mind I looked down under me and saw antlers. There was so many limbs below me, I couldn't see how big this deer was. As I reached for my bow, he cleared the branches and I knew I was going to try a shot. He went right to the scrapes and started to work them like he was digging for gold! I just watched as he did this as I had never seen this before except on TV. The scrapes were only 15 yards from the stand so I just let him work away. He did everything textbook perfect. first he would paw. Then he would pee and lick the licking branch and rub it with his head and antlers. He did this for all three scrapes. When he was done he gave me a perfect 20 yd. quartering away shot. My arrow disapeared in his right ribcage and I saw it stick in the ground on his left side.
To be honest with you I don't remember the wind, or the tree moving at all. All I know is he went about 40 yards to the left and went down.
He's not a monster 10 pt. but he scored 136 gross. Thats good enough for me to get out and litterally hunt the wind.

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

This weekends weather![:'(] Rain, wind gusts to 50 mph, down right NASTY.

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

If its really windy (hard to hear anything in the woods) I stay home but hunting in a nice light steady rain is great for still hunting & stalking really helps mask your sound. I read an article in bowhunter magzine last years( I think) about the benifits about hunting in a light rain(not heavy) it's like the deer know your going to stay home. But I understand that all you old cats with all the arthritis and such shouldn't go out when its chilly and rainy;)...LOL leave it to us young guys.:D

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

If season is in I Pretty well Hunt. If it's raining I use my blind. If the wind gets crazy I'll stay because I don't want a tree on my head!!!

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

Just tornadoes, hurricanes and blizzard...Other than that, I'm there...

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

1.) Moderate to Heavy soaking rain
2.) I will not hunt in temps that exceed 60 degrees, I know that there are people here that would love 60-70 where they live, but its just not me.

RE: What weather keeps you inside?
 

I have taken my biggest deer in the rain. I will hunt in everything except for four types of weather.

1. Hurricane
2. Tornado
3. 90+ Degree Heat
4. 60+ MPH Wind

Sleet, rain, snow, hail, etc. I have hunted in all and have been successful in all.

"It's the hard that makes this sport great"