Bowhunting in the rain
 

Hey all
Looks like for the PA opener in my neck of the woods rain is in the forecast.
How do you deal with rain when you are bowhunting, or do ya just scrap the day?

If you do still hunt in the rain, how do you compensate for the lack of ability to track? Do you lower your effective distance, in order to try to ensure more of a vitals shot?

Man I need to get in the woods, every waking minute of the past week has been filled with constant thoughts like these, the " what ifs" have gotten ahold of me:D
Since college is finally over and this year I have a job where I have accrued time off, I get to hunt more archery this year than I ever have before, so I have a feeling I will be running into situations like this, lol.

RE: Bowhunting in the rain
 

hey man im not as old as u are infact im only 16..but that dosnt mean i dont no wat im talking about so hears my advice.....i live in PA also and have had 2 adjust for the weather forcast...anyways no i wouldnt scrap the day infact i shot a buck 2 years ago with my bow wen it was snowing sleeting hailing raining and windy..lol

My advice is to find an area near thick cover...pine trees..vines..brier patches..make sure its close 2 food or beding..deer seem to mill around there while the weatehr is bad and move wen it clears up..hey good luck and happy hunting

RE: Bowhunting in the rain
 

if your hunting in the rain make sure your string is waxed up good to repel water if not then your string will stretch and your sights will be off.

RE: Bowhunting in the rain
 

Good question bigdog02!

Hiawatha gave some excellant advise, and I will try to add some more.

Obviously, we should ALWAYS strive to take only very high percentage shots. That being said, in the rain we should go even further, if that is possible.

I hunt when I get the time. If it is a downpour, I still hunt. When it is raining, I limit my shooting range to under 20 yards. I will ONLY take a shot that offers both lungs.

When you hit a deer through both lungs, you don`t need blood to find `em. They just are not going very far.

Good luck on opening day!:D

RE: Bowhunting in the rain
 

York County hunter here...wound up as much as you are too!!! i tried one of those tree umbrellas that screw into the tree...love it, works well if the wind isn' t blowing rain real hard. it' s nice in the afternoon when sun can be beating in your eyes..they cost about $20 at wall mart. we have a chance of showers and a high of 63 for sat..deer should be moving most of the day. TRY to get some sleep fri. night and good luck!!

RE: Bowhunting in the rain
 

I prepare to get wet!:D

Good advice above! I also make sure when I get home that I dry every nook & cranny of my bow and broadheads and leave my case open to dry out also.

RE: Bowhunting in the rain
 

I sit in my water proof ground blind.

RE: Bowhunting in the rain
 

Ground blind, still hunt, soaking wet in a tree. It doesn' t matter to me. Cheap rhyme. If I' m off of work you can bet I will be hunting rain or shine. To be honest, I have taken a number of deer in the rain, so as sick as it sounds...I actually look forward to bad weather. I' m with the other guys about the high percentage shots too.

RE: Bowhunting in the rain
 

I do not bowhunt in the rain. I have too much respect for deer to take the risk of wounding one when tracking is impossible. No one can always make a perfect shot, especially in the rain. I use my rain days to practice extra hard and scout bedding areas (all your scent gets washed away).

RE: Bowhunting in the rain
 

I will hunt a light rain, but when it really starts to come down I back off, unless I am hunting open hardwoods and even then it has to be a perfect shot opportunity.

RE: Bowhunting in the rain
 

I am surprised no one mentioned using a tracking string. They cost about 5 bucks, attach to the end of your stabilizer and give me piece of mind during rainy weather.

There are limitations of course. I limit myself to under 25 yard shots with the string on my arrows. At 20 I have no effect on my arrow but by 30 my arrow drops about 3 to 4 inches from where it should hit and I don' t risk it if though I know where the impact point is. I also don' t shoot through tiny little openings in the brush in case the string were to get caught up and deflect an arrow.

I recommend practicing shooting with the string before using it on deer, but in mine and my friends set up' s it has worked very well and made a much easier job or tracking a deer in wet conditions.

RE: Bowhunting in the rain
 

I love hunting in the rain especially if it' s in a public area. Most people are fair weather hunters and the pressure is greatly decreased when the weather gets a little ugly.

Some of my most productive hunts have been during a light rain or just after a heavy downpour. Only take high percentage shots because it can be pretty difficult tracking.

RE: Bowhunting in the rain
 

I hunt every chance I get. If it' s going to downright windy and pouring all day, then forget about it. But, if it' s just a steady rain or drizzle, I' m going. Here' s how I prepare:
1. Extra change of clothes
2. My handy tree umbrella which has kept me dry numerous times in rain, sleet and snow.
3. Make sure I have bow wax on my strings.
4. At end of day I make sure I dry my bow and all very well. I sometimes use my air compressor in the garage to blow out all the nooks and crannies.

I actually look forward to hunting in the rain because it' s more peaceful, quieter getting into the woods on foot (especially when there are lots of leaves down) and I find that 85% of the other hunters stay home so the woods are all mine!

RE: Bowhunting in the rain
 

I' ll be out there on Sat. rain or shine. Showers are supposed to be off an on from what I understand. Hopefully the deer will be active in between the showers.

RE: Bowhunting in the rain
 

I love hunting in the rain. Pigs really come out when it rains. I don' t know about deer tho. My favorite thing about the rain is that it washes out old tracks and you can find fresh tracks and follow them. Especially if they are going to a bedded animal. You can crawl and follow them and look out ahead and too the sides for the animal. Don' t expect it to be on the trail.

The major problems I' ve encountered while hunting in the rain is:
1. Wax flaking off bowstring when wet.
It' s no big deel and all my shots are short so I have never noticed any change in flight and sighs are allways right on.
2. The cold wet clothes. Get a good camo trenchcoat with a hood and your in business. Wear a hat to keep the rain out of your eyes. Wet pants sometimes are not silent too. I wear tobees so wet shoes are not something I worry about. My felt bottom tabees are allways wet.
3. Blood trail. Blood trails will get washed away very fast, maybe even instantly if it' s pouring. If you make a bad shot, there is practically zero chance of finding them by blood. You still have tracks to follow tho. Just hit them in the vitals and they shouldn' t go too far (30-60 yards). You should still be able to find them even if it' s pouring. You definately need to have some tracking experience. If it' s a bad shot, back off and come back the next day or when it' s stopped raining after giving them long enough to die on their own. 8-hours should do it. Check the blood at first to double check your thoughts on where you hit the animal. If it' s full on bubble lung blood and you saw the arrow go though both lungs, you might want to take up the trail right away before it can get washed away. Otherwise, if you can, give the animal a half hour or at least a few minutes.

But if you made a perfect shot and you know it and rain is going to wash the blood away, then get on that trail fast because the deer should be dead in less than a minute after the shot, provided your broadheads are sharp. Dull broadheads are often the cause of deer still being alive after what seemed like a good hit. Sharp three to four blade broadheads often make the difference on marginal hits.

Hope that helps. For me, when it' s really pouring, I just take my 12 guage and try to drop the pig in it' s tracks.